The Transfer
by bannerday
Summary: Bella transfers to the Univ of WA; to a dorm with the Twilight gang. She runs into Edward her first day, leaving him on the ground & her things littered about. Sometimes you find what you didn't know you were looking for. AH, BPOV/EPOV, humor and hotness.
1. Putting the Move On

**The Transfer (Revised)**

**Plot Summary**: Bella transfers to the University of Washington and lives in a dorm with the Twilight usuals. The incredibly beautiful guy with the coppery-bronze hair is such a jerk when their lives first collide, but they cannot ignore the fact that they are drawn to each other. However, Bella has a boyfriend back home and Edward doesn't plan to get involved. A terrible experience has made him reluctant to form any attachments. But sometimes you find what you didn't even know you were looking for.

A little angst and lots of romance. Humor with a nosy Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Alice. Add a potential stalker. Top it all off with sexual tension and eventually some very hot sexy-times. BPOV and EPOV

**A/N: This is a revised version of The Transfer with additional plotlines. So if you happen to be re-reading, there's new stuff!**

I'm not Stephenie Meyer. She came before me and wrote a great Saga that I now like to play with.

Sometimes you meet important people under less than ideal circumstances. This is a story about two people who happen to meet in a rather bizarre way...and it just might lead them to something they both need.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Putting the Move On**

**BPOV**

It's the end of August, my junior year, moving day at the dorm. I'm a transfer student at the University of Washington. Most of the other residents will already know each other; apparently there's a big return at my particular dorm. Great. I'll be the odd man out.

I shouldn't gripe. My parents really weren't in a place where they could afford the whole four years at a state university. Staying at home in Forks, Washington, for the first two years after high school and attending a community college had worked out fine. It gave me a chance to spend more time with Charlie, my dad.

My parents were divorced and I'd lived most of my childhood and teen years with my mom, Renee, in Phoenix, Arizona. In my sophomore year of high school, my mom had met and eventually married Phil, a minor league baseball player. Renee and Phil had been planning on relocating to Jacksonville, Florida, that following year. At that point, however, I just felt like they needed their space. It had been my idea to move up to the Washington and re-establish some sort of relationship with my dad.

Charlie was the Chief of Police in Forks. I'd moved up from Phoenix during my junior year and begun attending Forks High School mid-semester. I'd been the big news for at least a month before, and three months after, my arrival in Forks. After that, people realized I wasn't really celebrity material. I was quiet, shy, smart and accident prone.

The last three and a half years passed by rather uneventfully. I'd helped Charlie around the house with the domestic trio: I'd cooked, cleaned and done the laundry. I'd maintained high grades in school so that I could go on to college and hopefully get somewhere in life, other than Forks.

Oh, and I had a boyfriend.

Oddly, having a boyfriend back home in Forks hadn't made it any more difficult to leave. I think I just was beginning to realize that we needed a little space. We'd become close during high school, mostly because we'd helped each other through some tough times. This would give us a chance to think about the path our relationship was taking and about where our lives were headed in general.

But back to moving day…

I was just pulling my ancient truck into the parking lot at the university dorm complex. Charlie hadn't been able to get time off to join me for the trip, but that wasn't really a problem; I was a big girl and I could take care of myself. I'd been doing that for years now, ever since my parents' divorce. I hadn't really brought that much stuff along anyway. I could always make the trip back home on the occasional weekend and pick up any other things I needed.

There didn't seem to be too many cars in the lot today, although probably more people would be moving in the next day. I just wanted to get a jump on this year. I pulled into a space, parked next to a shiny,silver Volvo and sighed as I looked up the hill toward the housing. The hill looked pretty steep and I knew I'd have to make several trips from my truck to the dorm with all of my belongings. I suddenly wasn't feeling very enthusiastic.

I looked around and saw a few people pushing carts filled with their belongings. Maybe I could find a cart to cut down on the number of trips. I hopped out of the truck and locked up. Hopefully my stuff, packed and covered in the truck bed, would be okay while I went to check in and pick up my key.

A big, seriously attractive, broad-shouldered guy, with muscles like a serious weight-lifter and dark, curly hair sat at the table in the foyer and greeted me with a smile and matching set of dimples.

"Name?" he asked.

For as big and physically impressive as he was, something about him was very child-like.

"Isabella Swan. Bella, actually," I replied.

"Okay, Bella Actually," he said with a little chuckle. And with his dimples.

He looked at my ID and his eyes glanced down the list he had in front of him.

"Room 208. Here's your key."

As he handed me my key, he indicated the stairway behind him to his left with his thumb. I wanted to thank him and ask him a few questions, but his focus had suddenly shifted and he was already smirking and calling out to someone that was approaching the table from behind me. I didn't bother to turn around and look or wait to ask my questions. I could do that later.

"Hey, Bro, what took you so long...?" Dimples asked The Approacher.

I proceeded on up the stairs and found my room in a suite down the hallway. The room faced a small sitting room with a couch, two chairs, an overhead light and two windows. I opened up the door to room 208. I guess I had gotten here first; my roommate hadn't moved in yet. I wondered if she'd be moving in today or tomorrow. I wondered what kind of a girl she would be and whether we would get along well.

I headed back down to my truck to begin unloading my belongings. Amazingly enough, there was an empty cart sitting right near the back end of my truck, between it and the silver Volvo. I looked in the Volvo, but no one was there, then I looked around the area at nearby cars to see if anyone seemed to be using it, or coming back for it, but there was no one nearby. Thank goodness for small miracles! I quickly loaded up the cart with two big duffel bags filled with clothes, a bag of shoes, a big plastic trash bag filled with my bedding, and my laptop in its padded case. The cart was really loaded down and I decided that was plenty for the first trip. I began trudging up the hill to my new home.

**EPOV**

_What the heck?_ I looked around.

_Where'd it go?_ I peered around the lot.

_You've got to be shitting me! This is just fucking perfect. _

I looked around the lot and up the hill, but it was nowhere in sight. I'd found a cart and left it right here, next to my car, and now it was gone, only minutes later. Figures. My day had been steadily going downhill.

Earlier I had been flying along the freeway, blasting my iPod through the car's stereo system and looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces. That was when I got pulled over for doing 85. I couldn't believe it. I'd never gotten a ticket before, despite my need for speed. I'd felt like I needed to call my dad, Carlisle, right afterward. He had been pissed, always chastising me for my driving habits. Esme, my mom, had also been disappointed. I'd had to call my parents, even though I knew I'd get a severe tongue lashing.

_What a great way to start my day._

At least it had been good to see my brother, Emmett, when I finally arrived here at school. He'd been up here most of the summer, taking an intersession class, so it'd been much quieter at home than usual. I'd missed his boisterous ways and loud, easy laugh. Now he was going to be the Resident Advisor in our dorm. Emmett. Advising others. How inappropriate. I could hardly wait.

I'd called him earlier to tell him I was leaving from our house in Port Angeles, and I would have been here sooner if it hadn't been for the State Trooper. Emmett had had to rub it in, of course. He'd smirked at me when he saw me approaching in the dorm.

"Hey, Bro, what took you so long?" Then he actually guffawed because he knew damn well what had taken me so long.

He asked me this question even though I'd called him before I had dared to call Carlisle. He already knew the whole story and had given me a pep talk, having been down that road himself numerous times.

Eventually he'd gotten the hilarity out of his system, had bear-hugged me and had given me a slap on the back. He checked me in and gave me my key. I was actually surprised when I'd scoped out my room and he hadn't pulled any pranks. Maybe my little Emmett _was_ growing up. Or else he just hadn't had the time or opportunity. Probably the latter.

But for now I had to go round up another cart because some idiot had jacked mine.

_Just fabulous._

**BPOV**

I'd made it up the hill and had made several trips up the stairs to put my things in my room. I didn't see the point in putting anything away or organizing yet. I still had at least one more load in my truck.

So I locked up and headed back downstairs to go back down the hill with the cart.

As I passed the table in the foyer, Dimples asked, "How many more loads, Bella Actually?"

I smiled, rolled my eyes, and as I headed out the door said, "Hopefully, just one. That hill up from the parking lot is a real bear!"

Dimples laughed and nodded. He kind of looked like a bear himself, I thought idly as I headed down the hill.

The second load consisted of my pillows, some towels, a grocery bag with a few snack items, a box of desk supplies, a bag of toiletries, a box of books, my pet cactus that had made it all the way from Phoenix three and a half years earlier, and my desk lamp. Again I locked up my truck, figuring I'd re-park it later. It couldn't stay in that lot indefinitely; it was just temporary parking for loading and unloading. I began trudging up the hill, pushing the heavy cart ahead of me.

Suddenly I heard my phone ringing and I realized I'd neglected to call Charlie. He'd wanted me to check in with him when I'd arrived. I struggled for a moment as the phone kept ringing and finally managed to pull it out of my pocket. I juggled, almost dropping it as it rang, and eventually flipped the phone open, holding it to my ear while still pushing the heavily-laden cart with one hand. Bad, bad idea.

I mean really bad.

The cart hit a stone, took an abrupt U-turn and began heading back down the hill, the momentum catching me by surprise, causing me to trip over my own foot and throwing me off balance. Of course I was off balance. The weight of the cart lurched out of my hand and I stumbled as I made a last ditch effort to grab it before it hurtled downhill.

Oh. My. God. As it sped away from my grasp I could see that it was going to go careening into the shiny Volvo at the bottom of the hill if someone didn't stop it. I began running, screaming for someone, anyone, to stop the runaway cart.

**EPOV**

I was on my phone, trying to call Carlisle once again, letting him know I'd arrived at school without any further moving violations on the highway. I'd started up the hill carrying a duffel bag. I had been unable to find a single cart and was now resigned to the concept of carrying everything up from my car by hand.

_Fantastic. The day keeps getting better._

Suddenly I heard someone screaming. I flipped my phone shut and looked around.

I looked up the hill at a small, brown-haired girl. There was a look of horror on her face as she screamed, "Stop that cart! Somebody stop that cart!"

And then I saw the cart hurtling at me like a rocket.

_Oh, shit!_

I jumped to the side, reaching out for the handle as it shot past. It wrenched my wrist, but I managed to hang on to the beast with my left hand and reach over to add my right as it flipped around, tipped up on its two left wheels, turned sideways abruptly and flipped over, spilling its contents all over the road and pulling me down to my knees with it.

_Fuck! _

_Ow! Fucking motherfucker!_

**BPOV**

_Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!. Please let that guy not be hurt!_

I ran down to him, as quickly as I could, where he was still lying on the ground, his hands just now releasing the handle of the devil cart. He groaned as he twisted himself around, sitting up gingerly. I looked at him as I knelt down.

He was without a doubt, hands-down, unequivocally, the most attractive guy I'd ever seen. He had kind of wild, untidy reddish-brownish-bronzey hair that stuck out in random directions. It made him look like he'd just rolled out of bed. Nakedly. _Where did that thought come from? _His face was beautiful with perfect features, except that it was twisted up into an expression of pain at the moment. _Damn you, cart from hell! _And he had amazing green-blue eyes, framed by long, dark brown, lush lashes. His tropical sea eyes were looking at me with a mixture of confusion and anger. _Oops!_

"Oh my God! I am so, so sorry! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Don't move! Is your wrist okay? That happened so fast! I can't believe you were able to stop it!"

"What the _hell_ were you doing?" He snapped at me.

"Wh- what? Excuse me?" I could feel myself blushing in embarrassment.

"I said, 'What the _hell_ were you doing?'" He repeated himself angrily.

"I…, uh, I was pushing the cart up the hill when my phone rang and I tried to answer it and it was hard to do with one hand and then the cart was in my other hand and it turned and the momentum…"

"I get it!" he snapped at me once again.

I pulled back away from him. Anger was rolling off him in waves now.

"Why didn't you just stay focused on one thing at a time? Shit!"

He was rubbing his wrist and I could see that he'd landed on his knee. The hole in the knee of his jeans seemed to already have been there, but I could see that his knee had been scraped up as the cart slid to a stop. I could see scrapes and blood.

_No, not blood, please._

I backed away from him a little. I didn't want to take the chance that I would smell that metallic scent blood had and faint in front of this boy who already hated me.

"I'm so sorry you got hurt," I said, gesturing at his knee and wrist. "It wasn't intentional."

"Obviously it wasn't intentional! You should just be more careful!" He peered inside the split knee of his jeans and looked at his knee.

"Do you want me to get you something for that?" I asked cautiously, afraid that he would snap at me again.

"No, I'll live; forget it," he said in a clipped voice, still obviously very annoyed and upset.

He pulled himself together and stuck his hands out to his sides to push himself upwards.

"Ow! Shit!" he suddenly yelled.

"What?" I asked him, frantic as he reacted to some new pain.

"Is this your damn cactus?" He practically shouted at me as his hand came around holding my cactus. He dropped it on the ground in front of him and looked closely at the stickers that were now sticking out of his palm.

"Yes," I whispered, mortified.

He plucked out the stickers, stood up and brushed himself off, surveying the area around us, now littered with my belongings.

He turned back and looked at the cart, turning it upright.

"Stop," I told him meekly, "I'll do it. You don't have to help."

He looked back at me with a scowl on his face, but he knelt down and began gathering up my books and tossing them back into the box they had been in. I picked up my pillows and towels and shoved them back into the cart.

"Really, I can do this. Don't bother yourself."

He just shook his head, his lips set in a tight line, ignoring me, and continued picking things up and loading them into the cart. He set the box of books in the cart without saying a word. Then I began scrambling for my desk supplies, stuffing them back into the box from which they had tumbled, while he shoved a six-pack of bottled waters, granola bars and trail mix packs back into the grocery bag. He placed the bag in the cart then picked up the full box of desk supplies and set it on top of the box of books. I gently picked up my now broken desk lamp and placed it in the cart uncertainly. I grabbed the bag that had held my toiletries and began collecting toothpaste, dental floss and deodorant. He handed me my shampoo and conditioner as I grabbed my brush and comb. His hand extended toward me once more, now passing me body wash.

"I draw the line at feminine hygiene products." His low voice was curt near my ear and I blushed furiously as I picked up the box of tampons and thrust it into the bag. "And I'm sure as hell not touching that Bad Boy," he said, pointing at my cactus. His voice was at least a little calmer now.

I grabbed up the cactus and set it on top of the pile, turning back to him to thank him.

"Where did you get this cart?" He suddenly asked, with an odd expression on his face, like he was really seeing it for the first time.

"It was down near my truck," I said, pointing toward the lot.

"That's your truck? The red one?" Irritation had sneaked back into his voice.

I nodded. _What was wrong with my truck?_

His expression was one of anger again. "I had chased down this cart to use for my stuff! Why did you just snag it? Didn't you think maybe someone was using it? What's the matter with you?" He was pushing back on his feet and standing back up. He was taller than I'd realized; well-built, but rather lean and lanky

"Are you kidding me?" I asked, glaring up at him. Now I was getting pissed off. He was so arrogant. "This was your cart? Then where the hell were you? There wasn't anyone around when I started to use it and it was sitting right next to my truck."

"Never mind," he said, his jaw clenched and his eyes tight, as he angrily picked up his phone and his duffel bag and headed up the hill toward the residence halls.

"Well, why don't you just put your bag on top of my stuff ? I'm going uphill anyway."

He just ignored me and began trudging up the hill.

"Thanks for your help anyway!" I yelled after him. "I'm sorry about the cart!"

He didn't respond or even look back. He just kept walking uphill without even turning around.

_What a jerk! Hot looking, yes, but what an asshole!_

I glanced around, picked my phone up off the ground, shoved it quickly into my pocket and slowly headed up the hill, shoving the devil cart ahead of me. I'd call Charlie back when I got to my room. I was too angry to talk right now and I didn't want to have to explain my irritation.

_Who wanted to relive that fiasco?_

I managed to get up to the dorm without any further incident, unpacked the cart and made a pile of my things just inside the door. I would have to make several trips to my room, but at least someone, maybe even The Hot Jerk, would be able to find it outside and use it.

As I unloaded boxes and bags in my room I kept thinking about the whole embarrassing ordeal. He didn't have to yell at me. It was an accident. Why did he even bother helping if he was so angry? I could have done it myself. Who needed that kind of attitude? Hopefully I wouldn't run into him (literally or figuratively) again anytime soon.

I was just bringing in the last of my things when I realized that I still hadn't ever talked with Charlie. I'd been so sidetracked with my confrontation with The Hot Jerk. I decided to sit down and take a break and check in with Charlie. I slid my phone out of my pocket.

_Ohmygod! _

_No. Way. In. Hell._

**EPOV**

This day just went from "bad" to "unbelievable."

It had turned sour when I got the damn speeding ticket, followed by Carlisle's tirade over the phone. Then, after rounding up a cart and leaving it unattended for all of five minutes, it disappears, only to come flying back into my life. Literally.

Thank God I had heard that girl screaming in time. What if I'd already been talking to Carlisle? Or if I'd been turned around? I would have been plowed right over. Or even if I'd jumped out of the way, it would still have smashed into my car and done some serious damage. Those carts are heavy. _Damn! _

What had that girl been thinking? She had said she was on the phone. Didn't she realize that she couldn't steer that heavy cart uphill with one hand?

Now my wrist was throbbing, my knee was swelling where it had banged down to the pavement and gotten all scraped and bloody. I had scrapes where I'd slid on my knees and left forearm until the cart stilled. Unbelievable. Oh, yeah, and then I palmed a cactus as I went to stand up and still have stickers embedded in my hand.

_Seriously unbelievable._

I got into my room and dropped my bag on my bed. I tried to pick a few more stickers out of my palm, then gave up and decided I'd unpack my bag and at least put that stuff away before I hiked back down the hill to get the next load. It didn't take long, it was mostly clothing that I could put into drawers. Then I realized I'd been so sidetracked that I'd never bothered to clean up the scrapes on my knee and forearm.

As I stood at the sink in the bathroom I thought about Cart-Thief Girl. She still irritated the hell out of me, but at least I got a laugh out of how embarrassed she'd been when I wouldn't touch her tampons. _Serves her right for being a Cart-Thief._ I wondered what dorm she was in, although it really didn't matter, as long as she wouldn't try to run me down with a cart again anytime soon.

I had just returned to my room when I realized that I heard music playing. It was the Kings of Leon, playing "Use Somebody". That's when I realized that the music was coming from my pants. Well, from my pocket, actually. But it wasn't _my_ Kings of Leon ringtone.

_What the heck? _I reached in my pocket and pulled out my phone.

Not my phone.

_Her _phone.

I shit you not.

The same kind of phone I had, but definitely _not _my phone.

The girl was evil, plain and simple. She was put on this campus to make my life a living hell and she was succeeding. My day had just gone from "bad" to "unbelievable" to "seriously unbelievable" to "unfuckingbelievable."

I realized that the phone had stopped ringing at some point while I was caught up in the ridiculousness of the moment.

The music was jarring as the phone began ringing once again in my hand. I looked at the screen and sure enough it was my number.

_I was calling myself._

Great.

Now I get to talk to _her_ again. I flipped the phone open.

"Hello?"

"You took _my _phone, Jerkoff!" Her voice snapped angrily at me.

"What?" _Did she just call me 'Jerkoff'?_

"You took _my_ phone, you imbecile!"

I was getting angry now. There was no need for name-calling. "It looked like _my _phone!" I argued with her.

"Just like the cart I used looked like it was _my _cart, but you told me it was _yours._"

What the hell was she saying? That last statement didn't make any sense at all.

"I don't get your point," I told her harshly.

"Never mind!" she said venomously. "Do you want your phone back or not?"

"What kind of a question is that? Of course I want my phone back! What were you thinking of doing with it, throwing it away? Keep in mind I have your phone!"

"So, what, are you threatening my phone? Is this like a hostage situation with you?"

"Stop yelling at me! Just meet me down by your truck in ten minutes and we'll trade phones."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"I'll see you in ten minutes!

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

I slammed her phone shut, realizing that she probably had done the same thing to mine when our yelling match ended. I put her phone back in my pocket, picked up my car key and strode out the door to head down to my car.

As I left the building, I almost ran smack into the cart. Yes. The very same cart. It had been left out near the front of our building and the dorm next door. That must mean that the Cart-Thief was living nearby. Outstanding. Because I enjoyed her company and I couldn't get enough of her.

I grabbed the cart and marched down the hill.

I couldn't believe that girl called me "Jerkoff." _What kind of girl would do that?_

**BPOV**

The Hot Jerk was such a jerk. I couldn't believe he picked up the wrong phone. I should place a few calls to foreign countries just to show him what a jerk I could be. _What on earth was I thinking? _He'd gotten me all flustered and angry and now I was having irrational thoughts. This was a terrible first day for me at my new school. So far I'd only met two people, Dimples and The Hot Jerk. I wasn't even so sure anymore that he was The Hot Jerk. Now he was just Jerkoff. _Or maybe Asshole!_

I had to go back down to my truck anyway. I had a few more things on the front seat that I needed, and I probably had to re-park it in the regular lot. I grabbed my keys and my purse and took off for the lot, where he said he'd meet me with my phone.

**EPOV**

At least I'd been able to load up the cart with most of my things. I shut the trunk, took a few things off the backseat of the Volvo and shut the back door. I realized that I'd left some CD's in the stereo and I wanted to bring them in. I put the key back in the ignition and pressed the eject button to unload the CD player. Then I turned the key back off, removing it and setting it on the passenger seat. The car had to be moved to a different spot later.. I glanced down and my eyes fell on the soda cup I'd gotten at a fast food drive-thru for the trip up today. I'd never thrown it out earlier, so I grabbed it and climbed out of the car, leaving the front door ajar, and looking around for a trashcan. Finally I spotted a big dumpster on the far side of the lot.

As I was heading back over to the side of the lot where my car was parked I saw The Cart-Thief approaching. She held my phone between her thumb and forefinger, out and away from her body, like it was disgusting. Her face was screwed up in anger and her eyes were glaring at me.

"Here's your phone," she spat at me.

"Hey, it was an honest mistake," I said, still irritated with her. "It could have happened to anyone. You could have even made the mistake yourself, you know."

I handed her phone to her and she gave me mine in return. It was an even exchange.

Then a thought struck me. "Kings of Leon, huh? I like 'Use Somebody'. My ringtone is a Kings of Leon song too."

"I know." She looked at me distastefully. "Someone named Jazz and someone named Carlisle called you and I had the pleasure of listening to 'Sex on Fire' twice. You must think pretty highly of yourself."

With that she abruptly turned and walked away, pocketing her phone and heading back over toward her truck.

_I might as well just shoot myself now._

I stood rooted to the spot, watching her. Then my passing mortification over my ringtone turned to horror as I watched her open her passenger door, backing up accidentally into my car door, which swung shut, effectively locking me out.

_Just. Fucking. Splendid._

My key was on the passenger seat. I had pushed the lock button down out of habit, and now my key and wallet were safely, snugly, inside my car. And I had no way of getting inside. And I couldn't call Carlisle again. He'd just have a shit fit.

I didn't know when I'd had a more glorious day than today.

**BPOV**

A loud "Aarrghhh!" suddenly pierced the air.

Now what was his problem? Jerkoff was screaming, standing farther back in the parking lot, where we'd exchanged phones. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, his eyes were screwed tightly shut as his jaw clenched, and his face was raised heavenward. His whole body was shaking. I'd never seen anything so ridiculous in my life. Just because I'd called him out on his ringtone?

Seriously, what was his problem?

_Jerkoff!_

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**A/N: And so they meet, rather unconventionally. But sometimes things happen in life that just plain take you by surprise. This will be one of those things.**

**Let me know what you thought. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ;)**


	2. Settling Down, Settling In

**The Transfer **

A/N: So they've met, and not too amicably. Is there any hope? Of course! You're kidding me right? Edward and Bella belong together. They just don't know it yet. ;)

All publicly recognizable Twilight characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. This is my best effort at fan-fic-fun. No copyright infringement intended.

Edward...still so cranky...but there may be hope for him yet.

Read on, my fellow fangirl. There's a sweaty, half-naked Edward in this chapter. Yum!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Settling Down, Settling In **

**EPOV**

I couldn't continue to stand there screaming but it felt good to unleash my frustration and despair, caused by this small, brown-haired, brown-eyed demon girl. Once I'd gotten it out of my system, I uncurled my fists, unclenched my jaw, ran my hand through my hair, and I marched over to her to confront her with her newest transgression.

"What is _wrong _with you?" I demanded, gesturing with my flailing arms.

"What are you talking about now? There's nothing wrong with _me. You're_ the one with the problem, Mr. Sex on Fire!"

"Yeah, you're right, I have a huge problem. You! Not that you're actually huge. That's not what I meant. Sorry if it seemed like that was what I was saying." _Why was I apologizing? Why am I suddenly Mr. Sex on Fire? Wasn't I "Jerkoff?"_

"What?" She was sneering at me now.

"This is my car!" I pointed to the silver Volvo, trying to make her understand.

"And…?"

"And the door shut."

"So..?"

"So, it's _locked _now and the keys are _inside_ and it's _you_r fault!"

That shut her up for a moment. I looked at her face with it's furrowed brow, her mouth agape as she stared at me, somewhat uncomprehending. Slowly she shut her mouth, biting her bottom lip with her front teeth.

"Why did you leave your keys inside it? Wouldn't that actually be _your _fault? Because of _your _negligence?" she finally asked me.

_Oh for the love of…!_

"I wasn't negligent! It was an accident! What are you, a court of law? I went to the trashcan to throw out some trash and I was coming right back."

"Don't you have a spare key hidden somewhere on your car?"

"No! If I _did_ we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

"Don't you think it would be wise of you to have a spare key hidden on your vehicle for an emergency such as this?"

_What? What the hell is with her?_

"Aaarghhh! Now you're parenting me? I already have two perfectly good parents, I don't need a third."

"I'm sorry; I just fail to see how this whole thing is my fault."

"The door was open slightly and before I could get back over here, you backed into it with your butt and the door shut."

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'!"

"Well, you should have a spare key hidden somewhere on it."

I just glowered at her.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" she squeaked, knitting her brows.

"Nothing," I told her through clenched teeth. "You've done plenty. You've done more than enough all day. I just need to get out of here. I'm going to take this cartload up to my room. Luckily I still have the key to my dorm room. You haven't managed to sabotage my dorm room, although there is still time today if you hurry. Then I'm going to go for a run to get out all of the aggression I am harboring within me, all inspired by you. When I'm calmer and in a more Zen-like state, I'll return and figure out what the hell _I'm_ going to do about my car."

**BPOV**

With that, he did an abrupt about-face and strode away, grabbing the cart and pushing his cart-load up to the dorms. I stood next to my truck, watching him as he strode up the hill. He really had such an annoying attitude!

He was probably spoiled. He was so good-looking; he probably thought that he was God's gift to the women of the world. That was obvious when he'd proclaimed himself to be Mr. Sex on Fire. How conceited can you get?

_But maybe that explains that incredible hair of his. Quite possibly the best example of bed-head I've ever seen._

But then the longer I watched him, the more I began to feel kind of bad. Maybe he had brought some of this on himself, and maybe he _was_ kind of a jerk, but much of it, he had never asked for. I apparently took the cart from him in the first place, it nearly crashed into him, he sustained multiple injuries from the whole cart-cactus fiasco, and now I had shut his car door, locking his keys and wallet inside of his car.

Even if he was proclaiming himself to the world to be Mr. Sex on Fire, he probably didn't deserve most of what had happened to him, although he probably deserved some of it because he really did have such a bad attitude. But then again, he had helped me pick up and re-pack my belongings in the cart after the whole ordeal. He'd actually been kind of gentlemanly, in an extremely cranky sort of way.

I climbed into my truck to go re-park it, now that it was mostly unloaded. But, as I was climbing in, I realized there was an errand I wanted to run first.

**EPOV**

Somehow I had displeased the Fates earlier this morning and they had conspired against me for the rest of the day. I was so pissed off by now that I could barely see straight. As I stormed into the dorm with some of the contents from the cart, I heard Emmett's cheerful voice.

"Hey, Bro, getting all settled in?"

"No, I'm having the worst fucking day of my life!"

"Want to talk about it?"

"No! And I just want to thank you once again for putting 'Sex on Fire' on my phone as my ringtone. Thanks for making me look like an ass every time it rings. At least September is almost here and I can finally change it, you jerk"

"You were the one that lost that bet, Baby Bro."

"I don't want to get into that!"

"Those were your words exactly about that Irina girl, when you lost the bet!" Emmett guffawed. I couldn't stand it when Emmett guffawed. A chuckle or a snicker, or even a giggle was okay, but I had to put my foot down at a guffaw. Such an ass!

"You're an idiot, Em," I told him, as I took off in a huff down the hall.

I quickly dumped my things off in my room and changed to go for a run.

Once I finally got outside, rhythmically inhaling and exhaling, my legs pumping, with the wind on my face and in my hair, I began to calm down. It felt good to focus on my body as a machine; to tune everything else out. Eventually my spirits lifted and I felt a bit renewed and calmed.

I couldn't run as far or for as long as I would have liked, because my knee was still pretty banged up and beginning to throb, but at least I had worked up a sweat, I'd run off some of the irritation from earlier, and I felt a little more human. That little brown-haired, brown-eyed girl had really gotten to me earlier, pushing my buttons like she did.

I slowed down, and cooled down, pulling my t-shirt off over my head, as I returned to the dorm. I had just entered the back door and turned the corner to my hall when someone coming from the main part of the dorm came around the corner at the same time and ran smack into me. Someone's hands were flat on my naked pecs.

I don't need to tell you who it was.

You already know.

**BPOV**

I tried to call Charlie, just to check in, remembering that I had yet to do that. He wasn't home, so I left a message that I had arrived safely, unloaded the truck, and had begun moving in. I was glad, in a way, that I didn't actually have to talk to him; that I could just leave a message. I really didn't want to go into the whole debacle with the cart and The Hot Jerk.

I had finally figured out where The Hot Jerk lived. (Yeah, I wasn't going to call him Jerkoff anymore. I realized that I probably hadn't brought out the best in him, so it was partly my fault that he had been a Jerkoff to me.) He was actually a resident in my own dorm. So now I could live here, with him and his anger issues, the entire year. I only knew that he lived here because I had asked Dimples if he knew whether a tall, lanky, good-looking guy with wild, reddish-brownish-bronzey hair and green-blue eyes lived in this dorm or the next.

To my extreme embarrassment, he replied, "Yeah, that's my brother, Edward. But he's more than just the eyecandy he appears to be. Why do you ask, Bella Actually?" He had even waggled his eyebrows.

"I need to find him right away; I've got to tell him something important."

His eyes twinkled at me. "Don't bother professing your love for him; you're just wasting your breath. And his room is just down that hall, number 107." He pointed to the hall just past the stairway. His dimples deepened.

I ran. I had to find him immediately.

I came around the corner and smacked right into a wall.

"Unf!"

_The wall said, "Unf?"_

Long fingers reached out and grasped my arms, steadying me.

I realized that my own hands were resting on someone's muscular, naked chest. My fingers were splayed in the smattering of bronzey-brownish hair there.

_Oops!_

"Not you!" He groaned, releasing my arms as I stepped away from him and his fabulous chest.

"Yes, me," I replied, looking up at him and blushing wildly. "But don't yell at me: it's for a good reason. I have good news."

"You're dropping out?" he asked sarcastically.

"No. There's a tow truck down by your car. The driver got it unlocked, but he won't release the key to me. He needs to be able to verify that you are the owner of the car. He can't wait much longer; I had a hard time finding you. Hurry!"

He took off running, without so much as a thank you. What a Hot Jerk!

I went back down the hall and up the stairs to where my own room was. Oh well, at least I tried.

**EPOV**

I'd sprinted down to the parking lot, hoping the tow truck guy hadn't left. That would be just my luck, considering how the day had gone so far. But, lo and behold, he was still there. I'd hit the jackpot. I told him that my wallet was in the console, and that he could check my picture ID and my registration. He was satisfied that I was me and I was relieved to finally have something go my way today.

"What do I owe you?" I asked, opening up my wallet.

"Already paid up," he said as he climbed back into his truck.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, your girlfriend already paid. You're off the hook, buddy. Have a good evening."

_My girlfriend? What the fuck?_

I stood there and watched as he drove away. Then I climbed into the Volvo and went to re-park the car.

_Sonofabitch! She probably did that just to piss me off. Just to make me feel like a bigger jerkoff than I already was._

I'd embarrassed her into doing something kind and now I felt like a total ass. I didn't even know who she was or where she lived. And now I was referring to myself as a 'jerkoff'.

Once I'd re-parked in the other lot I headed back to my dorm.

Emmett was still in the entryway, but he looked like he was packing it in to go to dinner soon. He looked up as I neared him.

"Hey dickhead, are you going to just stomp past me again?

"Sorry, Emmett. It had just been a really bad day."

"Had been?"

"Yeah, things look like they're improving. But it could be a fluke. The lull before the storm and all that."

He laughed. "There's the optimistic attitude we've come to expect of you, Edward. Tell me, dude. I'm here for you, as your Resident Advisor and your brother!"

I told him the whole story and he had a good laugh. At least someone found humor at my expense. Actually, that was usually the case with Emmett. He told me she'd spoken with him earlier, asking where I lived and he'd wondered why she was trying to track me down.

"It sounds like you spent more time with that girl today than you've spent with any girl in the past three years."

"Yeah, but none of it was enjoyable, so it still doesn't count. Get off my back."

"Okay, okay, don't be so touchy. I'm just sayin'."

"Are you going to dinner soon?"

"Yeah, Rose came by a few minutes ago. I'm supposed to meet her in thirty minutes. And when I say 'supposed to,' I mean 'I'd damn well better be there if I know what's good for me.'" He smiled happily. "Join us."

"I've got to shower first, but I'll meet you there when I'm done."

I was about to take off when I spun back around to him. "Oh, hey, so you said that girl lives in this dorm…? She asked you where to find me?"

"Yeah, she's in room 208. Her name is Isabella Swan, but she said she prefers to be called Bella, actually. So I've been calling her 'Bella Actually'. You should do the same. I think she'd appreciate it if we were all on the same page." He grinned at his own wit. He did that a lot.

"You're a fool. When are you going to grow up?"

"Okay, so don't take my advice. I just felt you should know, as your advisor and all. Hey, I just had a thought. Maybe this girl is your destiny." He giggled as he said it. At least it was a giggle and not a guffaw.

I rolled my eyes. "Right. I'll see you at dinner. 208, you said, huh?"

"Yeah, later, Bro."

Once I got back to my room I unpacked a few things I needed and then headed quickly to the shower. I stood under the spray, washing off the sweat from my run and the irritation from the earlier portion of my day. I could feel the muscles in my shoulders and neck unbunching and relaxing. I thought about the small, brown-haired, brown-eyed girl trying to track me down after she had gotten a tow truck here to unlock my car. On her own dime. For me. And she didn't even know me. All she did know of me was that I was rude and I yelled a lot. Now I felt like such a dick.

Bella. Room 208. I had to go thank her. And apologize to her. _Shit!_

When I got up to her suite a little later it still seemed pretty deserted. There was a light on in Room 210. I could see it faintly under the bottom edge of the door. I wondered fleetingly if it was Jessica or Angela, or both of them, who had returned today. Then I saw the light under 208. I realized that the brown-haired girl, Bella, was apparently rooming with Victoria, assuming that Victoria was returning and hadn't made other plans. Poor Bella. I felt sorry for her already. Rooming with Bitchtoria.

**BPOV**

I still had so much to organize and put away in my room. Everything was just piled everywhere. It took me quite a while, but I made my bed first, so I would at least have a place to sleep tonight. I unpacked bags and boxes, put away shoes, and folded and hung up clothes. I organized my books and my desk. I was unpacking and organizing my toiletries when there was a knock at my door.

I opened it to find The Hot Jerk, only now I knew that The Hot Jerk's name was really Edward. But I might still refer to him as The Hot Jerk. I was going to reserve that right. He was freshly showered and changed, with damp hair and smelling wonderfully of woodsy body wash and breezy laundry detergent. He was leaning against the wall, just outside the doorway. He looked slightly embarrassed and rather uncomfortable to be standing there. He glanced down the hall a little nervously it seemed.

"Oh, hi!" I said, taking a step backward, in case I had recently done anything else to anger him. "Do you want to come in?"

"No. I already told you that I draw the line at feminine hygiene products," he reminded me, pointing a long finger to the box of tampons that I held in my hand.

_Yikes!_ I tossed the box onto my bed. "Very funny." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Sorry. Um…I didn't have a chance to introduce myself earlier today. My name is Edward Cullen. And you're…Bella?"

"How did you know my name?" _And where I live? Is this going to get creepy?_

"My brother, Emmett; he's the Resident Advisor. He told me who you were and which room was yours. In fact, he told me to call you "Bella Actually", but I told him to grow up. He says and does weird stuff sometimes."

"Oh." _Did I want further clarification for that? No._

He ran his fingers through his slightly damp, tousled hair.

"So…I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry that I yelled at you today. And I wanted to thank you for getting the tow truck here to unlock my car. And I'm sorry I didn't thank you earlier, I just went running out of the dorm because you kind of caught me off guard when you said the guy might not wait. You didn't have to go to the trouble to do all that; I could have done it. I hope I didn't come off earlier sounding like I wanted you to do that."

He paused and looked at me carefully for a moment. He was waiting for a response, I realized. I just shook my head, feeling a little awkward.

He seemed satisfied and continued speaking.

"The guy said you'd already taken care of payment. How much was it?" He reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet, opening it up as he looked at me.

"Don't worry about it, Edward," I answered him truthfully. "I wanted to take care of it. You don't owe me anything."

"Are you sure I can't pay you for at least half?"

I shook my head at him. "No, it's okay; I got it."

He looked completely taken aback. "That's very generous of you. You don't need to do that. I wish you'd let me pay you back."

"Yeah, well, it was my fault about your car and I feel better if I get this for you."

"It was my fault too, but...well, anyway… truce, okay?" He seemed a little uncertain and painfully awkward.

"Truce." I nodded, unsure if I should say anything else.

"Okay. Well, thanks." He fidgeted, running his hands through his hair once again and looking back down the hall.

"You're welcome." I wondered why he seemed so skittish.

"See you around." He stepped away from my door, cramming his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and then took off, striding down the hall on his long legs, hunched a bit, with his head down.

"Goodbye," I called after him, as I shut the door and turned back into my room. He wasn't as terrible as he had seemed at first. He still seemed a little stand-offish and certainly a little awkward. Maybe that was just his way. Maybe he wasn't as stuck up as I'd imagined him to be. Time would tell. At least he'd had the decency to come thank me and apologize.

I felt better about living in the same dorm as him. We probably wouldn't be friends, but we could at least be civil.

**EPOV**

I knocked, and after a moment the door opened. She greeted me as she stood in the doorway, but she seemed to shrink away from me. She asked if I wanted to come in, but I declined of course, and then, because I couldn't resist, I'd made that crack about her tampons again. She had blushed and then she threw the box onto her bed.

I realized that I should introduce myself and I let her know that Emmett had told me her name and room number. I didn't want her to think that I was stalking her. I apologized for my behavior and thanked her for getting my car unlocked for me. I fully intended to pay her back, but she wouldn't take it. I suggested that we declare a truce and she accepted. Then I began to feel a bit uncomfortable just standing there and I was suddenly itching to get going. I was way out of my comfort zone and had been all afternoon.

As I headed back down the hall, contemplating that little brown-haired, brown-eyed girl, I realized that her eyes weren't really just brown. They were more like a rich, dark chocolate; they had depth, they were luminous.

Not that it mattered.

_Luminous?_

_What the heck?_

**BPOV**

I gathered up my toiletries and headed into the bathroom in the hall. There were little cubbyholes for each of us in the suite, so I chose mine and started to organize my things. There was a noise in the hall and I turned around and peeked out.

"Oh, hello!" said a petite girl with curly brown hair, as she came out of a nearby room.

"Hi!" I smiled at an apparent suite-mate.

"I'm Jessica. You live in this suite?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah. I just transferred. I'm Isabella, but everyone calls me Bella."

"Well, I can tell you anything you'd like to know, Bella. This is my third year here and I pretty much know everyone and anything going on in this dorm." She told me this with a friendly smile and a gleam in her eye. I could tell, right then and there, that she just loved her some good gossip. I'd have to remember that. And watch myself. Though what could I possibly do that would be juicy gossip, I wondered. I was probably one of the most boring girls you'd ever meet.

"Good to know," I responded, trying to sound positive.

"What room are you in?"

"Right there," I pointed, "room 208."

"You're rooming with Victoria?" She seemed kind of surprised.

"Yeah, why?"

"Good luck with that. I don't think she's the easiest person to get along with."

"What makes you say that?"

"She's burned through four roommates in two years. That seems excessive."

I nodded, feeling a little worried.

"So, have you eaten yet?" she asked.

"No, gosh, I completely forgot. I've been so busy moving in and getting organized."

"Are you hungry? I was just going to head to the dining hall for dinner. You can join me if you'd like."

"Sure, that would be nice. Let me grab my key and lock up my room."

**BPOV**

Jessica and I walked into the cafeteria. It wasn't fully staffed yet, and there weren't very many choices, but it beat the granola bars, trail mix and water bottles that I had back in my room. I grabbed a sandwich, bowl of soup and a lemonade and Jessica fixed herself a salad at the salad bar then picked up a water bottle. We sat down at a table near the middle of the room, although I would have preferred to stick to one of the side walls. I had the feeling that Jessica liked to be in the middle of things in general. She just seemed that way.

She started out by telling me about the dining hall itself; what foods were good, what was not so good, and what to avoid because it was dismal. She looked around the room, pointing out a few people she knew and telling me what she knew about them.

"Look over there." She was indicating Dimples and a knockout blond that was sitting with him over near the wall. "That big, good-looking guy with the dimples? That's Emmett Cullen, he's the Resident Advisor in our dorm. He looks like a big grizzly bear, but he's really kind of a teddy bear. And the blond girl that's with him, who looks like she's a supermodel? That's his girlfriend, Rosalie Hale, she's an R.A. in the dorm next door. She's beautiful, but she actually _is_ the grizzly bear that Emmett is not. Don't cross her. She can be a real bitch sometimes."

I nodded, looking at the pair of them.

Jessica looked up towards the door back behind me and her eyes followed whoever had just entered. She almost appeared wistful as her eyes followed whoever she was watching. Apparently the person was coming closer to our table. Her eyes kept following as the person passed by behind me. Then she leaned across the table, closer to me, and her voice dropped.

"That's Edward Cullen." She indicated him with her eyes. "He lives in our dorm too. In fact, he's Emmett's younger brother. He's really hot, of course, but don't even bother. He keeps to himself and sometimes seems like he has kind of an attitude. He's stuck up and almost never talks to girls. Unless he's kind of cornered and forced into it. Apparently he's too good for us, or he's not into girls. Although I honestly don't think he's into guys." Her brows knitted together in thought. "What a waste," she added, after a moment, shaking her head in dismay.

I nodded, chewing on a bite of sandwich. I noticed her use of the word "us", and I wondered just exactly how she had been slighted. Interesting.

I chanced a peek over at the table where Edward was just sitting down with Emmett and his girlfriend, Rosalie. His eyes flickered over in my direction and I blushed, looking away, feeling embarrassed at having been caught staring.

"Oh, hey, there's Mike Newton," Jessica said suddenly, waving.

I noticed how her face brightened and I was glad for the distraction.

"Does he live in our dorm too?" I asked her, watching the blond guy that was now approaching our table. His hairstyle looked like a desperate imitation of Edward's hair.

"Yes. He lives downstairs in the same suite where Edward's room is. And there's his roommate, Tyler Crowley." She waved again.

Both guys stopped by our table, where Jessica made introductions, and then invited them to join us after they got their meals.

Mike and Tyler had just returned to our table when Emmett, Rosalie and Edward got up from their table by the wall and headed for the door. They had apparently finished eating and were now leaving. As they passed our table, a low, musical voice said, "Take it easy, Bella," and I turned to see Edward nod and shoot me a little peace-sign wave, looking back over his shoulder briefly, as he sauntered past and headed out the door accompanied by Rosalie and Emmett.

I smiled briefly in acknowledgement.

When I looked back at Jessica, her mouth was hanging open.

She recovered quickly, saying, "Well, that was really weird. He talked to you."

* * *

**A/N: So Bella's got tampons, Edward's got PMS-but he took a step in the right direction by apologizing and thanking her. Let me know what you are thinking. **


	3. Shaking Things Up

**The Transfer **

A/N: Why the heck is Edward such a cranky boy? Why can't he play nicely with others? Oh there are reasons. We'll get there eventually. Jessica has some rather insufficient information on the topic.

Twilight is the property of the Queen of Twilightery, Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended. I just like to ride rockets in that universe.

Bella sums it up best this chapter: "Maybe he's never met the right girl." Or maybe he has just recently, Bella! And...enter… Bella's boyfriend from back home.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Shaking Things Up **

**EPOV**

I finally got to the dining hall after showering, apologizing to Bella and thanking her for taking it upon herself to get my car unlocked. I was wondering if Emmett and Rosalie were already finished eating, but they were still in our usual place near the wall. As I walked across the room I spotted the small, brown haired girl sitting at a table with Jessica Stanley. Of course Jessica was watching my every move as I crossed the floor. What else is new? She probably would fill Bella's head with lots of inane information about me, Emmett, Rose and anybody and everybody else she could think of. Her mind wasn't very original, but she was certainly willing to share her every gossipy thought. I thought she was an airhead. Maybe Bella was too if she was going to be hanging out with her much.

I grabbed two slices of pizza and a Coke. The dining hall pizza would be hard to choke down, but at least it would be fast. If someone dared me to eat dirt I could eat that too. I just wanted to eat and get out of there when Emmett and Rose left. I refused to stay behind unattended. There were always problems no matter how aloof I tried to appear. Some girls just didn't get the message. Jessica had been a prime example. Three times. You couldn't say she wasn't persistent. Or maybe she just couldn't take the hint.

As I sat down, I glanced over at the table where the two girls sat. Bella was looking at me. She blushed and she looked away, probably because I had caught her looking. It was a normal human reaction. It had seemed like she was just looking at me curiously; she wasn't staring with any real interest_._

_Good. Keep it that way._

Emmett noticed me watching her and he started in immediately. _Fucker._

"Rosie, take a look at the girl sitting with Stanley over there. I think she just might be Edward's destiny. He spent some quality time with her today, and quantity time, I might add."

_Thanks, Em._

Rose peered across the room and then smirked as her eyes slid back over to me, all the while chewing a French fry. "And here I thought Edward's destiny would be a romantic involvement with an inflatable doll. I'm impressed, Edward, she's human; flesh and blood."

I rolled my eyes at the both of them. "Why do I bring this on myself by eating with you two?"

"You're the one that can't play nicely with others," Emmett replied sternly, though I knew he was only joking. "You should cut yourself some slack, Edward. Have some fun for a change."

I was just starting to think about excusing myself so I didn't have to hear it one more time. But then his face lit up as he looked toward the door. "Here comes Fratman and Robin."

I glanced toward the door and sure enough, in walked the Dynamic Duo. Tyler Crowley wasn't so bad, but Mike Newton was another story. They both lived in my suite and Mike let me know on numerous occasions that he could set me up with some sorority girls that he knew, and when he said "knew," he meant _"knew. _Wink-wink, nudge-nudge_." _No, really. Those were his exact words. Verbatim. Including the 'wink-wink, nudge-nudge.'

I shit you not.

The guy is a total douche. And for some reason, he thinks I'm his pet project.

Newton and Crowley walked over to the table where Jessica sat with Bella and I could see that Jessica was introducing everyone. Then the Dynamic Duo left to go get some food, but it appeared they were going to return and sit together with Jessica and Bella.

That was when Emmett leaned forward with a gleam in his eye and said to me, "I'll let you change your ringtone back tonight if you say something to Bella on our way out. I'd be kind of entertaining to see the expressions on the others' faces."

I smirked at the thought.

_I could be rid of that ridiculous ringtone tonight?_

It actually had the potential to be rather funny, too.

"Deal," I told him. I didn't have to think about it for more than a nanosecond. I could say a simple "hi," or some such thing, and be done with that asinine ringtone. No one could read anything into a simple greeting or goodbye. Except for those morons probably. That's okay, it would be kind of fun to screw with their little minds.

As Mike and Tyler sat down at the girls' table with their dinner trays, we got up and walked out. But as we walked by their table I managed to speak up.

"Take it easy, Bella."

I even gave her a little wave as I looked back over my shoulder at her as I passed. They all looked up and their mouths dropped open in surprise. Except for Bella, she just looked up and smiled briefly in reply. She didn't know I'd done anything out of the ordinary. Jessica's expression, however, was priceless. I felt a twinge of guilt, though, as I sauntered out, chuckling to myself, because I knew Jessica would now bombard Bella with questions. I wasn't so sure Bella deserved that, but I couldn't help it now.

**BPOV**

"So, you must know Edward?" Jessica asked, sounding a little irritated.

"Well, I met him earlier today, when I was moving in." I confessed, feeling a bit uncomfortable, since I hadn't mentioned anything earlier when she was passing along the dorm gossip, and now she seemed peeved or slightly betrayed or _jealous?_

"You met him here in the dorm?"

"No, on the hill near the parking lot."

"He just walked up and introduced himself to you?"

_Why was she so interested?_ "Um, no, he introduced himself much later in the day; when he came upstairs to my room."

"What! He came to your room just to introduce himself to you? I can't really follow you, Bella." She stared at me, confusion and …definitely jealousy... written on her face. I wondered why. Tyler and Mike were staring too. They all looked really confused... and surprised...and way too interested.

_What the heck is this? Why all the curiosity?_

I took a deep breath. "Well, I had some difficulties with the cart I was using and he helped me, and then he wanted the cart I had, and then we mixed up each other's phones, and I locked his keys in his car and then I got a tow truck to come and get his keys out, then he thanked me and apologized and now we have a truce."

Jessica, Mike and Tyler all sat there with their mouths agape, staring at me. They appeared to be completely baffled. After a few moments, they turned to look at one another, exchanging shocked looks and then stared back at me again.

"Wait, go through that again, but this time, don't give us the Cliff's Notes version," Jessica said, as the guys nodded in agreement. "We need more details."

_Yeah, she definitely loved her some gossip._

I sighed. Really, this wasn't _that_ interesting.

"When I moved in today, I took a cart that I think Edward had planned on using. As I moved the cart up the hill from the lot, it got away from me and rolled back down the hill. Fast. It almost hit Edward, but he stopped it. Everything fell out as the cart tipped over and dragged him down with it. He got kind of banged up in the process, too. Then he helped me pick it all up.

"He was angry because I had the cart he was planning on using, only I hadn't realized that. Afterwards, he picked my phone up by mistake and I took his, thinking it was mine. So I called him to meet me and exchange phones. Then later, while I was getting stuff from my truck, I backed up into his car door, which had been opened, and his door shut. It was locked and his keys and wallet were both inside.

"He was really angry at that point, so he took off with his stuff and went for a run. He was really upset. I felt bad because I'd taken his cart, nearly run him over with it, injured him in the process, and despite all that and how angry he was, he helped pick up all my things when the cart tipped over.

"So I went to find a local tow truck that could come unlock his door, but they wouldn't release his key to me. I had to find him. When I finally did, he ran off without a word. So later on, right before dinner, he came up to my room to thank me and apologize. That's about it."

They all looked at each other and then burst out laughing simultaneously.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh my God," Jessica giggled. "He must have been so pissed off. I mean, that's an awful lot of aggravating circumstances for anybody to have to suffer through in one day…"

"Yeah, but then for it to have been Edward, makes it that much more unbelievable and irritating," Tyler finished her thought, as she nodded, giggling.

"His panties must have really been in a bunch," Mike laughed.

"Well, of course he was upset." I failed to see what they were getting at and why this was so interesting.

"It's just that Edward is pretty cold and aloof, especially with girls, like he's too good for everybody" Jessica explained. "Like I told you before, he really sort of keeps to himself. It doesn't seem like he has much of a sense of humor, although sometimes you'll see him loosen up around his brother, Emmett, and Emmett's girlfriend, Rosalie or with Alice and Jasper."

"Who are Alice and Jasper?"

"Alice is his twin sister and Jasper is her boyfriend."

"Do they go to school here too?"

"Yep, they live in our dorm, too. Alice lives upstairs in our suite and Jasper is Edward's roommate."

"And Jasper is Rosalie's brother," Mike added, "and Rosalie is Emmett's girlfriend, and Emmett is Edward's brother."

"Oh. That's a pretty tangled web."

"Yeah, kind of weird, huh?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah," I agreed. "So Rosalie and Jasper don't have another sibling for Edward to date, I guess?"

Tyler laughed, looking at Mike. "Maybe that's his problem?"

Mike raised his eyebrows, nodding slowly, like he was contemplating the idea. "Never thought of it that way. Something to ponder."

"I don't get it," I confessed.

Tyler explained, "We think Edward must be asexual. He doesn't seem to be interested in girls or guys. And it's not that girls haven't tried," he said, glancing at Jessica, who looked away, crossing her arms over her chest and blushing a little.

"Yeah," Mike continued the thread of conversation, "girls are always throwing themselves at him. No offense, Jessica," he quickly said as she blushed furiously. "I mean, take one look at the guy, he's perfect: tall and lean, good-looking with chiseled features, you can't tell with his shirt on, but he's really well-built with chiseled abs. The guy's a freakin' Adonis. But the thing is, the girls throw themselves at him constantly, but he refuses to play catch. We've never seen him with a girlfriend. He doesn't date anyone. He won't even do one night stands when the opportunity presents itself and it presents itself often." He glanced again at Jessica. "In fact, you rarely see him at parties or dances; he sort of avoids that general atmosphere and I think it's to avoid the ladies."

"Maybe he has never met the right girl," I said, shrugging.

_Why were they so concerned with Edward's personal life? Hellooo…that's why it's called your personal life._

Mike leaned in, continuing. "If he always keeps to himself, he never will meet the right girl. I keep trying to set him up with some of the sorority girls I know, but he's not interested. At this point, it's kind of become a challenge for us."

"Maybe he'd rather just concentrate on school."

"Yeah, but it's not normal. He's not normal. You should live a little," Tyler said. "Actually, it sounds like Edward lived through quite a lot today with the hell you put him through, Bella."

They all laughed.

I just shook my head, somewhat baffled by the three of them.

It was time to go, the dining hall was closing and I still had a phone call to make. I was tired and so ready to just lie in bed reading. It had been a long day and I didn't really feel like talking, I was ready to wind down. But I'd promised Jake I'd call today.

We all stood up and headed back to the dorm.

I decided to take a shower first, just to relax a little. The hot water was soothing after a crazy first day. As I washed off the day, I thought about what they had told me about Edward. I was curious about him. If he was aloof and reticent to have anything to do with a girl, or other people in general, it had probably been a far worse day for him than I had originally thought.

But he wasn't incapable of interaction. He had seemed perfectly normal when he'd spoken to me this evening, after he'd gotten over the small atrocities of the day. He'd been a little fidgety, maybe, but nothing seemed really unusual. Oh well, it was over now.

I thought about the things I'd been told about him. Maybe the guy was just a loner and preferred solitude. I mean, I was a little on the quiet side; were people talking about me behind my back? Who were they to judge him? Didn't they have better things to do?

_Why was I even spending my time thinking about it? I didn't even know him. But he didn't seem strange or anything._

I rinsed my hair and stood there under the spray just a little longer. Finally done, I toweled off, pulled on some raggedy old sweats, and wrapped my towel around my hair.

Time to call Jake.

**EPOV**

Yes, the look on their faces had been priceless.

"Did you see that?" Emmett asked.

I laughed. "All three of them had the identical shocked expression on their faces."

"No, not quite," Rose disagreed. "Jessica's expression of shock had a little more jealousy mixed in with the shock. Definitely entertaining, Edward."

"Yeah, good times, Edward," Emmett observed.

"The best part is, this ringtone goes away," I said as I pulled my phone out and changed it as we walked.

"I'm hurt that you didn't appreciate it more, Edward. I was just trying to be a helpful older brother, looking after my younger baby brother. I thought that ringtone might call out to the right girl."

"Yeah, if there was a girl out there that was looking for an idiot who wanted to announce that he was having wild, fiery sex on a regular basis."

"But I'm not looking anymore, I've already got Emmett," Rose snickered and smiled at him. "And I don't mind if he announces." She squeezed his cheeks and kissed him.

"Oh, Rosie, is that any way to be?" Emmett complained, but then his face slowly brightened. "You think we should change my ringtone, Rose?

"Oh be quiet, I'm just joking." She smacked his shoulder and then snuggled into his arm as he wrapped it around her.

"Okay, this is my cue," I said before they could get too carried away. "I'll see you both tomorrow. I've still got to put some stuff away. Everything is still in a big pile. Goodnight." I took off for my hallway as Emmett and Rose headed in the direction of her dorm right next door.

"Nighty night, Baby Bro."

I got to my room and after rearranging the furniture a little, began putting things away. Clothes, shoes, caps and beanies in the closet and drawers, desk crap in and on top of the desk, books on the bookshelf. I set up my TV and my sound system. Good electronics were important to me. I was, after all, a guy. I put the rest of my toiletries in the bathroom and picked up my dirty running clothes from earlier and threw them in the hamper. I finally made my bed and stowed duffel bags and boxes underneath it.

My room looked pretty neat. It would stay that way until Jasper got here. I was the neat freak; him, not so much.

After my room was organized for another fine year at UDub, I decided to unwind and play the guitar a little. My guitar was the first thing I had brought into the dorm today, when I'd come up and first picked up my key from Emmett. It was an extension of me. Music would always be important to me. It was a way to deal with the world and the sometimes awful situations life hurled at you. For now I wanted to play calm, quiet stuff just to unwind after a long and trying day.

**BPOV**

I dialed Jake's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, Bella. I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about me already."

I winced. He said it with a laugh, but I knew it was close to the truth. He hadn't wanted me to leave Forks for Seattle, and he wasn't going to let me forget it anytime soon. I knew that our forced separation would be much harder on him than it was on me. I was ready to spread my wings and fly, he wanted to keep me in a gilded cage. And since we were talking about extremely rainy Forks, it would have been an extremely weather beaten and rusted gilded cage.

"Hi, Jake," I said with a smile in my voice. I really didn't want to get into an argument right now. "Of course I haven't forgotten about you, silly. I just saw you last night. We were together almost every day this past week."

"I know, but I've been waiting for you to call. Didn't you get there earlier today? Why didn't you call sooner?"

"Oh, I had a lot of stuff to move in and organize. It took me several trips from the parking lot and it's kind of a far trek up a hill to get to where my dorm is. It's been a long day and I just finally had dinner and felt settled in."

"So have you met anyone there yet?" he asked.

"Yeah, there's a girl named Jessica whose room is right near mine. She's pretty nice, a little gossipy, maybe, but I went to dinner with her and she introduced me to a few other people."

"Were these other people girls or guys?"

_Oh for goodness sake! _

"Jake, I've been here for one day. I promise I'm not seriously involved with anyone else. I sat and had dinner with Jessica, and two guys that she knows from our dorm came and joined us at our table so she introduced me to them. She's lived here the past two years, so she'd been kind of helpful."

_And gossipy._

"So it was like a double date?" he asked playfully.

"Jacob, I hope you're joking."

He laughed it off, but then his voice turned serious. "I just don't know why you had to go away to school. You could have gotten a decent job and just started working around Forks. We could be happy together here."

"Jake, I don't want to stay in Forks. We've been over this before. I mean, maybe I'll wind up there in the end, but I want to get my English degree. I want to get a teaching credential. I can't do that from Forks."

"I know, I just feel like you're pulling away from me."

"Jake, you're kind of pushing me away at the moment, being so needy."

"You're just so important to me."

"But Jake, it seems like I'm the only important thing to you. You're only nineteen. You need to have other interests and goals and, and… well, I just want to get an education and get a good job and have things in life that I don't think Forks will give me. I've at least got to find that out for myself."

"When do you think you'll come back home for a visit?"

"I'm not sure yet. This kind of is my home for now, you know? I'm sure I'll be busy with homework and studying and I want to do the whole college thing, now that I'm at a four-year school."

"That's what worries me, Bella. The college thing: the parties, the dorm life, the wild nights with wild people."

"Jacob, you know I'm not much of a partier. I'm here to continue my education I'm not here for a two-year long beer buzz or to star in a College Transfers Gone Wild video."

He chuckled at that.

"I'd be forced to buy up every copy if you did."

"Thanks," I giggled.

"Well, Bells, maybe I can come visit you soon. You know, get a look around, see where you live so I can imagine things better."

"That would be nice, but not just yet, let me get started and settled in. I just got here, you know; I need to figure things out here and learn my way around."

"It just feels like you're so far away, physically and emotionally."

_Please don't make me feel guilty. I'm too tired for this conversation right now._

"Well, I'm a phone call or a text or an email away. I know it seems like I'm far away, but it's really just a couple of hours."

"Three and a half or four hours away, depending upon traffic," he clarified.

I rolled my eyes.

"Jake, I'm really tired, I've got to get some sleep. It's been a really long day." I yawned involuntarily as I said that last bit.

He was quiet for a moment then he sighed. "Okay, Bells. Well, take it easy. Take care of yourself. I'll talk to you soon. Miss you, baby."

"Mmm...Me too. Okay, Jake. Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams, Bella."

It was pretty much the conversation I had thought it would be. It seemed lately that he kept trying to get to me. We'd always been such good friends, but once I'd started community college two years ago, he'd gotten a little insecure. I didn't understand it. He was a year younger than me, and it had never been a problem, but recently I felt the difference. I don't know if he was acting immature or if I'd suddenly gotten more mature. He could go to school if he wanted. He could grow up and do something more with his life.

Now I was all wound up and feeling a little grumpy.

I needed a diversion.

I picked up _Wuthering Heights_ from my bookshelf. One of my favorites. Before I laid myself down I went to close the window. But just as I was about to slide it shut I heard faint music. It was a guitar. Someone was playing classical guitar. It was soothing, quiet, and a little bit melancholy. Whoever was playing really played beautifully. I left the window open and pulled myself up to sit on top of my desk, so I could hear it better, right next to the window. It was still and quiet outside, except for the clear, bittersweet melody that drifted into my window.

I set down my book. I decided not to think about my current dilemma with Jacob.

I just closed my eyes and let myself feel that guitar music.

**EPOV**

I sat on the edge of my bed, curled around my guitar with the window wide open. As I picked out melodies and played, my thoughts drifted back to the beginning of my senior year of high school. I'd been eighteen at the time. It'd been a happier time of my life, at least at the outset of the school year, well, starting halfway through my junior year. I'd felt kind of complete. I'd been in love. And then that all fell apart and suddenly disappeared one month later. And I'd taken on the burden of blaming myself for being unable to save someone else from their own darkness. And I'd blamed myself ever since.

I took a deep breath and forced my mind to leave that train of thought. I didn't want to go there. Suddenly I found myself thinking of my arrival here today and the series of events that had involved a small, brown-haired, dark-chocolate-brown-eyed girl. We'd had several yelling matches during the day, but for as small as she was, she'd never backed down. She gave as good as she got. In the end she'd won the battle and I'd capitulated, apologizing, because she'd done something unexpectedly kind. It had been a smooth move on her part. And I'd realized later what an absolute dick I'd been to her. I suddenly felt a small smile playing on my lips and I found myself feeling surprised by it.

**BPOV**

The music stopped and I slid the window shut. It had gotten cold in the room and I gladly climbed under my blankets after turning off the lights. I snuggled down trying to warm the space as quickly as possible. My mind drifted as I lay there. I thought about the phone call with Jake, the few people I'd met today, moving in and my hectic arrival. The last thing that came to mind, as I was drifting off, was a pair of green-blue eyes, Edward's eyes, the exact color of which I don't recall ever having seen before. They were mesmerizing eyes.

* * *

**A/N: So tell me your thoughts on the Mike, Tyler, Jessica conversation. Or your thoughts on Emmett and Rose. Or there's Bella. Or even Mystery Man Cullen. Or whatever your little heart desires. I just want to know if you're having a good time.**


	4. Groundrules

**The Transfer **

A/N: It's time for roommates to arrive, and holy moly, are they over the top! It's official, all the major characters are showing up now.

This variation is mine. I'm not Stephenie Meyer. Never thought I was. I don't mean to infringe in any way.

Can you say "nightmare roommate?" (No, I don't mean Jasper! He's totally cool, if not a little eccentric.) And Edward is beginning to show...concern?

* * *

**Chapter 4: Ground Rules **

**BPOV**

SLAM!

_Holy hell!_

The door banged open, yanking me abruptly from my dreams, and in walked one of the most frighteningly compelling looking girls I'd ever seen. She had startling orangey-red hair, wildly curly and long, nearly to her waist. It looked like her head was on fire. Her face was pale with light freckles and she had icy blue eyes. She had a sinuous, feline walk, and I swear she arched her back and hissed when she spotted me laying in my bed. Her eyes almost looked flat, like a shark's, as they shifted around the room.

"This is _never_ going to work," she observed tightly.

_And a good morning to you, too. Why yes, I'm Bella. You must be Victoria. I've heard so many wonderful things about you. _

"Um, I'm Bella. You must Victoria."

"Well of course I am," she said scathingly, "who else would I be? And obviously you're Isabella, unless of course Isabella is not here yet, in which case you're just some homeless squatter that broke in and spent the night."

"Uh, is there something wrong?" I didn't know what she wanted me to do, but she obviously wasn't happy about something.

"Well, the room can't stay this way. This is _my_ room; I've lived here for two years already and this is totally unacceptable. It's got a bad energy and you just loaded your things in without taking my thoughts, plans or feelings into account. It doesn't bode well for our relationship. I don't know if this is going to work."

_What relationship was she talking about? How do you have a relationship with a steamroller? "_Well, since I got here yesterday I had to move in and put my things somewhere. You weren't here, so I couldn't very well ask your opinion. But I'm happy to hear your thoughts and rearrange things with you."

"No, no. You'll rearrange things, but not _with _me. I've got my own things to bring up from the parking lot. But you can start on your bed."

"My bed? What's wrong with my bed?"

"You're actually using my bed, in error. You'll need to strip the bed and move it over there, against that wall. The other bed is yours."

"I don't see how they're different."

"Well, I do, and that's the point I'm making. I always use that bed that you're sleeping in. I've used that bed for the past two years, and I'm not about to change now. So start stripping it. I'll be back shortly." With that she pulled the door shut loudly and disappeared.

I realized that I had remained in bed this whole time, pulling the covers up to my chin to shield myself. She had barged in and woken me up from my dreams.

_Oh! Oh my goodness, I just realized how weird those dreams had been!_ My mind just flashed on snapshots from my sleep. I was being chased through the forest by a vampire, but I wasn't afraid. It had been thrilling. And when he caught me and spun me around to him I had seen his green-blue eyes. That was all I could remember, but I would most definitely have to ponder that dream. Maybe more would come back to me later.

_Oh gosh! Victoria will be back soon! I'd better get up and strip my bed! Wait. What? What am I thinking? _

I wasn't sure why I felt like I had to put up with Victoria's demands. This was my room as much as it was hers. I wasn't going to let her intimidate me. But I did want to try to make this work. I could try to get along with her. Who knew what kind of morning she'd had so far?

Okay, so I'll get up. I'll even get dressed, brush my hair and teeth and wash my face. Then, maybe I'll strip my bed so she can have whatever damn bed she damn well pleases. I don't really care which bed I get. I just want to try to get along.

**EPOV**

"Ooowwwoooooo! Oww, oww, owwwww!"

_Holy hell!_

"What the fuck?"

I had been sleeping soundly, when I'd suddenly been attacked. I'd vaguely heard the key in the lock, then the door opening, but it hadn't really sunk into my consciousness; it wasn't enough to wake me fully. But the moment someone flew into the room and jumped on top of me, I was definitely conscious. And now the whole bed was shaking wildly. And someone was on top of me. I turned and looked up to see a mass of blond hair.

"Jasper! What the hell are you doing? Are you humping me?"

"Oh Edward, you know I've missed you so!" Jasper howled like a dog.

"Get off of me, you tool!" I shoved him off of me and onto the floor. That's when I heard Alice giggling.

"Hey Edward!" Her voice sang out as she bounced down onto the bed next to me. "Aren't you going to welcome us back?"

"Good morning, Alice." I sat up, patted her arm and rubbed my eyes with my other hand. "At least it was a good morning until about one minute ago - back when I was sleeping quietly, before I was disturbed. Speaking of 'disturbed', how the hell are you Jasper?" I turned and looked at him.

"I am damn glad to be back at school. This is living as it should be: responsibility optional and thousands upon thousands of young men and women with the very same attitude. Plus I've got Alice under the same roof, twenty four/seven. So things are peachy. It's good to see you, Edward."

Alice smiled happily at him. They had met two years ago, our freshman year here in the dorm. He had been my roommate then and we had roomed together ever since. He had become a very good friend to me and he treated Alice right, so I approved of him for her.

"Well, welcome back both of you." I stretched, yawning, and rubbed at the back of my neck. "So you both just got here?"

"Just moments ago. I followed Alice in my car and as soon as we arrived we scampered on up here to greet you just as fast as our little legs could carry us." Jasper smiled proudly at their accomplishment.

"Okay. Well, would you and your little legs mind scampering on out of here and giving me a chance to get up, get showered and dressed?'

"Sure, Edward," Alice said brightly. "Come on, Jasper, I wonder if my new roommate, Lauren, is here yet. Let's go take a peek upstairs."

"Your wish, my command, darlin'."

They left, giggling and playing grab ass, pulling the door shut behind them. I wondered that any two people my age could have so much energy at such an early hour in the morning. It was downright frightening. I sighed as I threw back the blankets and dragged my ass out of my bed. I grabbed a change of clothes, and headed off to the shower.

**BPOV**

I had gotten up and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then I walked barefoot into the bathroom, where I brushed my hair, trying to tame it into a ponytail. I was just brushing my teeth when I heard voices and giggling on the stairs that led to my suite. I peeked around the door, toothbrush in mouth, and saw an attractive, tall guy with curly, blond hair walking behind a lovely, tiny, pixie-like, dark-haired girl. Her hair stuck out in every possible direction. The girl took out a key and opened the door down the hall. The two of them looked into the room, and then they pulled back and shut the door. I quickly turned back to the bathroom, spitting into the sink and rinsing my mouth. When I straightened back up, they were right there at the doorway to the bathroom. _Oops! _

"Hi," said the tiny girl with a friendly smile on her face. "My name is Alice and this is Jasper. You live in this suite?"

"Hi," I managed, wiping my mouth. _Edward's sister and her boyfriend. _"Yes. I'm Bella. It's nice to meet you. I guess you live in this suite too?"

"She sure does, but I don't," the blond guy smiled, "I live downstairs. I am, however, a member of the frequent flyer club, so you'll see me here often."

I smiled at the two of them.

"So what room are you in?" tiny Alice asked.

"I'm in room 208," I told her, looking closely at her face to see the reaction there when I said the number. Turns out I didn't have to look too closely. It was written all over her face as plain as day. Big. Fat. Grimace.

"You're not serious, are you?" she asked, her silvery voice sounding concerned.

"Yes, and yes, Victoria _is_ my roommate."

Alice and Jasper exchanged meaningful looks. "Oh Bella, that's really unfortunate," Alice said sympathetically as Jasper nodded in agreement. "Well, you're welcome to come visit me in my room when it gets overwhelming."

"Thanks," I smiled, encouraged by her words. "It got overwhelming about three seconds after she arrived this morning."

Alice laughed. She had a musical little laugh. "Sounds about right. She's a superbitch. So I'll count on seeing you rather often."

"It's a deal," I agreed with her. She was nice. Why wasn't _she_ my roommate?

"Well, Bella, we've got to go get our stuff and start moving in. Stop by later, if you like. I know we're going to be great friends."

"Thanks, Alice. I appreciate it. Let me know if you need help with anything." I lowered my voice. "Victoria told me I need to do some rearranging in our room, but I'd prefer not to be available to help her, so, yeah, let me know if _you_ need me."

Alice laughed conspiratorially. "Okay, Bella. See you."

"Bye."

Jasper grinned and waved over her head and they headed back down the stairs.

So, that was Edward's sister, Alice, and Rosalie's brother, Jasper. They didn't look that much like their siblings, but one thing was for sure, they were all really attractive. Amazingly attractive. It was almost inhuman. It was certainly unfair. But Alice had been exceptionally friendly and she seemed sincere. I felt better about the whole Victoria thing, just knowing she was there.

I walked back into my room and quickly stripped my bed and remade the other bed. I'd try to get along with Victoria, as long she didn't get too demanding. I wondered if my new bed was in the right spot. I guessed that Victoria would let me know soon enough if it wasn't. And it probably wasn't.

That was when she walked back in, carrying piles of her own belongings.

"Oh good, I see you took care of your bed mix-up."

_My bed mix-up?_

"Here, hang these up in my closet." She indicated a pile of clothes she had just plopped down on _her_ bed. My ex-bed. "After you've done that you can help me turn my bed around. I can't be facing the window. We'll probably have to move your desk, too. I need better light to work so my desk should be over closer to the window where yours is. I don't do well at all in artificial light. What's that smell?" she asked disdainfully, wrinkling up her nose.

"I don't smell anything," I replied, breathing in deeply through my nose.

"Do you use dryer sheets when you launder your clothes?"

_You've got to be kidding me, right?_

"Um, yes, I do."

"Why would you do that?"

"I like how it softens my clothing and makes it smell nice."

"Wrong, definitely not nice, more like overpowering. I can't stand the stench."

_The stench?_

"Please try to remember not to use them in the future, or at least for as long as we're roommates. The smell gives me a headache and I get so grouchy when I have a headache."

_Well, we certainly don't want that!_

"Um, Victoria, I still haven't had any breakfast, so I think I'll run down to the dining hall and grab something to eat quickly. I'll be back in a bit. I can help you when I return, if you need me."

"You know, it's probably just as well if you go ahead and go, then I can get things put away and arranged without you in the way."

I could feel my fists balling up at my sides. Everything she had said was a put down, some more subtle, others more blatant, but I heard them all. And I'd heard enough for now. I picked up my key and stuffed it in my pocket. Then I put on my shoes and left, ready to scream at the top of my lungs.

**EPOV**

When I got out of the shower, dried off and dressed, I headed back to my room. Alice and Jasper had returned from upstairs and she now sat on Jasper's lap at his desk.

"What's the plan?" I asked them.

"Well, Alice and I both really missed the five-star dining hall breakfasts," Jasper replied, rubbing his stomach. "We left early this morning, with just a coffee on the road, so I think it's time to fill the void."

"I think you've been away from dorm life for too long, Jasper, or lack of food is affecting your mind."

Alice smiled at him, jumping up off his lap and grabbing his hand to pull him up. "Come on, Jazz, let's go get some breakfast."

"Yeah, I need to eat something, too," I told them. "Emmett and Rose are probably already over there. Do they know you're here yet?"

"No," Jasper answered for them both. "Let's go be a big surprise."

We headed over to the dining hall and went inside.

"Baby Sis!" Emmett's voice boomed across the room. He stood up and held his arms out wide. He gave Alice a hug and slapped Jasper on the back. "Is this guy still following you around? Doesn't he take a hint?" he asked Alice.

Jasper turned to Rosalie. "Can't you do better than this moose?"

Rose smiled and put her arm around Jasper's shoulders. "I've got some prospects, but nothing definite yet. I'm working on it, believe me. This is getting unbearable."

Emmett made his pout-face and Rose kissed his cheek.

"Just kidding," she offered, patting his face.

Rose and Emmett sat back down and the rest of us went to grab something to eat. We all met back at our usual table, sitting down to join them. We spent some time catching up as we ate. While they were talking, the entry door across the room opened and I saw Bella walk inside. She was alone and she looked unhappy. I watched her as she went through the line. She didn't take much: a glass of orange juice and some cereal. My eyes followed her as the sat down alone at a table across the room. She looked glum.

I looked away from her and back at the faces at my own table. They were all staring at me, silently. _Oh, great. Just the kind of attention and focus I really don't want._

"What?" I asked, frowning at them.

Nobody said anything, but their faces said it all. My siblings were hopeful. And because Jasper and Rosalie cared about Alice and Emmett, they also cared about me. I couldn't take it.

"Okay, let's drop it before you even start." I told them.

"Jasper and I just met Bella upstairs earlier," Alice volunteered.

_Just. Fucking. Leave it._

"She seems really nice," Alice continued, ignoring the glare I was giving her. "It's a shame she's got Victoria for a roommate."

_Oh, that's right! _I realized Victoria must have shown up. My eyes swung back to her. That explained the look on her face. She'd probably met Bitchtoria. I looked away from her. I had to stop looking at her. It would just make the rest of them act like morons around me. _Why did I even care what was bothering her? I didn't. _

Alice's statement suddenly reminded Emmett, "You need to hear the story of how Edward met Bella yesterday. He spent most of his day with her. I think we can pretty much call it their first date."

"Fuck off," I told him.

"No, come on, Edward, tell them the story you told me. It was priceless."

I took a deep breath, looking at my hands clenched together in front of me. I might as well tell them. If I didn't, Emmett would, and there was no telling how he would embellish it.

I launched into the story about the runaway cart that dragged me to my knees, the injuries I sustained as a result, the cactus-grab, the phone mix-up, the keys locked into the car, the yelling, the tow truck: the entire ridiculous nightmare.

By the end of the story they were all laughing. I grimaced at them, then glanced over at her. She had been looking at us, but she quickly looked away, blushing.

"So, I sense that you kind of like her," Jasper said, smirking.

"What? No! I don't even know her."

"I think you two are great together, made for each other. You should settle down, start a family." It was Emmett and his diarrhea of the mouth.

"Emmett, you're a jackass." I turned to the rest of the table. "I've got other stuff to do. I'm going to run to the bookstore, but after that I'll be in my room. I'll catch you all later. " I had to get out of there, away from them, especially him. Fucking Emmett.

I shoved my hands in my pockets, walked across the room, passing near her table, but I didn't let myself look at her. She was just some girl, nothing special.

**BPOV**

As I walked up to the glass doors of the dining hall, I could see through to the table against the wall. Alice and Jasper had joined the rest of the group that sat there. They were all talking and laughing and looked like they were having a great time. It just made me that much more upset about how Victoria had managed to suck the life out of me in such a short amount of time.

I walked into the hall and went through the line. I took a glass of juice and a bowl of cereal. I didn't really have much of an appetite now. I was wondering how I was going to get through the semester, let alone the year. I wondered what the record span of time was for being Victoria's roommate.

I went to a table and sat down, glancing over at the table against the wall. They were all staring at Edward, for some reason. He looked uncomfortable, like he was on the defensive. I was struck again by how attractive they all were. Him, especially. He had on a green and blue plaid shirt that matched the color of his eyes. I watched as he raised his hand and raked it through his reddish-brown hair. Running his hand through his hair had done nothing to make his hair either neater or messier. It had the same wild, sexy look it had yesterday. It had that just fucked but still untamed look.

_Good Lord, what was I thinking?_

I took a few bites of my cereal. It tasted like soggy cardboard, but I ate it, just to stay here and not have to go back to my room and face the she-devil. I glanced over at them again. Now they were all looking at me. _Why? What was I to them?_

Embarrassed, I quickly looked away. When I peeked back over, taking a drink of my juice, they were all listening to Edward. He rubbed at his knee and looked down at it, and then a moment later he was looking at his palm, examining it. The others were all laughing. I wondered what that was all about. Edward looked pained, and then his eyes flickered back over at me and I blushed, caught staring at him again.

Okay, I would just finish eating and get out of here. But just as I was about to stand up I was aware of Edward, walking by my table, hands in his pockets, as he strode out the door. He seemed irritated. And unlike last night, he didn't say a word to me, instead keeping his eyes focused on the door. I felt like his demeanor had something to do with me. But we had a truce. What had I done to him today?

On the way back into the dorm, I spotted the sign that reminded us of a dorm meeting at five o'clock and also a reminder of the Welcome Back Barbeque and Dance with a DJ at the student union this evening. Something besides dorm drama sounded good to me.

When I got back to my room I found that Victoria had accomplished a lot in the time I had been gone. She had basically crammed all of my things into one corner. My bed was right up against my closet, with the nightstand smashed right up next to it. My desk, which had sat nearly squarely under the window when I first arrived, was now moved down so that her desk could sit squarely under the window. _Oh yeah, she studied best in natural light, not artificial light. _She also had some Celtic music playing and that was when I noticed the rocks and crystals that had appeared on some of the surfaces in our room. _Oh, I so hope we're not going to have to wear aluminum foil pyramid hats while we study._

"I made some necessary changes to the room. I'm sure you'll get used to it in no time, it's not like you were here that long before I had to change it. So it shouldn't be too much of an adjustment."

"This is okay, I guess; it doesn't really matter that much to me."

"I hope you like the music, because it helps to calm me. I really can't stand popular music. It's such trash, and so unsettling. Oh, and I brought some crystals for good energy."

I guessed I would probably be spending a lot of quality time somewhere other than my room and when I was in my room, I would be using my iPod. Constantly.

There was a knock at the door at one point and Jessica tentatively peeked in. There was another, taller girl with her who looked to be in the process of moving her things in. Jessica didn't speak to Victoria and Victoria didn't acknowledge either of the other girls. Jessica introduced me to Angela. She seemed like a nice girl. She was Jessica's roommate and had been here the previous year as well. She had a kind face and it seemed like it would be easy to get along with her. They invited me to go with them to the barbecue and dance at the student union that evening. I told them that sounded great. We decided to meet up and walk over together later after the dorm meeting.

Shortly after that, another girl came in and went to Alice's room. I realized she must be Alice's roommate. She had pale blond hair, silvery fish eyes and looked like she had an attitude. She said "hi" when she saw me, but didn't really seem very interested in a response.

I decided I needed a break from the whole dorm situation. I grabbed my purse and headed to the bookstore. I figured I could look for my books and maybe buy a few other things I'd need for classes.

The bookstore wasn't far. I wandered around inside, looking at school-logo stuff, picking up a few supplies and books. I managed to get some of the texts that were required and a few that were recommended for my classes. I decided to buy a sweatshirt, too. As I was looking at the rack of sweatshirts, I spotted Edward a few rows over. _Shit._ Hopefully he wouldn't see me. I scooted off in a different direction, with my head down, intent on going undetected. But of course, as I came around a series of shelves, there he suddenly was. And of course, I ran right into him, dropping everything I was carrying.

"Oh! Gosh I'm so sorry!" I managed, ducking quickly to the floor to pick things up and to avoid looking at him or having him see me blush furiously in embarrassment.

"It's okay." His smooth voice was low, but seemed rather strained, as he bent down to help, gathering scattered books and supplies. "You do this sort of thing a lot?"

"I really only do this to you, it seems." I stood back up, books in hand. "Everyone else seems to be safe. You're the one whose life may be in danger."

He handed my things back to me."I appreciate the warning." A small smile flickered to his lips then disappeared almost immediately.

"Thanks. Sorry I almost ran you over. Again."

"It's okay. Again." Then he turned on his heel and was gone.

As I finished paying at the cash register I heard another voice calling, "Bella, Bella! Hey, wait up." I turned to look over my shoulder and saw that it was Mike Newton. Edward was nowhere to be seen.

"Hi, Bella," Mike said as he caught up to me. "I saw you heading to the register with all of that. Do you need help carrying it back to the dorm? I'm heading there myself and I'd be happy to help you."

"Oh, sure, Mike. Thanks. I didn't realize that I was going to buy so much. It is kind of heavy." We each took a bag and left the bookstore.

We walked and he chattered, mostly talking about himself and his fraternity, occasionally thinking to ask me a question about myself.

"Are you going to the barbecue tonight? He suddenly asked when we were nearing the dorm.

"Yes, I think so. How about you?"

"I wouldn't miss it. It'll be a good turnout. There's going to be music and a DJ."

"It sounds fun."

"Would you like to go with me?"

_Uh oh. _"Gee, thanks, Mike, but I'm going to go with some of the girls from my suite. That was nice of you to offer, though."

We had gotten back to the dorm and he handed me my bag.

"I'll see you tonight, Bella. Everyone will be there. Save me a dance!"

* * *

**A/N: Seriously, how many times can Bella run into Edward without just throwing him to the ground and having her way with that fine specimen?**

**Talk to me. Review me. Pretty please! With Edward on top. (Oh my!)**


	5. Reorganizing

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

Thanks for your reviews. It tickles my cold dead heart. (oops, I'm not a vamp.) Keep it coming.

This is not Stephenie's Twilight. I just have characters with the same names. How odd. I don't mean to infringe. I would never want that.

Enter Alice the conniver, the mastermind behind so much. Gotta love an organized woman who knows what she wants for herself and those around her. The plot thickens.

Oh, and there's a big, strong Edward moving furniture around. Such a handy brother! And I said the plot thickens. I meant it!

**Chapter 5: Reorganizing (****Revised****)**

**BPOV**

As soon as Mike Newton and I got back to the dorm from the bookstore, he handed over the bag that he had carried for me. I didn't want him accompanying me up to my room, so I thanked him and I headed up the stairs.

As I got up to the suite, I heard laughter coming from my room. I walked in to find Victoria talking to the girl with the pale, limp blond hair; the one with the silvery fish eyes, that I'd spotted going into Alice's room earlier. Their laughter abruptly stopped when they saw me and Victoria cleared her throat.

"Oh. Hello, Isabella. This is Lauren Mallory, she just moved into room 206. Lauren, _this_ is Isabella."

_What did that mean? Why did she say it like that?_

_"_Hello Isabella," the pale blond said, somewhat disdainfully.

_Shit! Another Victoria ?_

I decided I'd try my best.

"Actually, my friends usually call me Bella. It's nice to meet you. You must be Alice's roommate."

"Well, yes, that seems to be the current situation," she replied.

I wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but I watched as the two of them glanced at each other quickly. There seemed to be some unspoken communication between them. It seemed like I had interrupted their conversation, so I figured I'd bow out of there and find somewhere else to be; I was beginning to realize that my room was not going to be a comfortable, restful place to be.

"Actually, I told Alice I'd help her move her stuff in, so I think I'll check and see if she needs help now. I'll see you both in a little bit."

They barely paid attention to me and certainly didn't respond. _Okay…_

I went over to Alice's door and knocked. When the door opened and she saw that it was me, she quickly reached out, grabbed me by the hand, and yanked me into the room. She shut the door quickly and leaned up against it, as if she would be sturdy enough to keep out any force that tried to break in.

"Wha..?" I began.

"Shhh!" She put her finger to her lips. "Are _they_ in your room?" She whispered to me.

"Who?" I whispered back.

"Victoria and my roommate, Lauren, the pale blond." She was still whispering.

"Yeah, why?" I quietly asked.

"Ooooh, this is great!" She quietly squealed, clapping her hands together and bouncing up and down in front of me, hardly able to contain her excitement.

"What's great?" I asked, completely confused, yet still whispering.

"Didn't you see?" She continued in a whisper. "_They_ are getting _along. _No one gets along with Victoria; it's impossible! No one can ever put up with her shit. But these two are getting along. They are talking and laughing. _Both_ of them are laughing. It's not like it's just Victoria ridiculing someone and laughing at another person's expense. Victoria doesn't hate Lauren, and Victoria usually hates _everyone_."

"So? I still don't see what you're getting at. And why are we whispering?"

"We want them to be friends, because we want them to want to be roommates! We're whispering because we're plotting!" She smiled enthusiastically and made a little squeaking sound. It was quite high-pitched.

"I'm sorry, Alice, but I don't understand your excitement. Why do we care if they're friends or if they want to be roommates?"

"Bella, if they want to be roommates, then _we_ can be roommates and you won't have to spend the whole year rooming with the Wicked Witch of the West."

_Oh._

"But what about you rooming with Lauren? Don't you like her?"

"I don't really know Lauren, but I get a feeling that she's got an attitude. I can sort of pick up a vibe from people, and I don't get a good one from her. Definitely not. Most assuredly not."

"Wasn't she your roommate last year?"

"No, the roommate that I had last year transferred to Dartmouth, so Lauren is new this year."

"So you don't want her for a roommate?"

"Bella, be serious." Alice rolled her eyes. "If she gets along this well with Bitchtoria, don't you think there's probably something seriously wrong with her?" Her eyebrows quirked up at me. She had a point.

"And you'd rather room with me?" I asked hopefully, as Alice's plan really began sinking in.

"I get a bad vibe from her and I get a really good vibe from you. I think we'd have a great time together as roommates; I know we're going to be great friends." Alice smiled broadly at me and I couldn't help feeling hopeful.

"How do we swing this?" I asked, now intrigued.

"We've got an edge. We've got Emmett. If we can keep these two girls sailing along on the Friend-Ship, he can arrange a switch. You could move in here and Lauren could move in with 3-Dub."

"3-Dub?"

"The Wicked Witch of the West. Three W's? 3-Dub!"

I giggled.

Alice clasped my hands in hers, her eyes were all sparkly. "This is going to be so great! This is going to make so many people happy!" She was squealing again.

"Oh, Alice, just the thought of that possibility makes me feel like I can finally breathe. You have no idea how Victoria was getting to me. Even after just a few hours. Wait…what do you mean this will make _so_ many people happy? It's just the four of us."

"No, this will have a ripple effect; I'm sure of it. It's too major and you're a key factor."

"I am?"

_Why am I a key factor? A key factor for what? For whom?_

"Yes, just trust me. Okay, so it's all settled. It'll happen within a week, I'm sure of it."

"Meanwhile, what can I help you do? I'm sure as hell not going back to my room. It's just plain creepy in there with those two. Is there something you need me to do?"

"I've got more things in my car," Alice replied, "Would you help me bring them up and put them away?"

"Sure, roomie." I smiled at her little pixie face.

Alice giggled.

We walked down to the parking lot to a bright yellow Porsche. Alice's car.

_Oh, my goodness!_

She opened the trunk and clothing vomited out onto the pavement. She had so many clothes, so many varieties and colors of clothes. I wondered how she would get them all into her closet. They were all still on hangers, so we started grabbing them and draping them into a cart.

"I don't know Alice, I don't think you'll get all these into one closet. Do you really need all of these things?"

She looked shocked. "Of course I need all these things. But I'm very good with storage solutions. I do need to run to the store, though and get a few storage containers. Do you need anything? You could come with me, if you'd like."

I thought about my poor desk lamp.

"Yeah, I need a new lamp. Mine didn't survive the trip up from the parking lot yesterday."

She suddenly snorted a laugh for some reason.

"What?" I asked, confused with her reaction.

"Nothing, just a random thought. Something I heard, but it's not important. Let's take these things up and put them away, then we'll go to the store. You can buy a desk lamp and I'll look for storage containers and a few other things."

We pushed the cart up the hill together. Emmett was just heading out of the dorm as we were arriving.

"Hey, Alice. I see you've enlisted help. How's it going, Bella Actually?"

Alice smiled. "Hi, Emmett, I replied. "It's starting to go a little better today." I smiled at him; it was hard not to, with his infectious grin and those dimples.

"How are things with Victoria going?" he asked.

Before I could answer, Alice piped up. "Things with Victoria just might_ be_ going!" She beamed at him and looked over at me, conspiratorially.

Emmett looked confused. "Shall I pretend that makes sense to me?" he asked.

"I'll tell you about it later, Em." Alice patted him and turned back to me. "Let's go, Bella, we've got places to go, people to see, merchandise to buy. It's the story of my life."

We stopped the cart at the main entry door.

"Wait here," she told me and disappeared into the guy's suite downstairs.

A moment later she returned, followed by Edward. He was moving along smoothly, gracefully, but his stride faltered a bit as he looked up and saw me standing by her cart. His eyes glanced toward Alice, his jaw seemed to set a little, and then he looked back at me. I thought I saw him shaking his head a little, murmuring to himself.

"Hi," I said, unsure of just how irritated he might be with me today. I remembered the somewhat irritated expressions I'd seen on his face today during breakfast and how I had felt that they had something to do with me.

He seemed to be trying to put a little distance between us, but he nodded a hello and said, "Bella". I realized that both he and his twin, Alice, had very musical voices, but where hers was high and silvery, his was low and smooth.

"Edward's going to help us too. I figured with a third person it would go faster. Besides, he can carry more up than you or I can, so we'd be done with this faster." She glanced at him. She looked hopeful, like she was begging him silently.

"Okay," he told her, "take what you both want to carry, and I'll grab the rest."

We trudged up the stairs, Alice in the lead, me following, and Edward trailing us. Our arms were overflowing with Alice's clothing obsession.

When we got to her room, we piled the things on the bed first and Alice asked Edward to move her closet to a different wall. I watched as he grabbed the closet and rocked and slid it into place, the muscles in his back, shoulders, arms, and thighs bunching and flexing as he worked the big piece of furniture into place.

When I glanced over at Alice, she was watching me, smiling expectantly, but I didn't know why.

"Can you put this bin on top of the closet, Edward?" she asked him when he was done with the closet placement.

He grabbed the bin and reached his long arms up to place it on top of the closet, his long fingers sliding it into the right spot. His shirt rose up and for the briefest of moments I saw the smooth skin of his waist, the line of his boxers below that, and the waistband of his jeans a little below the line of his boxers. For some reason, I quickly looked down. I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt warm and I hadn't even been doing the work.

"Anything else you need me to do?" he asked her, somewhat… _impatiently?_ It seemed as though he was anxious to make his getaway.

"No I think that's it; I can manage the rest. Oh," she turned back to him, "I've got to buy some storage containers. Do you want to come to the store in a little while?"

He raked his fingers through his unkempt hair, glanced uncertainly at me, and looked back at her. There was an unasked question in his eyes, but he didn't say anything and finally just shrugged and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess so. I need to buy a desk lamp; I forgot to bring mine from home."

"Okay, I'll come get you when I'm ready to go, she told him. Maybe fifteen minutes."

"All right. See you." He glanced at her, then quickly at me, nodded a goodbye, and then he quickly disappeared.

"Okay, let's get this stuff hung up," Alice said, turning to the pile on the bed.

"That was nice that Edward was able to help you." I told her as we hung things up in her closet. "I wonder where Jasper was?"

Alice didn't say anything. She seemed busy arranging items by color.

"Edward is awfully quiet," I continued, wondering if she'd explain anything to me about his quiet reserve.

"Yeah, he is, but he's a really good guy. He seems crabby and gruff, but he really is a sweet, gentle soul. He just doesn't show that to many people; he doesn't let many people in." She smiled at me. "Why don't you get your stuff, so we can go to the store in a few minutes?"

"Edward won't mind if I tag along?" I was a little concerned that he'd rather it was just he and his sister on this shopping trip.

"Oh, he might mind a bit, but I like to push Edward's boundaries." She giggled. "I think it's good for him. Something just might surprise him and make him smile someday. He doesn't smile often enough. But he _does_ know how."

I went over to my own room and opened the door. Lauren was still there, sitting cross-legged opposite Victoria on the bed. They were listening to that Celtic music, still chatting up a storm, laughing. They hardly noticed my presence. I grabbed my purse, waved, and scooted back out of the room.

I walked back into Alice's room, shutting the door.

"They're still in there bonding!" I told her.

She looked at me gleefully and gave me two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

"This may happen even sooner than I thought," she said, with a big smile on her face. "Come on, let's go shopping. It's a great way to celebrate!"

We left her room and headed back down the stairs.

"I'll go get Edward," she said, as she scooted away, "you wait for us out here!"

She disappeared into the guy's suite and I waited out in the sunshine, feeling a little bit more optimistic about my experience here. Alice was a breath of fresh air after hurricane Victoria.

I looked up as Alice and Edward came out of the dorm. His step faltered again, when he saw me, just for a split second, and I heard his voice growl, "Alice, what the…?"

But she interrupted him, "Come on, Edward, Bella needed to get something too, so I invited her along."

When we got to her car, I climbed into the backseat, giving Edward and his long legs the passenger seat. Sitting behind him, I could smell the scent of his soap; masculine, but not overpowering. Up close I could see that his hair was dark reddish-brown at the roots, but the ends were almost a bronze color. He dragged a hand through his hair and I noticed what long, graceful fingers he had. He exhaled rather loudly, looking over at Alice and shaking his head slightly. I thought he rolled his eyes, but I couldn't be sure. She patted his knee as she put the car into drive and flew out of the parking lot at breakneck speed.

The store wasn't far, and with Alice at the wheel it took us far less time to get there than it should have.

"Whew!" I exclaimed as I got out of the car, stumbling as I did so, but catching myself.

"Yeah, I like to drive fast. Actually, we all do," Alice admitted. "At least I didn't get a ticket, like _some people_ did yesterday."

"Thanks for bringing it up," he told her, rolling his eyes at his sister once again.

"You got a ticket yesterday?" I asked him as we walked to the store's entrance.

He nodded. "My first ever."

"Yesterday morning, on your way back to school?" I asked.

He nodded, glancing at me, opening the door for us to enter the store.

"What a terrible way to start your day. You really had a crappy day yesterday."

His eyes slid over to mine and there was a very slight smile tickling his lip.

"I know; you don't have to say a word. Most of your crappy day was somehow linked to me." I shook my head, thinking of how pissed off he'd been at me.

I heard his low chuckle. "I managed to live through it."

"Why don't you two go look at the desk lamps? I've got to get a few things in the linens department and then you can come find me by the storage solutions department."

I could feel myself blush slightly. I could tell Edward felt just as awkward as I did. It felt weird to go off by ourselves, without Alice as our buffer.

**EPOV**

I had watched her walk back up to the dorm with Newton. Lord knows what kind of crap he was telling her. But since it was Newton, he was most definitely telling her crap. He was a slimy sleezeball, but hopefully she'd recognize that in him. If she didn't, then she deserved him. Who was I to care?

At least he was helping her carry her bags back to the dorm. I would have offered to help her, but he had already come to her rescue. It looked like it was more than she could manage by herself. She was small, and though her body looked rather tight and toned, she had bought some heavy books. I knew that from helping her pick them up after she ran into me. I seemed to have some sort of magnetic effect on her. She'd run into me three times so far since yesterday. I was a collision magnet.

Once I got back to the dorm I headed to my room. I had bought a few of my required texts, but two of them were not yet available. I'd go back another time. I put the books away. Jasper was bringing things up from his car, so I helped him unload his cart.

He had one more trip to make, but told me I didn't need to help; it wasn't much. I sat on the bed, my mind wandering aimlessly, then picked up my guitar and started playing. My mind continued to wander as I played, until I was again thinking of Newton. He just pissed me off. Most of the time, actually.

"Angry music?" Jasper asked as he waltzed back into the room, carrying a cardboard poster tube, a lava lamp, and doorway beads. "What's got you PMS-ing?"

"Newton," I muttered.

"Nuff said." Jasper nodded sagely. "He's enough to give anybody cramps."

Jasper continued putting things away, then he began to unroll posters, making selections. He placed the lava lamp next to his bed and scratched his head looking at the doorway, trying to figure out how best to hang the beads with the door still left on the hinges.

"So we're going for a bohemian-kitschy-60's motif this year?" I asked him. "Nice posters. Where the hell's your black light?"

"Dude! Yes! That is exactly the ticket. That's what I'm missing. Damn! I knew there was something I was forgetting. We need a black light!"

There was a knock at the door. Jasper opened it and Alice stood there.

"Hi, guys. Ooh, Jazz, I love it!" She looked at his ridiculous decorative touches and hugged him. "This is going to be so cute when you're finished."

_Great. Because a guy wanted to wallow in "cute"._

"Edward, I need your help bringing some things up to my room."

"Do you need me to help too?" Jasper asked.

"No, thanks, baby. You keep working on your 60's love nest here. Edward can manage."

I followed her out of the suite and to the front door of the dorm. I was surprised when I looked up and saw Bella standing by Alice's mound of clothing. I looked at Alice to see if this was a set-up, but she looked innocent enough.

Bella greeted me with a little "hi," and I nodded back at her.

Alice explained to her that I was there to help.

"Okay," I told them, "take what you both want to carry, and I'll grab the rest."

We trudged up the stairs, Alice in the lead, Bella following her, and I was bringing up the rear. Watching Bella's rear.

_Tight and toned. Shit! What was I thinking? _

Our arms were overflowing with Alice's clothes. And my mind was overflowing in confusion. I wanted to dump this stuff off and get away from them. I dropped the clothing on the bed, just as they did. I was anxious to leave, because I was beyond my comfort zone, suddenly, but then Alice asked me to rearrange her furniture. I moved the closet and the desk, placed the bin on top of the closet and then I asked if she needed anything else. I hoped not. She didn't and I was allowed to flee.

Just as I was turning to go, she asked if I wanted to go along to the store. I peered at her face, wanting to know if she just meant me, or if Bella would be going along as well. I hoped it was just me. I didn't need this. And now I wasn't so sure how innocent Alice really was. She could connive like the best of them.

But I realized that I needed a desk lamp. I had forgotten mine and needed to go buy one. So I agreed.

_Shit. Double shit. What am I getting myself into?_

Ten minutes later, Alice knocked on the door and yelled, "Let's go, Edward, the bus is leaving." I opened the door to see her walking away toward the main entrance, so I grabbed my wallet and followed her, calling a goodbye to Jasper. But as I caught up to her at the entrance, I saw her…

"Alice, what the…?"

But she interrupted me, "Come on, Edward, Bella needed to get something too, so I invited her along."

_Damn conniving pixie._

When we got to her car, Bella climbed into the backseat, giving up the front seat for me. I was aware of her, sitting behind me. I could smell a different scent, not Alice's usual perfume. I figured it was _her_ scent. I nervously dragged a hand through my hair and sighed rather loudly, looking over at Alice. My mind was spinning, trying to think of some reason for staying behind and not going with them. She patted my knee and away she sped.

_Shit! Triple shit_!

When we got to the store I was tempted to run inside and avoid them until the return trip. But Bella was climbing out of the car, visibly shaken at the speed at which Alice drove, and I was worried because she'd stumbled. She did that a lot, I'd come to realize.

Then Alice was admitting her need for speed and telling her about my own ticket.

_Thanks, Alice_.

Bella had asked about it then.

"My first ever." I answered her.

"Yesterday morning, on your way back to school?" she asked me.

I nodded, glancing at her, as we went into the store.

"What a terrible way to start your day. You really had a crappy day yesterday."

I looked over at her and stifled a smile. Maybe she realized I wasn't always the dick I'd seemed to be yesterday. Part of my dickness yesterday was attributable to the speeding ticket.

"I know," she continued, "you don't have to say a word. Most of your crappy day was somehow linked to me." She shook her head, and I could see the color rising into her cheeks. She was obviously embarrassed.

I laughed at that. "I managed to live through it."

Suddenly Alice was talking, telling us to go off together to look at desk lamps; that we could find her afterwards. _Such a damn conniver!_ I knew she was doing all this on purpose. We were up to quadruple shit at this point.

"Um, I don't know where the desk lamps would be," Bella was saying, "I've never been in this store before." She must have felt as awkward as I did.

"Come with me."

_Nice choice of words, Cullen, you fucking idiot._

"They're over here," I quickly added.

"So you need a desk lamp?" she was asking.

"Yes, I left mine at home. Did you leave yours at home too? No, wait… you had one yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yes, but it didn't survive the cart crash-and-burn."

I chuckled. "There was bound to be at least one victim that didn't make it."

She giggled.

We were now in front of the desk lamps.

"What do you think?" she asked me.

I looked at our five choices. "This one is too small. The gray one is too big. I think it's one of these three, right here."

"I agree," she said. "But this one looks like it'll be too fragile. If I'm ever in another cart-incident, I want a lamp that will pull through."

I laughed again. "Yeah, for you that definitely is something to consider. You might want to go with something a little more 'industrial strength'. I'd like to recommend this one here; it's even on sale." I told her, pointing to the sturdiest-looking one of the bunch.

She was smiling as she listened to my sales pitch. "Sold," she agreed, picking up a boxed lamp. "How about you?"

"I'm going to go with sturdy, too." I grabbed an identical box. "Let's go find Alice."

Alice smiled as we approached. She had a shopping cart and had already found her storage boxes; they were standing up on end in the cart. There was no more room in the cart for our lamps, so we just carried them to the register.

"I see you decided to go with matching lamps." Alice raised an eyebrow at me, smirking.

I winced fractionally at her. "They were the right lamps at the right price."

"Right on." Alice answered, smiling to herself.

We paid at the register and left the store, headed for the car. There wasn't quite enough room in the trunk for the storage boxes, so we had to rearrange ourselves. Bella was in the same spot, but I was now forced to sit in the backseat next to her, behind Alice. Two boxes were propped up on the floor in the front passenger side and leaned back on the reclining passenger seat. My chin rested on my hand as I gazed out the window. I could smell Bella's perfume, or scent, or whatever, a little stronger now.

"Everybody settled?" Alice asked cheerfully from the front. "Fasten your seatbelt Bella, it's time to blast off."

We roared out of the parking lot and headed back to school.

We had just pulled out onto the road when I recognized the notes of "Use Somebody," by The Kings of Leon. It was Bella's phone. She slid it out of her pocket and answered it without looking at it.

"Hello?"

There was a pause. And then she blushed and began speaking quietly. "Oh, hi Jake. Um, can I call you back in a little bit? Give me about twenty minutes. No, I promise, I'll call you right back." She closed her phone, apologizing.

I looked up at the rearview mirror, where I could see Alice's frowning eyes peering intently back at me. I shrugged slightly at her. Maybe I was off the hook or 'off the hook-up' as the case may be. Thank goodness! I sure didn't need that. I looked back out the window.

**A/N: Jake. Why does he have to butt in and ruin things? Just when things seemed like they were getting interesting. Tell me your thoughts. Really. I want to know. Surely you have thoughts?**

**And don't forget, no reading on unless chapter 6 is Revised!**


	6. Starting to Squirm

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N: So, how are we going to get rid of annoying roommates? Don't worry, Jasper has a plan. Or a plot. Alice has taught him well.

The characters and original storyline belong to SM. I just can't leave well enough alone. No copyright infringement is intended. Sighs, smiles and chuckles are intended, however.

Poor Bella, forced to babysit Jake from afar. Oh, and Edward, you may not think you care about the new girl, but Alice knows better. A little Mike Newton will get things rolling.

**Chapter 6: Starting to Squirm (****Revised****)**

**BPOV**

Alice, Edward and I had arrived back at the dorm parking lot from our shopping trip. Edward grabbed the big storage containers, Alice toted her bag of linens, and I carried the two lamp boxes. We went in the back way, through the guy's suite, and I took Edward's lamp to his room, where Jasper was hanging the framework of beads in the doorway. There were posters on all of the walls and even the ceiling. A lava lamp was churning away colorfully on the bedside table. Jasper was wearing round sunglasses, and channeling John Lennon.

"Groovy," I said quietly to Edward, who was standing right beside me. "Where do you want me to put your lamp?"

"Set it on my desk; that one over there in the corner." He nodded with his head, indicating which desk, since his arms were still filled with storage containers.

"Whose guitar is that?" I asked when I spied it propped up in the corner. "Jasper, do you play?"

"Nah, only air guitar. Edward's the musical genius. You should hear him play sometime; he's really talented. He only has to hear something once or twice and he can somehow play it almost perfectly. It's unnatural."

I turned back around to Edward. "I think I must have heard you playing last night. Is there anyone else in this suite that plays guitar?"

"No, just me."

"Then it _was_ you. It was really nice. Soothing. Actually, I sat up on my desk right in front of the window, so I could hear it better. Today the only thing I've heard is Celtic music in my room. Oh, and my desk is no longer under the window. Victoria's is."

"Oh, don't get me started with that music!" Alice agreed. "That's all I hear up there in the suite. That room is turning into the Celtic Crystal Kingdom. If the two woodland fairies become roommates I think we should make a sign for their door. And then we should see about soundproofing their room."

"Wait. What are you talking about, Sweetie Pants?" Jasper asked.

Tiny Alice shoved the three of us into Edward's room and shut the door.

"Okay, here's the deal. You guys both know what a nightmare Bitchtoria is." Her hands were on her hips as she looked pointedly at both Edward and Jasper. She didn't need to look at me, because I was living the dream. "Victoria and Lauren, the girl I'm rooming with, are getting along really well, probably because they are both really strange. Bitchtoria and Lauren might want to switch around their living situations. Then Bella and I can be roommates. And neither of us would have to live with a woodland fairy or her magical crystals in a Celtic Crystal Kingdom."

The two guys still looked kind of confused.

Then realization slowly dawned on Jasper and he said, "So if it was annoying for one of them to live with one of you, they might help initiate a roommate swap?"

"Exactly, Jazz."

"And that's what your heart desires, right, Babycakes?"

"Right again, Jazz."

"Oh, Edward, this has potential." Jasper had turned to Edward and was now grabbing him by the shoulders, shaking him. "Surely we could dream up some fine scenarios to alienate a couple of…what did you call them, Alice?… Oh, right…woodland fairies."

Alice grinned. "Okay then, boys, that's your job for the rest of the afternoon. We need scenarios. Alienating scenarios. And we need lunch! My gosh, I didn't realize how late it was. Edward, quick, bring these upstairs to my room." She pointed to the storage boxes and led the way.

Edward grabbed them back up into his arms and we followed Alice upstairs.

"Bella, are you going to come to lunch with us now?" Alice asked.

"Um, I've got to make a phone call right now, but maybe I'll catch you before you're done."

"All right, and if not, we'll see you later. Don't forget there's a dorm meeting and then the barbecue is this evening."

"Yeah, I told Jessica and Angela I'd walk over with them."

"Okay, well, we're all going too." She stared hard at Edward and he sighed. "So we'll see you then, at least."

"Oh, okay then. Bye, Alice. Thanks for taking me to the store. Bye, Edward."

"Bye, Bella," Alice replied.

Edward gave a nod and an eyebrow shrug in my direction as they entered Alice's room with the boxes.

I opened my door and the room was quiet. Victoria and Lauren must be at lunch in the dining hall. I had to call Jake back and I wanted privacy.

I lay down on the bed and I dialed Jake's number. The phone rang a few times before his familiar voice picked up.

"Hello, Bella."

"Hi, Jake. Sorry I couldn't talk earlier."

"I thought maybe you weren't going to call after all."

"Of course I was going to call. I promised I would, and here I am. Sorry about before; I couldn't really talk at that moment."

"What were you doing?"

"Oh, I was in a friend's car and it was kind of hard to hear."

"Who's your friend? What were you doing?"

"Her name is Alice, she lives in my suite and she's really nice. I had gone to the store with her and we were driving back when you called."

"Just you two went?"

I paused for a nanosecond. "Yeah, I needed to get a new lamp for my desk."

"Oh. Well, that's cool." He didn't say anything more for a moment, then finally breathed out, "I miss you, Bella."

"I know you do, Jake. I miss you too. It's been a rough day and a half."

"Tell me about it!"

"I know it's been hard for you, Jake, but you're in your comfort zone. You're home with the same friends and in the same environment. I have to adjust to so much here. It's an adventure, but it's also a pain in the butt. Nothing has been easy so far."

"What's been a pain in the butt?"

"Oh, I don't know, there's so much to tell, but none of it is very important. I have a roommate that really rubs me the wrong way, and I don't know how long I might be stuck with her. My friend Alice kind of makes up for that, though. She's a lot of fun."

"I wish you were back home. Then you wouldn't have to deal with roommates that rub you the wrong way. You could be here in your comfort zone too."

"I know, but I've got to do the school thing. It's important to me."

"I just wish that your school was closer or that I was more important to you."

"You are important, Jake."

_Why did the conversation always turn in this direction?_

"I know. But I'm not _more_ important than school. It just bothers me that you'll be gone for such a long time."

"Jake, I don't want to have this same conversation every time we talk on the phone. Don't make me feel bad for wanting an education."

"Don't make me feel bad for not wanting to go to school."

"That's not what I meant, and you know that."

"I'm not sure that I _do_ know that. I just wish things were the way they used to be. I liked the way things used to be. Everything was easy and we were happy."

"Jake, we're not kids anymore. Of course everything was easy and happy; as we were growing up we had no real responsibilities. But we've got to move forward. Things aren't going to be the way they used to be. Listen, I've got to go. I haven't had any lunch yet and I'm starving. I'll call you in a day or two."

"You said that yesterday and yet I had to call you."

"Jake, the day's not even over. You didn't give me a chance to call. I'll call. Besides, you can always call me. You don't have to wait for me to call you first."

"I guess. Take care, B. Love you. Bye."

"Bye, Jake. Love you."

I closed my cell phone, and then I closed my eyes.

_What was I doing? Why had I omitted Edward from the story?_

Jake had asked if it was just Alice and I, and I had said yes. I had lied to Jake. It was because he would have become all insecure and demanding. It was to protect him. _Wasn't it?_ He seemed to bruise so easily suddenly.

I thought about Edward. I was curious about him, nothing more. _Nothing more, right?_ _Right!_ _Of course not._ He's just the incredibly attractive, nice, grumpy, twin brother of a new friend of mine. And I have no business thinking of him in any other way. And yes, he made me feel kind of flustered sometimes, but that would happen to any girl looking at him. It's just how you react to a guy that is that good looking.

I checked the time and realized I'd better get to the dining hall if I wanted any kind of lunch.

**EPOV**

When I carried the boxes into Alice's room she quickly shut the door. Her roommate was gone. Probably at lunch with Her Majesty, Queen Bitchtoria. Alice stood in front of the door with her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot like mad.

"Who do you think Jake is?" she asked, looking like she was analyzing every possible sound bite she'd heard when Bella got that phone call.

"Alice, it's probably her boyfriend." I could feel my shoulders tightening up.

"What are we going to do?" She began pacing, pondering.

"I don't know what you're going to do, but I'm going to go get some lunch."

She stopped pacing and whirled to face me. "Edward, I'm serious!"

"I'm serious, too."

"Edward, she's such a nice girl."

"And she probably has such a nice boyfriend. Who cares?"

"I care. And you don't know it, but you care, too."

"Alice, quit trying to set me up. I can't do this. I'm not interested."

She looked at me innocently, with wide eyes. "I wasn't trying to set you up."

"Bullshit. You're such a liar. All morning you kept trying to involve me in things you were doing with her."

"But isn't she nice? Isn't she fun?"

"Yes, she's nice. Yes, she's fun. Hell, she's even cute. But I'm. Not. Interested."

"You think she's cute?" The hope was back in Alice's eyes.

_Shit! Did I really say that? _

I sighed. "Please let me go get some lunch."

"Not until you promise me that you'll come to the barbecue and dance tonight."

"I'll come to the barbecue but I'm not staying for the dance."

"Come to the barbecue and stay for the dance. You don't have to dance, just come with us for a change, and promise me you'll talk to Bella."

I rolled my eyes. I hated dealing with Alice when she was like this. "Fine. I'll come to the barbecue, stay for the dance, I won't dance, but I'm not promising I'll talk to Bella."

"What if she talks to you?"

"Then I'll talk to her! Fucking-A, Alice! Enough already!"

"Just try to be nice to her."

"Fine! Can I go now?" I was ready to just pick her up and move her body at this point. Maybe even fling her out the window.

"Yes, you're excused." She moved out of the way and let me get to the door finally.

"How does Jasper put up with you?" I asked, exasperated.

She stuck her little pointy tongue out at me as I exited the room.

I hustled out of their suite before any more estrogen got to me and I headed over to the dining hall. Emmett and Rose must have already eaten earlier. Jasper was nowhere to be seen; I guess he was waiting for Alice, so I was on my own.

I grabbed a burger and fries and was about to fill a cup up with ice, when I heard an annoyingly familiar voice behind me.

"Yo, dude! Big par-tay tonight! It's a chance for you to mingle with the lay-dies, and I just know there will be some fiiiine ladies there tonight. Are you in, Cullen, mah man?"

Newton. Could anyone possibly be more of a tool? I highly doubted it.

"Yeah, I told Alice I'd go, just to get her off my back. So you're going to go check out the ladies, huh Newton? Anyone in particular you're planning to put the move on?"

He leaned in to me, looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and said, "I'm going to make my move on Bella. She's ripe for the plucking. She's new here, doesn't know anyone and is probably feeling a little lost. I'm going to tell her that I'd be happy to show her around, help her adjust, be a shoulder to cry on. She'd probably like that. Girls eat that shit up."

I had frozen in place. This guy was a total prick. I really didn't know Bella, but she didn't deserve to be hit on by this slimewad.

_'Ripe for the plucking?'_

Newton was ripe for a beating, and my palms were itching and twitching to be the one to give it to him.

I turned to look at him. "She's already made some friends in the dorm; besides, maybe she likes to keep to herself a little. Maybe she doesn't want you to put the move on her. How do you know she doesn't already have a boyfriend?"

"Even if she does, I'm still going to make my move. I don't see a boyfriend here, so as far as I'm concerned, she's available. Besides, I'm a frat man; I'm golden."

_Yeah, you're golden, alright: a golden douchebag. _

"Well, good luck with that. I'll probably see you there tonight."

_I'll see you because I'll be watching you like a hawk, Fuckwit._

"Yeah, catch you later, dude."

I filled my cup with lemonade and went to sit down at the usual table. I watched Newton strut out of the dining hall. I imagined what it would feel like to sprint after him, jump him and beat the shit out of him. Instead I picked up my now-cold burger and took a bite. I chewed it and swallowed it down. It landed like lead in my stomach. I picked up a cold, soggy fry and shoved it in my mouth. Also disgusting.

The door opened a moment later and Bella walked in alone. She didn't look too happy. I wondered fleetingly what was wrong, then caught myself and shrugged it off. Jessica and Angela were at a table near the other side of the room and they waved her over after she got something to eat.

She smiled a little weakly as she sat down with them. I watched her as she listened to them chatter.

_What had I blurted out to Alice earlier? Oh yeah, 'she's nice, she's fun, hell she's even cute.'_

I shook my head at how I'd slipped up like that.

_What was wrong with me?_

She seemed thoughtful and kind. She'd probably even be kind to Newton tonight when he hit on her. She seemed to have a good sense of humor and an easy laugh. She'd probably laugh at some lame joke he would tell her. And her face was pretty in an unconventional way. But her blush, which showed up when she was embarrassed or angry, and was completely uncontrollable, was definitely cute. Newton would probably embarrass her tonight and she'd blush for him.

I'd had enough. I stood up and threw the rest of my burger and fries in the trash. I'd completely lost my appetite now. How could anyone eat this crap?I walked out of the dining hall, and when I passed her table, I looked right at her.

_Who the hell was Jake?_

**BPOV**

"What was _that_?" Jessica asked in a low voice.

"Um, what? I'm sorry, what did you say?" My head slowly swung back around to look at her and Angela after watching Edward angrily exit the dining hall.

"Bella, I said, what was _that_? Did you see the way he looked at you? What was _that_ all about?"

"Um… I really don't know," I said, shaking my head in confusion. I hadn't even been aware that Edward was in the dining hall, and all of a sudden he was walking out in a huff, staring right at me. And he looked so _angry_. What had I done? I was baffled.

"What did you _do_ to him?" Jessica was leaning across the table, studying my face.

"I didn't do anything. I don't know why he looked at me like that."

"Did you say something to him that upset him?" Angela asked.

"I don't think so." I answered, thinking back over the earlier part of the day. He had seemed fine earlier when we'd been shopping. He was rather quiet, but he had even been kind of funny at the store. I couldn't imagine what had happened between then and now.

"That was so _weird_," Jessica observed as Angela nodded.

"Anyway, where was I?" Jessica asked, beginning to pick up the thread of our conversation from earlier. "Oh yeah, so Angela and I were going to go over to the fitness center in a little while. Do you want to join us? They've got a bunch of different weight machines, exercise bikes, treadmills, you know, the usual stuff. It's little bit of a walk, but not bad. The walk is a good warm-up and then cool-down when we return."

"That sounds great. I usually like to go running, but I haven't had the chance for the last few days. In fact I was thinking I should maybe go for a run today, but working out at the fitness center with you two sounds more fun."

"Okay so how about if we go in an hour? That way we still have time to come back and shower before the dorm meeting and we can get ready for tonight's Welcome Back party."

"Sounds like a plan. Should I just meet you both in the suite?"

"Yeah, or we'll knock on your door in an hour."

We stood up, tossed our trash and headed back to the dorm.

**EPOV**

When I got back to my room, Jasper was gone. I flopped on my bed, listening to my iPod. I cranked the angry music. I didn't want to think. After a few minutes I realized that I was thinking and figured it'd be better if I got out and went for a run. I could always think more clearly through a dilemma and get anger out of my system when I ran. I needed to get that idiot Mike Newton out of my thoughts. He wasn't worth the stress.

I changed and sprinted out of the dorm.

**BPOV**

It had been fun working out with Angela and Jessica. Jessica was pretty competitive and it helped to push Angela and me. Angela hadn't been too enthusiastic until she spotted Ben, another guy that lived in our dorm. Apparently she had her eye on him. Once she saw him, she perked up and seemed a little more bubbly.

We were on our way back to the dorm when Jessica said, "Whew! Would you take a look at that! Who needs exercise when that's available to look at? It's enough to make you start panting and work up a sweat just watching."

It was Edward, a ways up ahead, his path merging with ours. Obviously he was coming back from a run. His shirt was in his hand, his skin was glistening and sparkling in the sun with his sweat, and his shorts hung precariously off his hips.

"A shirtless and sweaty Edward Cullen, with his shorts slung low. It doesn't get much better than that, girls. Look at that perfect body. Imagine how much fun it would be to play with him until he was all sweaty like that." Jessica was fanning herself with her hands, rolling her eyes.

Angela giggled and I blushed. I hoped he wouldn't turn around and see us.

**EPOV**

I walked back into the dorm after my run. Jasper had rematerialized and was excited.

"Quick, take a shower and get dressed. We've got an important errand to run."

"Where are we going?"

"Not telling. It's best left a surprise."

"Is that because if you tell me, I'll say I don't want to go?"

"There's a strong likelihood. So shower, change, we're going, Edward."

"Okay, sounds intriguing. I'll shower, change and we'll go."

A short while later, we were driving in Jasper's Scion and I found myself wondering once again why he had purchased a Scion. Something about it just screamed "Clown Car" to me. Then again, maybe the reason lay therein.

A short while later he pulled up in front of a Thrift Shop and said, "We're here!"

"What are we doing here?" I asked, looking around as I opened the door and climbed out.

"Come on. I've been calling around all afternoon while you were running about. They've got what we need."

"They do?"

"Yes, a second-hand black light! For our room!"

I burst out laughing. Jasper was such a goof.

"We're also going to pick up some used CD's for Alice and Bella," he said.

"Why are we doing that?"

"I came up with a fantastic scenario for them, to help rid themselves of the woodland fairies."

"And that scenario would be…?"

"Bagpipe music for Alice to play, while she exercises in her room, and the twangiest, sappiest Country Western music we can find for Bella to play, and hopefully sing along to, badly, in her room."

I had to hand it to him. Either scenario would make me move right out.

We rummaged around and found exactly what we needed, paid for it, and went back to school in the Clown Car.

**BPOV**

We had returned from the fitness center and I hopped in the shower. I'll admit I did briefly think about shirtless, sweaty Edward, as I washed my own sweat from my body. Jessica was right. "Whew." He was pretty amazing to look at. Even if he was often irrationally grumpy and angry.

I could look. Looking wasn't a crime.

Afterwards I dressed for the evening's activities, dried my hair, and put on a little make-up. I decided to wear a dark blue sweater and jeans and I put on a little mascara and some lip-gloss.

I was almost ready when there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find Alice standing there with a big smile on her face. She peeked in, saw that Victoria was not there and handed me a little bag.

"Open it!" she commanded, the excitement clear in her voice.

"What is this?"

"Just open it! It's for you from Jasper and Edward."

I opened it and found two Country-Western CD's.

"What are these for?" I was really confused, looking at the two CD's in my hands.

"They're for warding off evil woodland fairies!"

"What?" I was still confused.

"Jasper thinks that if you play them loudly and sing along poorly at the same time, you could easily inflict permanent damage on the hearing and psyche of any nearby woodland fairy." She giggled and I burst out laughing right along with her.

"Do you have some of these too?"

"No, Jasper bought me two bagpipe music CD's. His thoughts are that I should work out to them in my dorm room at least twice a day, three on weekends if it takes that long. All that nasally, shrill music and me jumping around; that can't be a good environment for a roommate. And the plus is, I'm going to get into such great shape!"

We both started laughing and by the time we could control ourselves we had tears streaming down our cheeks.

"This is absolutely priceless! Jasper is a prince."

"I know, isn't he? And Edward went with him and helped him pick them out."

"Tell them both how much I appreciate it."

"You can tell them tonight at the barbecue and dance. They'll both be there."

"Deal. Thanks, Alice."

"Don't thank me, thank them."

"Okay, I will. Hey, we better get downstairs for the meeting."

"Yeah, this is Emmett's shining moment," Alice agreed. "I can't be late. I don't want to miss this."

**A/N: So, Edward is beginning to squirm. Does he even realize it? Alice is pushing his boundaries. Your reviews push my boundaries. Go ahead review and make me squirm. And don't read on unless chapter 7 has been ****Revised!**


	7. You Call That Dancing?

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N: Have you ever had the opportunity to dance with someone who just had all the worst dance moves known to man? And that person had no clue that they had no clue? Exactly. Poor Bella. She's going to need some rescuing.

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. Like we don't all know that. The original characters and plot are hers. No copyright infringement is intended. This is just my way of keeping out of trouble.

Stay tuned for Emmett's shining moment! And then let's all head over to the barbecue and dance afterwards, okay?

**Chapter 7: You Call That Dancing? (****Revised)**

**EPOV**

I wandered into the main living room of the dorm to hear Emmett's big speech. People were beginning to file in slowly and sit together. I went to the farthest corner from the entrance and sat on a low bench, with my legs stretched out in front of me and my back against the wall.

These meetings were a pain in the ass, but I was here to support Emmett. It still surprised me that he was interested in being an R.A. He had always been looking to play pranks on people, and now here he was, in a position to squelch those kinds of things in others. Somehow it didn't seem right. Maybe he had just run out of ideas and was looking to others for inspiration. I'd be surprised if he made it to the end of the school year without having to go before some disciplinary board and beg for his life.

He appeared across the room, near the entrance, and his eyes scanned the crowd. When he saw me he squeezed through the people milling about and came to stand before me.

"Edward, do I look all right?" He nervously ran his fingers through his hair and I don't know that I'd ever seen _him_ do that move before.

I shrugged. "Yeah. Why?"

"No, I mean it. You didn't even look at me. Does this shirt look okay?"

"Yeah, it looks fine. You look fine."

"What about my pants?"

"Are you a girl now, Emmett? Are you going to ask me if they make your butt look big?"

"Don't be an ass, Edward. I guess I'm just nervous. I wish Rose could be here."

"Yeah, but she's got her own meeting to run in her dorm. Don't worry. You'll do okay."

"I guess. At least the meeting is short." He smiled weakly.

"You'll knock 'em dead, Emmett." I reached up and punched him in the shoulder.

He looked a bit ill as he smiled wanly at me.

He sucked in a breath, glancing around at the growing crowd. And then he climbed up onto a chair, formed a circle with his thumb and forefinger, put them into his mouth, and whistled loudly and shrilly, rupturing the eardrums of probably one-third of the people sitting in the room.

More people streamed into the room. Alice walked in, trailing Jasper behind her, and they came to sit on the bench near me. We had a good vantage point of the rest of the main living room to watch the people around us.

Emmett suddenly hollered from his chair-top-perch. "All right people, come on in! Settle down! Pick your seats!"

Jasper and I both snorted and laughed at Emmett's use of the line "pick your seats". Alice reached over and slapped both of us. Rose would have done the same had she been here. I found myself wondering if what Emmett said was intentional, if he was even aware of what he'd said, or if he just couldn't help but be himself.

I looked across the room and saw Bella walk in and look around, then sit next to Angela and Jessica. She had on a dark blue sweater and I realized for the first time that she was actually quite pretty. I was still watching her when she looked around and her eyes landed on me. She blushed instantly and looked away, but a moment later, she glanced back. I saw Jessica watching her and then her eyes followed Bella's eyes to my face. I saw her nudge Angela and say something, and I finally looked away. Jessica was not one of my favorite people. She was awfully aggressive and could be quite catty. She was nearly as annoying as Mike Newton.

Speaking of annoying, Newton and Crowley came in then. I could see Mike looking for a spot near Bella but there was no more room and he and Tyler were forced to sit next to Victoria and the girl that I guessed was Lauren. Victoria scooted away from Newton and made a face, like he had something that was contagious. I didn't blame her. I would probably do the same.

I could see that Newton was trying to get Bella's attention, but she didn't notice him. _Good, keep it that way._

Emmett really didn't do too badly. He introduced himself and told everyone where they could find him and what hours he would be available. He covered all of the standard rules and procedures and safety and emergency guidelines. Blah, blah, blah; same old shit as last year. Finally, he glanced in Alice's direction and he mentioned that if anyone was seeking a roommate change, they could speak with him and he could help set that paperwork in motion, as long as all parties were in agreement. I saw Alice give Bella a thumbs-up and Bella winked in return. Emmett concluded the meeting and encouraged everyone to head over to the Welcome Back barbecue and dance at the Student Union building.

As people wandered out, Emmett made his way over to the corner where the three of us were sitting.

"How'd I do, guys?"

Jasper piped up first, saying he hadn't been able to pay attention to much of Emmett's talk, because he had been too busy picking his seat the whole time.

I made a pained-looking face and told him I hadn't been able to hear anything at all, except a humming noise, after his ear-splitting, shrill whistle. For a moment he looked stricken, but then he realized that I was lying, because obviously I had just heard his question.

Jasper and I both burst out laughing at each other and the expression on Emmett's face. Then I high-fived Jasper, just to rub it in more.

Alice looked up at Emmett earnestly. "Don't pay any attention to these two morons, Emmett. You did just fine. You didn't seem nervous and you looked nice."

"Thanks, Alice."

"Yeah, Emmett, seriously," Jasper told him, "you're going to be an excellent den mother. Can I call you 'Mom'?"

"Sure, if you don't mind me calling you 'A-hole'."

I looked past Emmett and saw Bella watching us as Jessica talked to her. She blushed suddenly, turning away again. The two of them then turned and headed out the door with Angela, going in the direction of the Student Union building.

Emmett wanted to wait for Rose, so we hung back for a few minutes, waiting for her to join us. I didn't feel particularly interested in either a barbecue or a dance, but I did want to keep my eye on dickwad Newton, so I was going.

**BPOV**

Alice had just dropped off two Country Western CDs that she promised would ward off the woodland fairy that shared my room. Jasper's plan still made me giggle to myself. Victoria would be so pissed, and somehow I didn't think Lauren would particularly care for calisthenics done to bagpipe music in her room several times a day. Now, however, it was time to get downstairs to the meeting.

Alice pirouetted away from my door and headed down the hall, off to find Jasper. I still had to put my shoes on and grab my key. I left the room and headed down the stairs with a few of the other girls that lived on my floor.

When I got to the main room I looked around. I saw Alice over in the corner with Jasper. They were sitting next to Edward. He had on a green thermal shirt that hugged his body and made his green-blue eyes quite green. His hair was in its usual total disarray and he was running his hand through it.

Emmett had jumped up on a chair and was whistling and making an announcement. Edward and Jasper suddenly both laughed at something and I was struck by how handsome Edward was when he smiled, which didn't seem to happen very often. It didn't seem like he was very happy and I wondered about that. I realized that I was staring at him and forced myself to look away.

I saw Jessica and Angela and there was a spot open next to them, so I made my way over and sat down. I looked around at the people assembled; trying to think of the names of the ones I'd met in the last day and a half. My eyes traveled back to where Edward sat. I wondered if he was still angry with me; if that was truly what I had seen on his face earlier. To my extreme embarrassment, he was watching me. I glanced away as I blushed, but then I thought that something about his face had seemed just a little softer than usual and my eyes were drawn back to his face.

Jessica's voice intruded. "Angela, look. What's Edward Cullen staring at? Bella, why's he looking at you?"

I quickly shifted my eyes away from Edward, feeling the heat rising up into my face again. I pretended I didn't hear her and tried to pay extra-close attention to what Emmett was saying. Most of it was common-sense information. At the end, however, he glanced over at Alice and mentioned that roommate changes could be set in motion by going through him. My eyes shot to Alice, who was giving me a very enthusiastic thumbs-up. I winked at her, thinking of the ridiculous CDs now in our possession. I would definitely have to thank Jasper tonight. And Edward.

When the meeting was over, Angela, Jessica and I stayed in our seats a few moments, to let the crowd thin. Jessica turned to me.

"Bella, Edward was watching you almost the entire time Emmett was talking. Is there something going on between you two?"

"No," I said, completely surprised, looking past her to him, "I don't know what his deal is." At the moment he was he was laughing with Jasper and high-fiving him and I was struck by how absolutely, inhumanly beautiful he was, especially when he seemed happy.

And then he looked past Emmett, at me.

I nearly died of embarrassment, sure that he could read my thoughts. Thankfully, Jessica and Angela were ready to head over to the barbecue. I needed some fresh air. It was getting entirely too warm in here.

On the way over to the Student Union, Angela asked if Jessica knew whether Ben would be there. It was obvious from the way she asked the question that she was crushing on him, but wasn't sure what to do.

"I think Tyler said that Ben was going with Eric, Mike and him. If you spot him tonight at the dance, you've just got to ask him to dance with you. I think he likes you, Ange, I just think he's a little shy. You need to make the first move."

"Do you think it bothers him that I'm taller than him?"

"Oh, heck no. I don't think people are as caught up in that as they used to be."

"What about you," I asked Jessica. "Is there someone special you'd like to be dancing with tonight?"

She sighed. "Well, I'm thinking about it, but I'm not so sure."

"Who is it?" I asked

"Mike. But I'm sure he just thinks of me as a friend. We hang out, but I don't think he's interested in me that way."

I nodded. "You never know. Maybe he's interested but hasn't realized it yet. That happens to people sometimes, you know?"

"What about you, Bella? You got your eye on anyone?" She raised her eyebrows, like she had her suspicions.

"Who, me? No. I'm kind of going with someone from back home in Forks. I just wanted to come tonight for the entertainment of it. It'll be a fun distraction."

"What's the name of your guy back home?" Angela asked.

"Jacob…well, Jake."

"That's got to be hard; you're here, while he's there," she observed.

"Yeah, it's definitely putting a strain on things. He's upset that I had to leave and he makes me feel kind of guilty about it. He's not into the college thing."

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the barbecue and it looked to be in full swing. There were several huge grills fired up and cooking away. Next to the grills there were platters of freshly cooked hot dogs and hamburgers, and trays that held buns, lettuce, tomatoes and cheeses. There were also huge serving bowls of potato salad and macaroni salad. We joined the huge line, salivating with everyone else.

There was plenty of seating both inside and out. We had gotten our food and drinks and decided to eat outside the building, where the entertainment would be. We grabbed a picnic table; I sat on the end with Jessica sitting next to me and Angela across from us.

As we sat there, we watched the lines, eventually spotting Mike, Tyler, Eric and Ben. They waved to us, and after they got their food they came and joined us. Mike squeezed in between Jessica and me. Tyler sat on the other side of Jessica and Ben sat down next to Angela, with Eric on his other side. I saw Angela look down shyly, a small smile curling the corners of her lips.

I was still looking at her when I heard Tyler speak up.

"Well, that's highly unusual."

"What?" Jessica asked him, looking in the direction Tyler stared. "Oh, you're right."

"What?" I asked.

"The very hot Hales and Cullens have arrived, but this time it's _all_ the hot Cullens." Jessica answered. "His Hotness has decided to grace us with his presence this evening."

"Yeah," Angela explained to me, "Edward's not usually into the festive party scene. He avoids this stuff and keeps to himself."

"Well, he's got to eat." I reasoned. "Free burgers and dogs?"

Mike spoke up, "Five bucks says he'll cut out once the dancing starts. He won't want to take the chance that some girl hits on him."

"And nobody is going to take your ridiculous bet because everyone knows he won't stay," Tyler told him.

I watched the Cullens and Hales go through the line. I waved to Alice when she looked over. She smiled back at me and gave a little wave. She followed Jasper to a table that had just freed up. Edward sat down on the opposite side, facing our table. He looked across to us and seemed irritated. I wondered about his mercurial moods. Jasper sat next to him and Alice perched on Jasper's lap. Emmett and Rosalie sat on the side nearest us, with their backs to us. I saw Alice lean in and say something to Edward and he shook his head no, rather vehemently. He was not looking at her as he pulled away a little, rolling his eyes at whatever she'd said to him.

We ate, chatting about moving in, the dorm meeting, and the classes we were going to be taking. Before we even knew it, the barbecue was over and they were packing up the food. The DJ had arrived and set up and soon the music was starting.

Tyler wondered if we knew the name of the blond girl that was Victoria's friend, and whether or not we had seen her here this evening. I told him her name was Lauren, but that I hadn't seen her. I didn't mention that they were probably in the Celtic Crystal Kingdom back in our dorm because Victoria couldn't take normal music. He decided to go look for her. Eric went with him, just to check out the crowd.

"I'm surprised _he's_ still here," Jessica said to me, over the music. "Usually the music is his cue to beat tracks." She was looking at Edward. "Hey Mike, looks like I should have taken you up on your bet." She smiled at him.

"Yeah, Jess, you'd be five dollars richer right now." Mike scanned the crowd then he turned back to us. "I'm going to go track down my fraternity brothers. I'll see you guys in a bit." He waved to us us as he walked off.

Angela leaned toward Ben and spoke to him over the music. Ben smiled at her and nodded and the two of them got up and left us to go dance. _Good for Angela!_

I looked over to see Alice leading Jasper out to dance. They wound up right near Emmett and Rosalie. I looked across to where Edward sat alone. He didn't look as irritated; but he did seem kind of on edge, like he'd really rather leave.

Jessica turned to me. "Bella, I've got to run to the restroom. Want to come along?"

I told her I'd stick around; the others would be back soon, maybe I should try to save the table.

She nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

So that left me alone.

Until Mike returned.

_Oh no..._

"Well-ah, well-ah, Bell-ah Bell-ah. Left here all alone-ah. Now that's just not right. But don't you worry your pretty little head, Mikey's here to take care of you. How about you and me getting out there and showing everyone how to really dance?"

He started gyrating and twirling.

I began to blush. He looked ridiculous.

Now he began strutting in a circle. Still gyrating and twirling.

"Come on Bella, let's go. Come on and shake your booty. We'll be great together; in fact I wanted to talk to you about that."

Gyrate, twirl, strut, thrust.

_Thrust? Oh God, now he was thrusting! Sweet Jesus, get me out of here!_

I was beyond embarrassed; I was aghast. And I was all alone; the others had all left.

"Hey Mike, nice moves," a low musical voice suddenly said behind me. I turned and looked back, recognizing Edward's voice.

_Thank goodness, a diversion!_ _But what was he doing here?_

Maybe Mike would stop his thrusting and gyrating now that Edward was standing right here behind me, his hands in the pockets of his button fly jeans, snug green thermal, wild, untamed hair and all.

"Hey, Cullen mah man. You've got to get yourself some dance moves of your own. Then you can join this primal crowd and get yourself all sweaty bustin' a move."

_Who talks like that? _

He was still twirling and strutting, but at least the gyrating and thrusting had stopped.

_Bless you, Edward_!

"I'm not sure I'm cut out to move like that," Edward told him. "I'd hate to rupture anything important."

I stifled a giggle and looked away from Mike.

"Actually, Mike," Edward continued, "I came by to tell you that the blond girl from Rosalie's dorm was asking about you. She was wearing a really low-cut black top and some tight jeans, but I think she may have gone inside."

"Oh, really?" Mike's head swung around instantly, peering at the crowd. He stopped dancing. "A blond, you said?"

"Yeah, I think she went inside."

"Oh, okay. Thanks, Dude. Bella, I'll catch you later. Save me a dance, girl."

With that, he was gone. I exhaled and looked up at Edward. He had a crooked little grin on his face. _Just so beautiful. _I blushed in embarrassment at that thought.

He leaned down toward my ear from where he stood behind me still. I could sense the heat from his body, or maybe it was just my lingering blush.

"I could _not_ let that go on a moment longer," he explained, his lip curled up a little more in one corner.

I burst out laughing. "I was _so_ embarrassed!" I confessed. I was speaking up to him from where I still sat on the bench. "Thank goodness you appeared."

He bent at the hip, leaning down toward my ear to talk over the music."It kind of looked like you were being attacked by some giant, swooping, flapping bird of prey."

I giggled up at him as he straightened back up. "I would have _preferred_ to be attacked by some giant, swooping, flapping bird of prey."

He laughed, his eyes sparkled with humor in the darkness.

"You know," he said, leaning in again, with his hands still in his pockets, "he was really going all out, using all his best moves."

_God, he smells good! _

"I'd hate to see his worst moves."

He cocked his head thoughtfully. "They're pretty much the same."

I giggled at that. "Edward, do you want to sit down? You don't have to stand there."

"No, that's okay. I just thought you looked like you needed rescuing. I'm going to head back over to the other table in a minute."

_Oh. _"Well, I appreciate the rescue. Thank goodness that girl was looking for him."

Edward looked rather sheepish, running his hand through his hair and then scratching the back of his neck.

"There was no girl," he admitted. "I don't even know for sure if there _is_ a blond girl from Rosalie's dorm who is wearing a really low-cut black top and tight jeans."

I couldn't conceal a look of surprise. "You lied to him?" I laughed.

"Well, maybe. Take a look out there." He pointed, looking over his shoulder to the crowd of people that were dancing and the others that were just standing around, listening to music. "A low-cut black top and pair of tight jeans is pretty much the standard uniform. Some of those girls are blond; some of them may even live in Rosalie's dorm. Who's to say that one of them isn't looking for Mike?" He shrugged, grinning crookedly at me again.

I laughed. "Well, that was a little devious, Edward, but I'm not complaining. You certainly showed up at the right moment. Thank you."

"Your friends left you all alone. Birds of prey swoop in when the prey is left unattended."

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding and smiling at him, "I guess there's safety in numbers."

"Why don't you come and sit with us?" He made a little jerking motion with his head to indicate the table where he had been sitting minutes ago.

"Um, okay. I don't know when the others are getting back, anyway." I stood up and climbed out of the bench seat at the picnic table.

I felt a small jolt of electricity when Edward's fingertips lightly touched the small of my back. He propelled me through the crowd, never dropping his fingers from where they rested, protectively, on my back. I swear I felt that little buzzing sensation all the way over to the table that the Cullens and Hales had claimed.

**EPOV**

Rose had finally joined us after the meeting and we'd all headed for the Student Union building. We'd gotten in line for the barbecue and I checked out the crowd, wondering if Newton was already accosting Bella. I spotted them at a table with Jessica and Angela and a few other guys from my suite. Newton was practically right on top of Bella; Jessica was on the other side of him.

We got our food and drinks and headed to a table. I sat on the far side so I could see what kind of screwed up antics Newton decided to pull. Jasper and Alice, Emmett and Rose filled in around me. I was tense just waiting for Newton to hit on Bella; wondering when he'd try to "pluck her". What a shit. He always bothered me, but today he'd really been pissing me off.

Alice leaned in and told me that I ought to go to Bella later and ask her to dance. I shook my head "no", at Alice. I was getting annoyed. She was so pushy. I'd already told her I'd come to the barbecue, stay for the dance, but that I wouldn't dance, and probably wouldn't talk to Bella. I wished Alice would just drop it. I just wanted to keep an eye on Mike so he didn't bother her. Or touch her. Or fucking 'pluck' her.

Tyler and Eric left the table and suddenly Mike was taking off from the group as well. _Good. Take a hike, you douche_. I watched him as he joined up with a group of his sorority sisters and went inside the building with them. I felt a little more relaxed with him otherwise occupied. I took a deep calming breath.

Emmett and Rose got up to go dance, and a moment later Jasper and Alice joined them. I watched Bella's table. Angela and Ben had also gone to dance. The next thing I knew, Jessica was heading inside and Bella was left alone at the table.

And…_ fabulous_…Newton was coming back._ Fu-u-uck!_ I saw a faint downturn on Bella's lips as he got back to her table. He was talking to her and she looked like a small trapped animal with nowhere to run. He started dancing. Well, it couldn't really be called dancing. He was making a spectacle of himself.

_What a complete asshat!_

What was Bella supposed to do with that shit going on in front of her? She was blushing in embarrassment.

I stood up and began walking around the designated dance floor before I was even aware that I'd made the decision to step in. _Well, shit, someone had to!_ That poor girl! That fucking lunatic was now thrusting at her. Thrusting! At _her_. _What the fuck? Who does that? _Bella's face was scarlet.

"Hey Mike, nice moves," I told him as I edged in near her. I stood behind her. I could smell her scent; the same one I'd smelled in the car earlier today. She turned and looked up at me. Her face was awash with relief and her shoulders seemed to visibly relax.

Newton tried to give me some dance pointers, but I'd rather slit my wrists than do anything he'd ever suggest. I told him I didn't want to rupture anything important trying to move like him.

I could sort of feel, rather than see, Bella giggle. I realized she must be relieved that she didn't have to suffer through his idiocy alone. I was there to keep her company. Then I realized I had to get rid of him somehow, so I told him that a blond chick was looking for him and I described her skanky outfit. Of course he was gone in a flash, because that's the kind of dick he is.

I grinned at the look on Bella's face. Then she blushed. For me. Not for Newton. I didn't think it was for a bad reason. I certainly wasn't dancing like a fucking lunatic.

I leaned toward her so I wouldn't have to yell. _She smelled good._ "I could _not_ let that go on a moment longer," I admitted to her.

She burst out laughing and I chuckled.

"I was _so_ embarrassed! Thank goodness you appeared." She rubbed her eyes, like she was trying to erase the image Mike had burnt into her eyes.

I told her it looked like she was being attacked by a giant bird of prey. She told me she would have actually preferred that.

I laughed at her. She was funny. _And cute._

I leaned toward her again, breathing in her scent a second time. Yeah, she really smelled good. I made a crack about Newton's best dance moves being about the same as his worst dance moves. She giggled again.

Then I had to admit to her that I sent Mike off on a wild goose chase after some imaginary, skanky chick in tight jeans and a low-cut top. She was surprised, but she got a kick out of it. And then she thanked me for rescuing her. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It had been entertaining and it had put a smile on her face.

I was worried that Newton might come back to continue to get his freak on, so I suggested she come sit with us at our table and she agreed. I reached out to her lower back as we walked through the crowd to the other table and I felt a surprising little electrical charge in my fingertips when I touched her.

I'd never felt anything like that before in my life.

**A/N: Oh Edward! You like her, don't you? Admit it! Do you think he realizes? And... have you ever had the pleasure of dancing with a Bird of Prey? Let me know what you're thinking. Please take the time to review.**

**Don't go on to chapter 8 unless it has been ****revised!**


	8. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N: Oh... if only... Come on, Bella and Edward! Can't you see what's going on here?

Stephenie Meyer is amazing. She owns the good stuff. I just like to use different situations and dialogue and imagine those characters in my own universe. I certainly don't intend any copyright infringement.

Back to the BBQ with the Cullens and Hales...and Bella, now. Oh, and let's find out the story behind the ringtone thing. There's a story? Yep, there's an embarrassing story. Thanks, Emmett.

**Chapter 8: One Step Forward (****Revised****)**

**BPOV**

Edward and I were at the Welcome Back dance, making our way over to Alice and Jasper, who sat at the table where Edward had been sitting only a little while earlier. I could still feel faint, hot, little sparks where Edward's fingers lightly ghosted against the small of my back, as he steered and we veered through the crowd. I caught a glimpse of Angela and Ben, out where they had been dancing. Only now, Angela was standing stock still and her mouth was agape as she stared at me walking with Edward Cullen.

We neared the table and Edward's fingertips on my back disappeared. Alice looked up and smiled a big, radiant smile as we approached and sat down opposite her and Jasper.

"Bella!" she said, as she reached across the table and patted my hand. "We're so glad you're joining us! I can't believe your friends all deserted you. You're very lucky Edward got to you when he did. Things were getting really ugly over there with Mike." She laughed her silvery laugh and then her eyes flitted to Edward's face.

"Shoot, Bella," Jasper said wistfully, shaking his head of blond curls, "I thought I was finally going to get to see Newton blow up. Then again, you could have been badly injured if you'd stayed for the explosion."

He turned to look at Edward, his expression completely serious. "You didn't get any of that on you did you?"

"No." Edward cracked a smile. "I managed to walk away unscathed, but I'm not so sure about Bella." He looked down at me with a crooked little grin.

Jasper nodded sagely. "That could have affected her deeply. I think she may have nightmares for a long time to come. If we hear a loud, keening sound in the middle of the night, it's probably Bella having a Newton Nightmare Night Terror. She might even need professional counseling."

"Well, thank you all for your concern," I said, laughing. "That image of Mike dancing is definitely burned into my brain, probably permanently, but I think I'll be okay; Edward got to me before any serious damage was done to me, at least physically. We'll have to hope for the best regarding the effect on my psyche."

They all laughed in response.

I sat there next to Edward, and even though we weren't touching, I was intensely aware of the heat from his body. I started to feel warm, up into my hairline. I realized that I was blushing. That was the precise moment Emmett and Rose returned to the table.

"Scoot over, Junior." Emmett plopped down boisterously and shoved into Edward, sending him sliding into me. Edward's body heat was now quite tangible, since he was pressed up against the side of my body. I was particularly aware of his hip and thigh, pressed up against mine. My blush was now going full bore and I was no longer capable of breathing.

"Scoot over, yourself, you big moose!" Edward scooted back into his brother forcefully and Emmett almost wound up on the ground, his infectious laugh booming.

"Children, children," Rosalie drawled at the two of them, arching an eyebrow speculatively at Emmett, "If you can't play nicely, someone's going to get a spanking."

"Oooh, pick me, pick me!" Emmett said, raising his hand to volunteer and making puppy-dog eyes at her.

Rosalie smiled wickedly at him and the rest of us laughed. The moment was past; I could breathe again and I felt the heat dissipate from my face. There was now a little buffer zone of space between Edward's thigh and mine. I couldn't decide if I was glad for the space or not._ What?_ I glanced up at Alice and she appeared to be contemplating something, but quickly replaced that expression with a little smile. Kind of a secret smile.

"Bella, you'll have to excuse my brothers. Manners aren't their strong point. Actually, if I had to pick a strong point for any of these guys, Jasper included, I think I'd have to go with buffoonery."

"Aw, Alice darlin'," Jasper drawled, batting his eyelashes at her, "thanks for the compliment. You know how hard we try."

I giggled at the group of them. They really seemed to have such a good time together. It was fun being with them.

"So Bella," Jasper looked at me, "did Alice give you the CDs we picked up for you?"

"Oh, gosh, yes! I totally forgot. Thank you so much Jasper. And Edward, too." I turned to look at him as well. "I can't wait to put the plan into action. I'm sure it'll work. It should be enough to push Victoria and Lauren over the edge. And I'm a terrible singer, so that really is an added bonus."

That made Alice giggle. "Hey, and anytime you want to get in a workout with me, Bella, you're certainly invited. Just listen for the bagpipe music and come on over."

"Those woodland fairies don't stand a chance against you two," Edward said, looking first across at Alice, then down at me, where I sat next to him.

_His face was so close. And so perfect._

"Let's hope that's the case," I told him, my voice coming out in a bit of a squeak.

"What the heck are you all talking about?" Emmett asked, confused.

We clued him and Rosalie in to our little plan to alienate Wicked Victoria and her evil sidekick, Lauren.

Emmett laughed loudly. "I'm going to have to pretend I know nothing about this plan. And then I'll have to be completely surprised when they come to me with a roommate change request."

"I'll bet you wish you weren't our RA right about now," Alice commented. "You probably could have come up with some pretty good ideas yourself."

"Yeah, I guess my dorm prank days should be over. Hey, you guys don't have an anonymous suggestion box or anything, do you?" He raised his eyebrows, hopefully.

A tinkley little laugh burst from Alice's lips. "No, but if a paper were to be slipped under my door, I'd probably pick it up and read it."

"Good to know, good to know," Emmett nodded, smiling. "Maybe I'd write down something about not doing one's laundry or using deodorant." He smiled helpfully.

"No good, Emmett," Rosalie interrupted, shaking her head, "they don't want to alienate everyone in the entire dorm, dining hall and in their classes. But it was a good effort on short notice, baby. Come, on Emmett," she said then, "let's get in a few more dances before this ends."

"Duty calls," he said as he stood up. Rose smacked the back of his head lightly.

"Ouch, Rosie, I was only kidding. You know I enjoy dancing with you." She put her arm through his and smiled at him.

It was funny how she manhandled him, and yet he looked to be such a big brute. His dimples were the giveaway, though. He really was a puppy-dog for her. They were perfect together.

"Would you care to dance, little lady?" Jasper asked Alice in a southern drawl, taking her hand and bowing low in front of her.

"Why, I'd be honored, kind sir," she drawled back, placing her other hand on her chest like the perfect southern belle, standing up, and making a quick little curtsy in front of him. Jasper and Alice were perfect for one another, too; definitely different personalities than their siblings, but still the perfect pair together.

That left Edward and I sitting alone together on the bench. Suddenly the lack of conversation was a little awkward. It had been easy and comfortable when the whole group had been there, bantering. All at once I didn't know what to say, and Edward was pretty quiet himself. I wondered if I should head back over to where Jessica and Angela were seated once again.

That was when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I slipped it out to see who was texting me. It was Jake.

_Hey B. Sorry about today. _

_Hope u r having a good nite._

_Miss u._

_Luv u B._

I felt guilty. I had a lump in my throat. My eyes stung a little. I quickly texted a response to him.

_Me 2_

_ily2 J._

I slid my phone back into my pocket without saying a word to Edward. We sat there awkwardly for a few minutes, watching the others dance, lost in our thoughts.

Suddenly Edward's voice was in my ear, and I felt his warm breath on my cheek. I was having difficulty breathing again. "Low flying Newton approaching; I think you should fake an injury if he wants to dance with you."

"Hey there, Bella! Bet you were wondering when I'd be back. Edward, mah man, thanks for keeping Bella company for me. I couldn't find the girl you mentioned Edward, she must have given up on me and gone home. Anyhoo, I'm back for our dance now, Bella."

"Gee, Mike. I don't think I can. I tripped earlier when we were walking over to this table and now my ankle is bothering me a little bit. We'll have to make it some other time."

"Oh, jeez, Bella. I wouldn't have left you with Edward if I'd thought he wasn't going to take good care of you for me. Are you going to be okay to walk back to the dorm? I could help you if you'd like?"

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be okay, I just don't want to put excessive pressure on it."

Edward interrupted. "And dancing with you, Mike, would be excessive."

I choked back a giggle, trying to keep my composure.

"Oh, sure, sure. You're right, that'd be bad for it." Mike nodded seriously.

"Mike," I paused, thinking of Jessica's admission earlier, "you know, I think Jessica would really like to dance with you. She's sitting over there where we sat when we first arrived."

He looked over where Jessica sat staring at us. She looked a little confused, as she watched the three of us talking. I imagined she had been confused when she saw me sitting here with just Edward, moments ago. For some reason, Edward's actions seemed to spark an interest in a lot of people. Didn't they have better things to do than worry about him? When Jessica saw Mike looking over at her, she perked up and gave him a happy little wave.

"You know, I think I just might ask her to dance. Thanks for the tip, Bella." He turned to head in her direction. Over his shoulder he said, "I'd hate to waste this music and not be out there dancing."

"And twirling," Edward said quietly in my ear as we watched Mike walk off.

"And flapping," I added, turning to look up at him, with a smile on my lips.

"And swooping," he added, smiling crookedly back at me.

"And thrusting, let's not forget thrusting." I giggled.

"Oh please. Let's forget thrusting," he begged, laughing.

"Okay," I agreed. "No thrusting." _I'm talking about thrusting with Edward?_

We watched Mike and Jessica dancing for a few minutes. She seemed to really be enjoying herself.

Edward suddenly leaned over to me, his breath on my cheek and ear again. "Bella, I can't believe you lied to Newton and faked an injury. How could you do that?"

My eyes and mouth flew open wide and I looked at him in surprise. "_You_ were the one who lied to him earlier about the girl looking for him!"

His eyes sparkled with laughter. "_Maybe_ that was a lie, but I already explained to you that there was a strong possibility that it was the truth. You, on the other hand, told him a bald-faced lie."

_His face was so animated. He was having fun with this._

"_You_ told me to fake an injury!" I laughed.

He was chuckling at me now and his voice was low in my ear. "You're very corruptible."

I smiled. And then I heard the first few notes of the next song.

"Edward," I paused, "they're playing your song."

He stopped to listen.

It was… yes. You guessed it: Kings of Leon. _Sex on Fire._

I watched as Edward put his head down onto his folded arms on the tabletop, shaking his head slightly, groaning. I think I even heard him say, "Just shoot me now," but I couldn't be one hundred percent sure. His voice was sort of muffled, from where his face was tucked away into his folded arms.

"Edward, is there a problem?" I asked, leaning down to his ear. I couldn't help smiling at his discomfort.

He lifted his head, flattening his palms out onto the table in front of him. He turned his face toward me.

"You think I willingly put that on my phone as a ringtone?"

"Didn't you?"

"No. Why would you think I'd do that?"

"Because it was on your phone! How else does a ringtone get on your phone? Maybe you're pleased by your sexual exploits and you'd like others to know that fact about you."

He cringed. "No, that's not it at all. Besides, that doesn't even make any sense."

"Why not?"

"In the song, he's singing about the girl, not about himself."

"Well, at first that's what I thought when the name 'Jazz' appeared on your phone."

"What do you mean?" Edward looked confused, his brow furrowing.

"Well, I figured 'Jazz' referred to a girl named 'Jasmine', whose sex is on fire, as far as you were concerned. But then when someone named Carlisle called, I figured I had it wrong. Unless you were bi."

"Oh my God! I can't believe you just said that out loud." He looked shocked.

"I don't necessarily think that; I'm just saying."

"Well, you're definitely wrong. 'Jazz' is Jasper and Carlisle is my dad. And I'm definitely hetero, not bi."

"So that doesn't explain why you have that as your ringtone."

"Had. _Had_ that as my ringtone. I don't have it anymore. Thank God."

"So how come you _had_ it as your ringtone but you don't anymore?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Emmett picked it out for me. I lost a bet with Emmett, and Emmett, with his infinite wisdom and cutting wit, decided that would be just the perfect embarrassment for me. I even usually just keep my phone on vibrate. But when I was driving back up to school I turned the ringtone back up to full volume while I was in my car. I was listening to music. Once I got here I forgot to turn it back to vibrate."

"What kind of a bet did you lose?"

He suddenly looked really uncomfortable and ducked his head. "I'd rather not say."

I nodded, letting my imagination run wild.

"Wait, it's nothing bad," he explained. "I don't want you to think badly of me. I didn't do anything wrong."

"But you'd rather not say…?"

"Well…" He hesitated, debating, wringing his hands together.

I could see that he was verging on miserable.

_But if it wasn't something bad, why couldn't he tell me?_

"Well…?" I asked hopefully.

"Don't laugh." He looked at me intently for a moment.

"I won't. I promise." He was still gazing at me.

"Well," he paused, swallowing, looking rather uncomfortable still, "Emmett was giving me a hard time because… I can't believe I'm telling you this… for some reason, girls are always hitting on me….

_Of course they're always hitting on you! Look at yourself, for heaven's sake!_

"…and I'm really not interested. I don't want to get involved with anyone. I keep to myself. I usually avoid people I don't know well. But for some reason, I've always got girls hitting on me. Some, I'd even put in the category of stalkers. So, anyway, we were at this party in the summer and Emmett was making fun of me and my…'following'. And I told him, not _every_ girl hits on me. So he bet me a ringtone that the next girl that walked in the door would hit on me."

"And she did?"

He nodded. His hand traveled up to his wayward hair, his fingers raking through it but not really doing much to organize it. "She did hit on me. In a big way." He shook his head then, looking away from my eyes.

"How big?"

He squirmed for a moment, and wouldn't look back at me. He just looked out at the dancing crowd. "Completely. Nakedly. Big."

My mouth dropped open. "What?"

"True story." He finally met my eyes. "I came out of the back bathroom at this house and she was lying on the bed, waiting, without a stitch of clothing."

My eyes were as big as saucers. "What did you do?"

"I, um, complimented her and got the heck out of there, but not before Emmett saw her and figured out what had happened."

"So he decided _Sex on Fire _was appropriate?"

"Yeah. We've all bet ringtones with each other. Alice was stuck with Katie Perry's _I Kissed a Girl _for a couple of weeks in the summer, until Emmett realized that it actually excited Jasper and didn't really ruin anything for Alice. So he told her she could change it back. She actually kept it for another two or three weeks."

I laughed at that, but then I abruptly stifled my laughter. "I'm laughing at Emmett and Alice, not you," I quickly said. "Your situation was unbelievable."

He smiled. "Here comes Emmett. He'll corroborate my story."

Emmett and Rosalie came back to the table. "Hey Em, tell Bella the condensed version of my Kings of Leon ringtone."

"_Sex on Fire_"? He proudly beamed. Yeah, that was mine. Because of that Russian chick, Irina. Naked as a jaybird, ready to pounce on him, and Edward had never even met her before. Seriously, Edward wastes so many fine opportunities to take advantage of a little action."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Okay, thanks Emmett. That's plenty of information."

Alice and Jasper had returned too, and I realized that the music had stopped and the DJ was packing up. The festivities were over and it was time to head back home to the dorm.

**EPOV**

I wondered about the little electric twinges I felt in my fingertips as I barely touched Bella's back when I walked her to our table. But once we got to where my brother and sister and friends sat, I didn't think about it anymore. She sat down and I sat next to her, careful not to touch her. I didn't want her to think I was a Newton.

The others had to go off on her about her Newton dancing experience and she went along with them. She had an easy way about her. She was funny and had a good sense of humor. It felt like she was part of us. Alice was right about her. She was a really nice girl. Alice always had a kind of sixth sense about people and Alice had a big smile on her face when I brought Bella over to our table.

_Just, please, don't give me shit about it later._

I realized Bella was blushing when we were sitting there and I wondered why, but that was when Emmett returned and flew into me, knocking me into Bella's side. He's such a dipshit. I could have knocked her off the other end of the bench. I shoved him back, but then realized how nice that temporary warmth had been, when I'd been right up against her warm little body. But now it was gone; probably a good thing, because she was blushing like crazy. But she rolled with it. She seemed to enjoy being with us.

_Good. It's nice to have her sit with us. Certainly better than having her sit with Grinding-Freaking-Newton._

Then we were talking about her and Alice taking on Victoria and Lauren. I looked down at her as I said something. I don't even remember what it was, now, but her face was upturned, looking at me. _So close_. _Just right there_. And then her voice seemed nervous and I hoped to God she didn't hear me gulp as I swallowed. I'm pretty sure the music covered that right up.

We had been left alone then. The others were all out dancing. I was trying to think of something to say when she took her phone out to look at a text she'd gotten. She turned away slightly. I couldn't see the screen and it wouldn't have been right for me to look anyway. Then I saw her quickly text back and put her phone back into her pocket. She didn't look okay, but I figured it wasn't my business. She'd tell me if she had a reason to.

Of course that was when Newton came back into the picture. I kind of wanted to kiss him. Not because I was attracted to him, for God's sake, but because of his timing. I was thankful that I could probably get her to laugh again and she wouldn't be so upset about whatever was bothering her.

I encouraged her to lie to him, telling him she'd hurt herself, and then I chastised her for lying to him. She got all fiery and indignant because _I _had lied to him earlier. We managed to get rid of him, laugh about his Bird of Prey dance moves, and she was smiling and laughing again and had forgotten whatever had bothered her. Her eyes had their sparkle back.

_Sparkle is a very good thing on a girl._

And then, fuck me, they were playing "my song". That's what she called it, anyway. I was ready to jump off a cliff. I wanted to hide. It made me groan in agony. At least I got the chance to explain the whole damn thing. Fucking Emmett! He makes me look like a douche just so he can get his jollies. I'd find a way to screw him over and get even.

She thought I was proud of my 'sexual exploits'.

_What sexual exploits? I've been pure as the driven snow for about three years now. I'm practically exploit-free. _

And then, even worse, I had to tell her about the girls hitting on me all the time. I don't know what they see in me. I'm just some guy. I hoped she didn't think I was an ass. It was so embarrassing. I was just stating a fact. I don't want the attention. The stalking. The total and unbidden nudity. I just wanted to be left alone. I still want to be left alone.

_Mostly._

The music was stopping and the evening was over. Alice, Jasper, Rose, Emmett and Bella and I stood up and looked around. I guessed Bella would walk back to the dorm with us. I wasn't sure where Jessica and Angela had gone off to. I didn't see them. Maybe they had hooked up with Newton and Cheney. That was okay with me. I'd make sure Bella got back safely.

The six of us started the walk back. But before long, Alice had jumped up onto Jasper's back and he began to trot around, carrying her piggy-back, making chicken noises. Emmett and Rose were not to be outdone. He scooped her up onto his back and they began laughing and yelling, challenging Alice and Jasper to a race back to the dorms. They ran off having some sort of chicken-fight-race. I wasn't about to scoop Bella up. That would have been completely inappropriate. We hardly even knew each other. Somehow I knew though, that she'd have absolutely participated in a chicken-fight-race if we'd known each other better. She was that kind of girl. I could tell.

Instead, we walked along and kept talking.

We had almost gotten to the dorm when she blurted out, "Um, so Edward, why don't you want to get involved with anyone? You said you're not interested."

"I'm sorry, Bella. No offense, but I'd rather not talk about it."

"I just mean, um… if you feel unsure of yourself or something like that, you don't need to feel that way. I mean, I think you're great. Any girl would think you're great. You shouldn't keep to yourself or avoid people. You're nice and you're a lot of fun to be with. Of course, you _should_ avoid the stalkers." She smiled tentatively up at me.

I couldn't help but smile at her. She didn't know my situation. She thought I was insecure. But still… I didn't want to go through it. "I appreciate that, Bella. It's really nice of you to say that. But I've got my reasons."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, or seem like I was prying."

"No, you're okay. It's cool." I smiled down at her.

_She really is a nice girl._

We were nearly back at the dorm now, and the crowd had thinned. People had gone off into different directions, fewer and fewer of them heading in our direction. We were walking slower now, too. I kind of didn't want the evening to be over, I realized.

We got to the back entrance of the dorm. I didn't want to go in just yet. I glanced at a few people who were coming toward the entrance from behind us.

I looked down at her. "Bella, wait. Don't go in yet. Stay here a second."

My eyes followed the other people as they passed us and went inside.

I leaned against the side of the building, away from the doorway. She came and stood before me in the near-darkness. I shoved my hands in my pockets because I didn't know what else to do with them.

"What's up, Edward?" she asked, looking up at me. Her clear eyes seemed just a little unfocused, her lips were slightly parted.

I looked at her eyes and glanced down at her mouth. I suddenly felt all jittery and I was starting to feel a little too warm. And my mouth had gone dry, so I licked my lips.

"Bella," I paused, unsure if this was even my business, "Who is Jake?"

_This was definitely _not_ my business._

For a moment she didn't speak. Then her eyes quickly snapped back into focus as she looked at me. She seemed surprised.

"Oh, Edward," she whispered up at me, "He's my boyfriend."

I nodded stiffly at her, not saying anything, and then I gestured that we should head inside the dorm.

**A/N:Hmmm... Could be a rough evening for some. Please shoot me a review. Thanks for reading. And for reviewing if you do so. I promise to reply! **

**Stop reading unless chapter 9 has been ****revised****!**


	9. Restless Nights

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N: Thanks to all my awesome reviewers. I will answer each end every one, because I have no life. (Don't tell that to my husband, kids, dog, or employer-because there really is no life outside of fanfiction, is there?)

The originals are not my characters or settings or plots. They are S.M.'s. She's cooler and smarter than me. I just have an overactive imagination. No copyright infringement is intended. I just can't help but dabble.

Is it getting angsty in here? Or is it just me?

**Chapter 9: Restless Night (****Revised****)**

**BPOV**

It had been a really great night. I enjoyed walking to the barbecue with Jessica and Angela. It had been rather fun hanging out with them and their friends. Okay, so maybe the Mike Newton So-You-Think-You-Can-Dance-A-Thon was horrifyingly embarrassing, but that hadn't lasted that long. I'd get over that someday. Hopefully soon.

I had a great time with Alice and Jasper and I got to know Emmett and Rosalie a little better. I had felt welcomed. They seemed to have a wonderful relationship and friendship with each other. Not many siblings I had ever known would want to spend time together and actually seek each other out. It was like they were their own little clan or tribe. They were funny and smart and I could tell that they were each other's champions, and would stand up for each other in the case of any injustice, no matter how big or small. They would also celebrate each other's successes and happiness. They seemed to love each other fiercely and they were pulling me into their fold. And I felt like I fit in and belonged. They felt like family in an odd sort of way.

The best part of my evening, however, had been spending time with Edward. He had seemed very protective of me. He had showed up when Mike did, saving me from even further embarrassment, and managed to send him away gently. He corralled me back to the safety of his table and I really enjoyed his company and sense of humor. And at the end of the evening he walked me back home when the others had all disappeared.

When Edward had been shoved into me at the table I had been embarrassed and hyper-aware of his body. It was probably due to his appearance in general. It would fluster anyone to have someone who looked like a model or movie star suddenly plastered up against one's body. I wondered if he had had any passing thought about the incident himself. Probably not.

Several times, throughout the evening, I had been overly aware of his face and his features as he looked down at me. Again, I guess it was easy to get caught up in the appearance of someone who looked like he did. He had beautiful, wide-set, green-blue eyes, framed by thick lashes and brows. His eyes seemed to sort of sparkle and dance as he smiled or laughed, and he definitely had a devilish streak about him. His lips formed a sort of pouty Cupid's bow, and there was something about his strong, angular jaw and high cheekbones that made it difficult to concentrate.

He wondered at the fact that girls hit on him all the time. How could they not? He was amazingly good-looking. Especially when he was happy. He looked good laughing, and I got the impression from the past two days, seeing him in different situations, that he didn't laugh a whole lot. It made me curious about him. And maybe a little sad for him. I wondered at the reason for his aloofness. He'd pretty much said he wanted to be left alone, yet he'd let me in a little this evening and had been entertaining and seemed to enjoy himself. He was an enigma, I decided.

I thought about his personality. He was kind. Even if he acted gruff. When it came right down to it, I sensed that he didn't want to hurt anyone. He bad-mouthed Mike, yet he harmlessly intercepted him and sent him off. He went along with Alice's demands without complaint. Even when she included me in their shopping trip, and I knew he had not expected it, nor did he probably want me to tag along, but he had been kind about it.

He was also funny; actually witty was more accurate. So he must be rather smart. I sensed that most of what he said tonight was to keep me laughing. He must realize that I was kind of a fish out of water, what with everyone else in the dorm seeming to already know one another, or in his case, to be related to one another.

His embarrassment about his "following", as he put it, was intriguing. Maybe the whole reason he felt that he didn't want to be involved with someone had to do with his appearance. Maybe he felt no one would take the time to get to know him, because they were too wrapped up in looking at him. And maybe, because of what they thought they saw, when they looked at him, they wouldn't recognize what was really there. He was a nice person, but I wondered if everyone saw that through his standoffish behavior. Maybe people were too busy looking at the exterior to appreciate the interior.

When we walked back to the dorm together, after Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had deserted us, I realized just how different he was from my first impression of him. He was not at all the Hot Jerk that I had initially assumed him to be. He was most certainly hot, but definitely not a jerk. In fact, I had felt compelled to try to convince him not to want to be alone, that he was great and shouldn't feel unsure, that he was nice and fun to be with. I didn't know why he would say that he didn't want to be involved or attached to anyone. I wasn't sure what would make a person feel that way.

But the moment that I was mostly contemplating now, as I lay in my bed in my darkened dorm room, rehashing the evening, was when he had asked me to wait; to not go inside, and we had stood together in the darkness, just outside the dorm. I went to him, and as I looked up into his face I felt that same little electric buzzing sensation. I also had the distinct feeling that he was about to kiss me; or at least he was thinking about it. I could be wrong.

But instead he had asked me who Jake was, and abruptly I felt like I was falling through space. His question had completely surprised me, and maybe more importantly it had shocked me back to reality. I hadn't been thinking about Jake while I was standing there in the near-darkness with Edward. There had been a knot in my stomach when I looked at him and told him that Jake was my boyfriend.

So now I lay here in my bed, long after I'd returned to the dorm with Edward, listening to Victoria snore, wishing I had a magic crystal all to myself that would take away this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Things were all wrong. I didn't know what the hell I was doing, but I didn't think I was playing by all the rules.

I was grateful that classes would be starting up after tomorrow. I needed to find something else that would consume my time and my thoughts. Something that would keep me busy and focused. How could things have gotten so confused and confusing in just two days? How was I going to get things back on track the way they should be?

**EPOV**

I couldn't let it go. I couldn't just ignore it. I hadn't even realized it until the end of the evening that it had been fucking bothering me all day, until I finally came out and asked her. I had to know who Jake was. _It wasn't even my business. _I had thought it was probably her boyfriend; I had even told Alice that when she'd wondered about it after the shopping trip. I told her he was probably Bella's nice boyfriend. Now it was confirmed. And I was fucked. Because I cared. I'd been careful the past several years, not to let myself care. And I hadn't. Until now. I realized that I must now have some kind of feelings, because it bothered the shit out of me. Somehow I had really fucked up my plans. I couldn't get involved; didn't _want_ to be involved with anyone.

This was going to bother the shit out of Alice too. She really liked Bella; she had a good feeling about her. I don't really know why, she just did. And Alice wasn't usually wrong when it came to people. She was usually dead on. It really did feel like Bella was part of us. She fit right in. And I could tell that Alice had been so happy when I'd brought Bella over to sit with us. She hadn't even been there to force me to go intervene when Newton started his pornographic dance moves. I just knew I couldn't sit there and watch that another moment without doing something about it.

Well, Alice was just going to have to deal with this. Because somehow I was going to have to do the same. _What choice did we have?_ We really hadn't thought about this too much beforehand. Well, I hadn't really thought about this at all. Mostly because I hadn't thought that I would _need _to think about this. I hadn't thought that it would matter.

I realized that Bella must have known something was up earlier in the evening. When she had looked up at me, when she had been sitting right next to me, her voice had been a little squeaky; her voice had been a little off. There was a reason for that. Right? Maybe she was just apprehensive about being thrown in with us. But I seriously didn't get that feeling.

And something was up with this Jake guy. She'd gotten a text, and I just knew it was from him. And she'd looked wrong. Not how you'd think she should have looked if it were her boyfriend and things were going well. I wondered about him. She wouldn't be with a jerk; she was too good for that. Maybe it was the distance factor that was bothering her. I wondered how far away Jake was. Would he come see her? Would she go home to see him? There must be something there between them, because she wouldn't put up with crap from somebody. Would she? I doubted it.

She could get riled up. She had a little temper on her. I'd seen it that first day when we'd been moving in. Her temper was kind of entertaining. Like an angry kitten. She'd seemed like she would be a pushover, but she sure wasn't. She stood up for herself. I admired that about her. I managed to get her all indignant when I accused her of lying to Newton. She was laughing and sparkling when she realized that I was just egging her on, so I knew she wouldn't put up with crap. So hopefully she wasn't putting up with crap from this Jake guy.

This was totally fucked.

_I'm so totally fucked. _

_Fuck!_

And then, speaking of fucked, she thought I had sexual exploits I wanted to announce over some ringtone loudspeaker system to the world. Me? With sexual exploits? Right. Not! Why would she think that of me? I pretty much straightened her out when I told her about all the skanky chicks trying to get into my Calvin Kleins. I needed a fucking chastity belt. I actually needed an _un_fucking chastity belt, because there was not going to be a relationship, let alone a physical relationship between myself and anyone anytime soon. I couldn't go there. Not again. Not yet.

Jeez! All this attention from chicks certainly wasn't my doing. I avoided that kind of attention like the plague. I didn't need that shit. I told her I wanted to be left alone; that I wasn't interested. And that was still pretty much the case for me. Unless she wanted to bother me. She wouldn't be a bother. Sitting with her tonight had probably kept some girls away; they probably figured she and I were together. Let them think that. She was okay. She was cool; and she cared, just because she was a nice person. I knew she cared. I could tell.

I didn't want to tell her my situation, my history. It's not the kind of thing you just announce to someone when you've known them for all of twenty-four hours. Actually, no one besides my brother and sister knew my story. And Jasper knew, he was my closest friend, I'd told him, of course. And Rose knew, too, because Emmett couldn't keep his damn mouth shut; he couldn't keep things from her.

Bella thought I must feel unsure of myself or something like that. She told me she thought I was great; that I shouldn't avoid people; that I'm nice and fun to be with. She told me any girl would think I was great. I honestly didn't care what just 'any girl' thought. That wasn't the reason. I wasn't unsure of myself. I was just sure that I couldn't let myself get involved because I couldn't put myself out there. Not again. That had been too incredibly painful when it all suddenly disappeared three years ago. I could never go through that again.

But then we were at the dorm. And truthfully, I didn't want the night to be over, and I knew it was because of her. What happened next had been unexpected. I had looked at her there in the darkness. Her eyes were unfocused and her lips were parted slightly and I just wanted to pull her in to me and hold her and maybe put my mouth on hers and taste her, and instead of all that, I asked her, "Who is Jake?"

And then the cards were suddenly out on the table. He was her boyfriend. And the worst part of knowing this piece of information wasn't in the information itself. It was in the way she had said it. She had whispered it. She had fucking _whispered_ it. And the whisper started with 'Oh, Edward…' and then a pause. That spoke volumes to me. It told me that just maybe, she wasn't completely happy. So now I was even more fucked than I would have been if she'd just happily announced it loudly and clearly.

Crash.

And.

Burn.

I wasn't going to be that kind of fucker. I wasn't going to do that to her. Or to him. And I didn't even know him. But I wasn't going to do that to him because I didn't want to hurt her. I knew she was the kind of girl that would take a relationship really seriously. She would try to patch things up and work things out. She wasn't the kind of girl to screw around with another person's feelings. She was the kind of girl that would be in a relationship for the long haul.

But I knew, like me, she had been just a little swept up in the events of the evening. And this could go nowhere.

Not for her.

Not for me.

Absolutely. Nowhere.

So that's why I had just nodded, motioned her into the dorm, and told her goodnight as we walked through my suite. I walked into my room, and shut the door. I grabbed my guitar and a sleeping bag to use as a blanket and a heavy jacket and climbed up onto my closet and out of the loft window of my dorm room and I was now sitting up on the roof alone, quietly playing my guitar. I wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon. There was just way too much shit to wade through and think about. Too much history weighing me down and I felt like I was drowning.

Jasper was in the room, snoring away, making weird little cartoon noises and I was up here freezing my ass off in the middle of the night.

There was no sleep in sight anytime soon.

**BPOV**

At some point in the night I must have fallen asleep. I had lain in bed contemplating the whole evening, and then sometime later I heard faint guitar music, coming from somewhere down below. The window was closed and I couldn't bring myself to get up and open it. Not because I was too tired, but because I didn't want to hear it more clearly. I was trying to shut it out of my mind as it was, although that was virtually impossible. I knew who was playing and I was pretty sure I knew why. I didn't want to think about it anymore than necessary.

Sometime much later, I fell asleep and slept fitfully. At one point I woke up in a panic. My heart was pounding. It had been almost the same dream as the night before, but whereas the dream last night had felt thrilling, this dream had frightened me. It had started out the same as the night before.

I was running in a forest, a very primeval forest, but now I could hear breathing near my ear. Someone was running alongside me. At first I thought the breathing came from whomever or whatever was chasing me. But then I heard a voice, it was Jake's voice. It was his breathing that was next to my ear. He was running too. And he began shouting to me, urging me to run faster, not to let myself fall behind; telling me to keep up and not stop. My chest felt like it was going to explode. We were both running from something. And then Jake was suddenly gone. He had disappeared and I was still running, my heart pounding, my lungs aching, my legs ready to give out and fail me. The forest had become deathly still. There was no sound other than my own labored breathing. Suddenly I sensed a presence behind me and I felt myself being grabbed. I was caught in an iron grip. I couldn't even begin to struggle because I knew there was no escaping.

I sat bolt upright in bed, my heart racing, unsure if I had screamed aloud or not. But Victoria was still snoring away in her bed, so I guessed the scream had been internal or imagined. I felt exhausted and frightened. My heart rate gradually slowed and I sank back down under the covers, pulling them up tightly to my chin.

I lay there after the dream, calming down, and I began thinking again about Edward and the recent unsettling turn of events. I realized that I was probably feeling a little adrift and lost in the newness of my transfer to this school. He had taken me under his wing this evening. I had enjoyed myself with him and his little group and I would naturally want to cling to that. Somehow he had misinterpreted my feelings. Or I had misinterpreted his. Or something.

Nothing had actually happened, but it felt like something could have, or was about to. Maybe I was reading more into the entire situation than it warranted. He had even said, moments earlier, that he didn't want anyone, that he wasn't interested.

Why had it seemed that he suddenly wanted me? Had I imagined it? Why had I told him that he was great, that he was fun and that any girl would think he was great? Did he think I was speaking for myself? Was I? Oh God, I just wanted to take the evening back and do it differently. What had I done? I hadn't meant to seem like I was leading him on. I wouldn't do that to a guy because I'm really not like that.

How could I face him or Alice, or any of them, for that matter? And now I felt like I was cheating on Jake. And I hadn't even done anything. It felt like my emotions were cheating on me and Jake. I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Jake and I had a long history together. We'd been friends for years, playmates as kids, best friends as time went by, and we had become even closer in the last years. Jake had been there for me when Charlie and my mom had separated and then later divorced. As a small child I had felt that their problems were partly my fault. But I remembered a very young Jake telling me that parents could do whatever they wanted to and that kids weren't in charge of them. It had lessened the hurt and the guilt a little.

When Renee wanted to move with me to Phoenix it had been hard to understand the upheaval in my family. Little Jake had promised me that I could be part of his family; that I could stay in Forks and live with his family and have his mom and dad for parents. That we could still be friends, only it would be even better because we would be like a sister and a brother and we could play anytime we wanted.

But of course, I had had to go with Renee to Phoenix. Jake and I had cried back then at being separated. We had even tried to hide from our parentss so I wouldn't have to leave. Of course, it was to no avail, and I was dragged across the country, kicking and screaming and crying.

Over the years we had remained friends. And whenever Renee would take me back to Forks to visit Charlie, I would see Jake and we would pick up where our friendship had left off. As we got older we would sometimes write to each other and even get to make an occasional phone call. That was besides the holiday visits and the summer vacations once I was old enough to be put on a plane and flown back and forth by myself.

I was there for him when we were young teenagers, the summer that his mom became ill and passed away. We had spent hours together crying and hugging and trying to make sense of the idea of never seeing her again. I had been so glad that I'd been there for him when he really needed me. Like he had been for me years earlier.

In high school, when Renee married Phil, I was ready for a change and wanted to give them their privacy in their new marriage. So I had gone back to Forks, to live with my dad and try to forge a closer relationship with him. Jake and I picked right up and became closer friends the year I moved back there. I was a junior in the regular high school in Forks and he was a sophomore in the school on the Quileute reservation.

My senior year became an awkward time for us. We didn't live near each other but our fathers had remained very close friends. We had spent time together on the occasions that our fathers had and eventually came to depend upon them for rides to each other's homes so we could spend some time together. That had led to a budding romance and an awkward first kiss and then many more not-quite-so-awkward kisses after that. Still, it had been hard to arrange dates, since he didn't have a license, and although I did have a license, I didn't have a car until the following summer. He had helped fix up an old red truck his family had had, and my dad bought it off them as a graduation gift for me.

I'd seen Jake grow from a wild little boy, into a gangly teenager, into the handsome, muscular guy he was now. I'd always loved his smooth russet skin and thought it looked so rich and warm compared to my own much paler skin. I loved his dark, sparkling eyes. He could gaze at me and make me feel like he was hugging me, even from across the room, all with a look. His smile lit up my heart.

He'd been my first friend, my best friend, my first kiss, my first boyfriend and my first love. We'd discovered sex together one night on the benchseat in my truck. He'd been gentle and caring and concerned for me and he worried how I felt afterward, afraid that I would regret it.

He'd only ever been good and kind to me. I knew he loved me. He had cared about me for years.

But recently, when I had made it clear that I wasn't done growing as a person, that I wanted to go away to school and that I wanted more from the world, he'd become possessive. He'd become worried. I realized that he thought he was going to lose me.

And lying here in my dorm room in the dark, I realized that tears were flowing down my cheeks and I wondered how long I'd been crying like that without even realizing it. I turned over and buried my face into my pillow.

**EPOV**

Somehow I managed to doze off up on the roof. Now I was stiff and sore from sitting in the cold, even though I had grabbed my jacket and a sleeping bag and was mostly shielded from the wind by the structure of the building. The sleeping bag that I had taken up to sit on was wrapped around me but no longer did much to warm me. I threw it off me and wadded it up in my arm as I stood slowly and stiffly.

I slid the loft window open and struggled to bend down and climb back inside. My legs were stiff, my butt hurt from sitting all night, and my hands and face were nearly frozen. Somehow I climbed in with my guitar, setting it on top of the closet and let myself drop back down to the floor carefully. I ran a hand through my hair and stretched the muscles in my back, neck and shoulders.

Jasper walked into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was just coming back from the shower.

"What the hell happened to your hair?" he asked me as he grabbed a pair of boxers from a drawer.

"What do you mean, what the hell happened to my hair?" I asked him, looking into the mirror. "My hair always looks like this, you moron."

"Sounds like somebody woke up on the wrong side of the roof." He had slid on his boxers and was grabbing a pair of jeans from his closet.

"Yeah? Somebody did." I wasn't in the mood for silly shit.

"Seriously, Edward, do you want to talk about it?" He pulled on his jeans and looked at me thoughtfully.

"Not really." I didn't walk away, though, I just stood there. I didn't know what to do, or say.

"Well," he looked closely at my face, "I thought last night seemed pretty good. To the casual observer, I mean."

I nodded. "Yeah, to a point."

"To what point?" He pulled his shirt on over his head.

I sighed. I might as well tell him. Both he and Alice would spend the day picking at it like a scab. "To the point where she told me she had a boyfriend."

"Ooh, that's harsh, man."He frowned as he looked at me.

"Not really."

"Not really?" Now he looked confused.

"No. What's harsh is the way she said it."

"What do you mean?"

"Jasper, I can't even explain it. It's kind of an intuition. I don't want to talk about it. Let's just drop it for now."

"Gotcha." He looked up from where he sat on his bed, putting on his socks and shoes.

I toed off my shoes and lay down on my bed.

As Jasper stood up he asked, "Do you want me to grab you anything from the dining hall for breakfast, Edward?"

"No thanks, Jazz. I'm not hungry. I just need some sleep."

"All right, Edward, I'll catch you later."

He quietly let himself out of the room and I fell asleep shortly afterward, fully clothed, on top of my bed.

**BPOV**

I dragged myself out of bed and stepped into the shower. I looked like hell. My hair was snarled and matted from tossing and turning in my sleep and then crying . My eyes were now puffy and swollen and my nose was red. I hoped a shower would help fix me up a little. The problem was I needed a lot of fixing.

Victoria was already gone when I got back from the shower. I didn't think she had noticed there was anything wrong with me. She was very self-absorbed anyway, and I had tried to hide my face as I left the room earlier. I did look a little better, but there was still a definite puffy look to my eyes. Maybe I could tell people I had a cold.

I went into the dining hall, hoping I could slink in, grab something to eat and slink back our without being seen by too many observers. It was a Sunday morning, so it wasn't too crowded this early. Most residents were probably still sleeping.

My eyes flickered over to the table by the wall. Their table. He wasn't there. The only ones there were Alice and Jasper. Jasper's back was to me, but Alice looked upset. Jasper was talking to her as she sat, leaning her elbows on the table with her chin in her hands. She saw me and smiled a small smile in recognition. Jasper looked over his shoulder at me and gave me an identical smile.

So they already knew something was up. I decided that I really only wanted a piece of fruit and a cup of coffee. Maybe the coffee would help me wake up and begin dealing with my day. I left quickly after that and went back to my room.

Several hours later, almost lunchtime, and I'd been in my room reading for most of the morning. I was facing the wall so that I wouldn't have to watch Victoria doing yoga poses on the floor. At least her iPod was stuffed into her ears, so I didn't have to hear her music. As I turned the page, wondering what I had just read, like I'd wondered for about the last thirty pages, I heard other music wafting through the halls.

My lips curled up into a smile. Damned if it wasn't bagpipe music! It was like Alice was beckoning to me. I knew if she was listening to that the plan was still on. And if the plan was still on she still wanted to be my roommate. And if she still wanted to be my roommate, then she couldn't be upset with me about whatever was going on with me and her twin brother. I dropped my book on the floor and got up from my bed.

Alice answered the door wearing hot pink sweats and a black tank. The nasally, squealing music blared out into the hall. She smiled brightly and raised an eyebrow. Her head shifted back and to the side, indicating that Lauren was there. But of course, I already knew that. Why else would Alice be playing the damned bagpipe music?

"Bella! I'm so glad you stopped by. I was just beginning my workout. You can join me if you'd like. Lauren, you don't mind do you?"

Lauren glanced over at Alice, obviously annoyed, then took in my presence and looked doubly annoyed. "Hello, Isabella. Is Victoria in her room?"

'_Her room,' not 'my room' or 'our room.'_

"Yeah. Hey, do you like yoga? Victoria is doing a yoga workout in there. I'm sure she'd be delighted to have you join her."

"Oh, that's awesome." She got up and headed for the door. Lauren couldn't get out of the room fast enough. The door slammed behind her.

Alice laughed once the door was shut and turned to me. "Now we can shut this shit off."

"No, I think you'd better leave it on. I was able to hear it from my room. Otherwise they'll know something is up."

"You realize, don't you, that they may have developed their own plan and that that's why Victoria is doing yoga in your room?"

"I hadn't thought of that. Do you really think so? How dare they? Alienating activities done to music is _our _plan."

"It was just a thought, Bella. Not a certainty." She smiled at me. "I'm glad you came over."

I smiled in return. "I'm glad you played that garbage loudly enough for me to hear it and know you were inviting me over."

"Was I that obvious?"

"Alice, bagpipe music is rather obvious."

"Well, I'm glad you're here. Are you ready to go to lunch in a few minutes?"

"Oh, um, well, Alice…"

_What was I going to say?_ '_Not if your hot-looking, enigma of a brother is coming along?'_

She interrupted my thoughts. "Just come along, Bella. Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

**EPOV**

I had missed breakfast and now it was almost lunch. It didn't really matter to me. I didn't feel very hungry. I had slept for a few hours since I returned from the rooftop, but for a while now, I had merely been lying here awake. I was lying on my stomach, with the pillow bunched up under my head and chest. I was considering the past two days._ Fuck! It had only been two days. How does someone wreak havoc on your life in only two fucking days?_

I was weighing my options. There weren't many. I figured I couldn't really ignore Bella. Alice really liked her and they would probably be roommates by the end of the week. There was no stopping that freight train. Lauren and Victoria would definitely want to be roommates, especially after the girls' music got to them and that would leave my sister with Bella as her roommate.

I certainly couldn't pursue anything with Bella. She was taken for God's sake. I had already decided that I couldn't be the kind of fucker that stepped in to another guy's business. Unless he didn't treat her right, then he was the fucker in the whole situation. But I had no way of knowing that at this point.

So I was stuck with the middle ground. I wouldn't ignore her; that would be rude. And I wouldn't pursue her; that would be Newtonesque. I would just be her friend. I would be nice to her, I would laugh with her, I would continue to do things with Alice and Jasper and Emmett and Rosalie, and if she were involved I would plaster a smile on my face. I would proceed as if nothing had happened, because really, it hadn't. She'd have to believe that she'd misread anything she thought she'd seen in me. And I would never, never, let her think that I was interested in anything more than a friendship. Absolutely never.

Somehow I had let my guard down and I had let her get to me. And I just didn't do that. And it really wasn't something I wanted. I wasn't quite sure how it had happened. But now I had to squash that all back deep down inside of me and pack it down under the surface where those feelings had laid dormant for so long. I could do that. I'd been doing that for so long anyway. I was a Pro at How to be Edward Cullen.

I suddenly knew that I had to act on this quickly. I didn't want her to be upset with herself or worried about me. I didn't want her in some self-inflicted dilemma, thinking she had led me on or something like that. I didn't want her to avoid my friends and family and feel uncomfortable around us. She had proven herself to be the only girl that I didn't really have to avoid, and here I was avoiding her. She was taken. I didn't want to be. This was actually a positive, I was beginning to realize. This could actually work out well for us. This could be easy.

Maybe I should go get something to eat for lunch after all.

As I headed out of my suite I found myself thinking about my plan. I just wished I knew how this Jake guy treated her.

**A/N: So they think they're going to just ignore this. Yeah, right!** **Let me know what you think. Please review.**

**But don't read chapter 10 unless it's been ****revised****!**


	10. Cookies Anyone?

**The Transfer (****Revised)**

A/N: Thanks to all of the reviewers. You make it so worthwhile.

Thanks to Stephenie Meyer for tons of things, mostly that Edward guy. No infringement intended. I just like to pretend that I'm Bella and this is my story.

So...some angst, some silly, lots of blushing, more angst and Edward and his hormones.

**Chapter 10: Cookies Anyone? (****Revised****)**

**BPOV**

I reluctantly accompanied Alice to lunch in the dining hall. I kept my mouth shut about her twin, not knowing what I really wanted to say in the first place. I couldn't very well be a friend of hers and ignore her brother. I sort of wanted to avoid him, yet why? He _was_ a nice person, he was funny and I enjoyed his company. You could have friends like that, right? And besides, it wasn't as if he'd done anything wrong, right?

When we walked through the glass doors that led to the dining hall I peered over to the far side of the room where they usually sat. No one was there. I breathed a tiny sigh of relief, but that was short-lived when I noticed Edward in the lunch line with Jasper. Okay, so much for that idea. He was here. I was here. Obviously we were going to be sitting together. I was going to be sitting at their table today. I couldn't very well go off and sit somewhere by myself. Could I? No, that would be rude and it would be weird. Alice had invited me to lunch, more or less.

I glanced at Alice speculatively. Was this something she had arranged with Jasper? Or maybe I was reading too much into this whole situation. Maybe it was all a coincidence. Or maybe she just liked meeting Jasper for lunch at a certain time, and now was the time. And of course Edward would come along because he and Jasper were roommates and friends. Why was I spending all this time pondering this? It shouldn't really matter that much to me.

I breathed in deeply to settle myself and went to pick out something to eat. Alice was faster making her lunch selections than I was and she immediately went to the table where Jasper and Edward were now sitting. I became aware of the fact that I was dawdling. And I became aware that the fact that I was dawdling would not go unnoticed for much longer. I was putting off the inevitable. Alice sat down next to Jasper, leaving the seat next to Edward for me. It would be odd if I sat anywhere else. But it might _feel _odd to sit next to Edward. I might even feel those odd little electrical twinges.

At least I wouldn't have to sit across from him and look at him like I was looking at him right now. Of course his wild hair looked the same as it had the past few days, fabulously disheveled as usual. Today he also looked a little edgy, maybe even slightly dangerous. His beautiful face appeared paler than normal and a little drawn. He obviously hadn't shaved this morning and had a slight scruff along his chin and strong jaw line and a sprinkling of stubble above his upper lip. On him it didn't look sloppy. Not at all. It only made him look more attractive and more striking. Most guys looked like guys, but Edward exuded masculinity. But what I noticed most about his face were the purplish shadows under his eyes. They were very faint but they were there. He definitely hadn't slept much. So I guessed I hadn't been the only one to have slept fitfully.

I suddenly found myself wondering what I currently looked like. My hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Did it look sloppy? Had the puffiness around my eyes, from crying last night, dissipated? Was my face pale too, much like his?_ Why was I even wondering about all this stuff? _

_Just go sit down!_

I gave up and forced myself to approach the table.

"Hey, Jasper, Edward," I said lightly as I arrived, glancing at both of them before setting my tray down and sliding into the seat next to Edward. I was acutely aware of his big, warm body only inches away. _Whew, it was suddenly warm in here. And, shit, there was that little current of electricity again!_

"Hey, Bella," Edward and Jasper responded nearly in unison.

They both smiled, although Edward's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. His eyes looked tired and a little bloodshot. _Were mine? _I could see Jasper's eyes slide to Alice's face, but he didn't say anything more. None of us said anything more for a while. We just ate in tense silence, until Jasper abruptly turned to Alice.

"Alice?" He looked pointedly at her. "Did you see the cookies they put out?"

"They put out cookies? Really? I love their cookies. Show me, Jazz."

She grabbed his hand, rising from her chair rapidly and pulling him up at the same time. The two of them were instantly gone and Edward and I were left alone. I realized Jasper and Alice had double-teamed us. This had definitely been finely orchestrated and choreographed: Jasper bringing Edward, Alice bringing me, all of us arriving at the same time, the seating arrangement, and now the sudden departure, leaving us alone to talk.

I began poking at what remained of my food, unwilling to turn toward him. "Edward, look…"

"Bella, I…" He had started speaking at the exact same moment. We both paused and then laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry, you go first," I told him.

"No, that's okay, you were about to say something." He raked his hand through his unruly hair. His eyes looked a little bleary and they looked a little tight.

"It's okay really, you go ahead," I pressed, quietly, not wanting to be the one that initiated this conversation and whatever it would cover.

He turned toward me now, shoving his tray away and propping his elbow on the table, resting his face against his hand. He looked down at me and I saw that his tired face had a crooked little grin just barely discernible at the corner of his mouth. "We could just both begin speaking at the same time again, and then neither of us would have to start alone."

I smiled a small smile back at him. "That probably wouldn't accomplish much. We wouldn't be able to hear what the other has to say."

We were quiet for a moment. I decided I'd be brave.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me," I said, searching his green-blue eyes.

"I don't feel uncomfortable around you," he said softly. "You're a nice girl, Bella."

"And I don't want you to avoid me."

"I'm not going to avoid you. You and Alice are probably going to be roommates, and even if that doesn't happen, you're already a friend of hers, of all of ours, actually. You have fun with us and we have fun with you. I don't think there's a chance of avoiding each other. You'll do stuff with us and I'm not planning on finding new friends to hang with. I'd sooner shoot myself than have to hang out with Newton and Crowley."

I smiled and then nodded my head in agreement, not saying anything. _Good, he was talking in generalities, mentioning his family and friends. That was safe. He was keeping this light. We could do this conversation._

"And besides," he continued, on a roll now and smiling a little more, "you're one of the few girls besides Alice and Rosalie that I wouldn't _have _to avoid."

"Because we're safe and attached and won't hit on you?" I asked with a small smile.

"Exactly," he grinned crookedly, relaxing visibly. "You're all safe. You're all taken. Well, Alice is my sister, so that's its own category. She's certainly not going to hit on me. But you see what I'm saying."

"Yes, I do. And you're right. We're safe and we're attached. You can rest assured, Edward, I probably won't hit on you. Unless of course we're at a party and you come out of a back bathroom to find me completely naked on the bed, waiting for you."

I immediately clapped my hand over my mouth, shocked out of my wits and blushing furiously.

Edward froze. His eyebrows were raised, his eyes widened in surprise and his mouth slightly agape. He didn't seem to be breathing. I know I wasn't.

I was hoping I'd just faint and not have to deal with this consciously. Maybe I could wake up in a nurse's office somewhere. Oh, God, I could feel the intense heat of myself blushing! _I couldn't believe I just said that! Where the fuck did that come from? Oh. My. God!_

That was when Alice and Jasper reentered the picture.

"What great cookies!" Alice was exclaiming as she returned to the table. "Do you guys want some?" She had a handful in a napkin. Her jaw dropped when she looked more carefully at me. She must have seen how flustered I was, how deep crimson my blush was. Then I think she must have looked at Edward. I think she noticed that he wasn't speaking or breathing. He was still staring at me in shock.

"No thanks, Alice," I quickly told her, grabbing my trash together and setting it on my tray. "I've got to get going. I think I've already overdone it. I can't take anymore." I stood up, took my tray and made a quick and rather embarrassed exit.

_Crap! What the hell was that?_

**EPOV**

_Shit! What the hell was that? _

I couldn't believe she had said what she had just said.

Earlier I had decided I should just go ahead and get it over with and go to lunch. I wasn't going to avoid her. I wanted to act quickly so she didn't worry or feel upset with herself or with me. We all liked her and I knew she liked us. I didn't want that to go away. So I found Jasper and asked him if he wanted to go to lunch. He agreed, but said that he was waiting to hear from Alice. A short while later he said she'd called to say, 'It's time.' Whatever the hell that meant.

I wasn't really sure what that meant at the time, until I was in the dining hall with Jasper and saw that Alice had come in with Bella. This was beginning to feel rather like a carefully mapped out set up, especially once Jasper sat down across from me and Alice joined us, seating herself next to him. That left the spot next to me open for Bella. Naturally. Jasper and Alice were in cahoots, and I didn't think I'd ever thought of the word 'cahoots' before in my life, but I did now.

Bella took her time getting to the table. I realized she was probably feeling just as apprehensive as I was. I stole a few glances across the room to look more carefully at her face. I searched her heart-shaped face and looked closely at her chocolate brown eyes. She still looked pretty, but she looked tired, like I felt. She also had a small furrow between her brows and she was biting slightly on her lower lip. She was distracted and worried. I wanted to smooth the pucker between her brows and tell her it was no big deal; this could go away.

She came to sit down with us and greeted me and Jasper. And then the tension began to creep in. Things only got more awkward when Alice and Jasper abruptly left the table for some inane reason - ostensibly to get cookies. Utter bullshit. The cookies were there every fucking day of the week. Like it was cause for some big celebration because there were cookies. Like they were some freaking delicacy. Really, Alice and Jasper could have put a little more forethought and preparation into their planned dialogue.

We were forced to confront the situation. But we both began awkwardly talking at the same time. Finally she told me she didn't want me to feel uncomfortable. Or that I should feel like I had to avoid her. She didn't exactly make me feel uncomfortable, and I told her as much. I felt something, sure, but I couldn't very well explain that all to her. I wasn't going to be paying any attention to that feeling anyway; I had already decided that. I told her I wasn't going to avoid her. We all were developing a friendship with her already. _And damned if she didn't already fit right in with the rest of us. Just like she belonged._

I told her I didn't have to avoid Alice or Rosalie or her, hoping she'd make the connection about already being taken. She'd understood immediately, calling herself 'safe' because she wouldn't 'hit on me'. I began to relax, feeling like this just might work out okay.

But that was when she'd said it.

And I couldn't breathe after she'd said it. The wind had been completely knocked out of me. I had been flabbergasted. 'Flabbergasted?' 'Cahoots?' What the hell was happening to me? This was all just so far out of my comfortable norm. Now I was even using weird vocabulary just to try to deal with it all. _Fuck!_

'_I probably won't hit on you, unless of course we're at a party and you come out of a back bathroom to find me completely naked on the bed, waiting for you.'_

What the fuck was that? And what was with the "probably"? Did that mean I _might_ come into a room to find her completely naked on the bed waiting for me? But it wasn't just _what_ she had said, it was also her reaction when she'd said it. She had blushed brilliantly. And then she'd slapped her hand over her mouth like she hadn't known that whole thing was going to come flying out of it. And she didn't laugh it off, like you would if you were just making a joke. Maybe it was supposed to be a joke, or maybe it was something else. And now what was I supposed to _do_ with that statement?

Why had Alice and Jasper left when they did? This would never have happened if they'd stayed at the table. Cookies. Cookies my ass! Could they possibly be any more fucking lame? It was probably a good idea, to leave us alone to talk, but not right now, we should have been eased into it. Or maybe we should have both had more sleep. Maybe that had been Bella's problem. Maybe she hadn't had enough sleep and wasn't functioning at full mental capacity. I knew I was in that boat. At least now I was.

And then after she'd let that little tidbit escape, she'd practically run from the dining hall.

I had to get out of there too. I had to go for a run.

I was sure running a lot lately. I'm not sure where I thought I was running to. Or maybe I was running away?

_You can run, but you can't hide_. _You can try to hide, but you can't hide for long._

_Shit, Cullen!_

_BPOV_

I hadn't seen Edward much since Sunday. I still blushed, thinking about what I'd inadvertently said to him. I'd left instantly and headed back to the dorm, hiding in my room and trying to read and just flipping the pages blindly. Much like I'd done earlier that day. Somehow Sunday had passed and I'd managed to avoid Edward. I couldn't face him at all now. Maybe I'd just been overly tired and that was why my brain-to-mouth filter hadn't worked properly.

The next day was Monday and classes were starting up. Thank God for the distraction. I got up early Monday and decided that I would just skip breakfast and just pick up a coffee on my way to my first class. I headed across campus, stopping at the Student Union building where there was a little coffee shop. I waited in line for a few minutes before placing my order for a large café latte with two raw sugars tossed in.

The guy who took my order made some comment about me looking sweet enough, that he wouldn't have thought I'd need any extra sugar. I smiled at that goofy line. Then he asked me if he could get me anything else. That's a normal thing to ask, when you are placing an order, but the way he said it, and the expression on his face, seemed to mean more. It seemed inappropriate. And then he just kept staring at me as he went about preparing and pouring my drink. He had a smirk on his face. It wasn't a cute, friendly smirk like Edward's. Something about it was downright creepy. When my coffee was finally ready, he handed it to me, but actually swept his other hand against mine as I took the cup from him. He seemed to take enjoyment out of my discomfort and I quickly left the coffee shop, deciding that I probably wouldn't be stopping back in there again anytime soon.

I was busy all morning, finding classes, making a list of things I still needed to get for those classes. I had to buy a few things and I decided to take my truck and head off campus, just to get away a little in the afternoon. I wandered around the same store I'd gone to on Saturday morning with Alice and Edward. I found myself in the row where the desk lamps were displayed, smiling at the sturdy variety of lamp that I now owned. I stood there a few minutes before I realized that there was really no need for me to be looking at lamps and I wandered elsewhere. I picked up a few supplies I needed and then I grabbed a bite from the little fast food counter in the store so I wouldn't have to worry about eating lunch in the dining hall.

I eventually made my way back to school. I spent the late afternoon in my room, taking advantage of the fact that Victoria would be gone to classes most of the afternoon. I got to spend some time Celtic-less and Victoria-free. The magic crystals were still there, though. There was no avoiding them. I figured it would be smart to get a jump on my schoolwork, so I spent a while reading.

Much later in the afternoon I heard bagpipe music and smiled to myself. I realized that I wasn't doing my part and took out my CDs so I could read the lyrics. Maybe I'd start singing along. Victoria hadn't been quite as bad as she'd seemed, but then again, I'd spent very little time in my room. I'd spent almost all of my time with the Cullens.

**EPOV**

I'd gone for a run on Sunday afternoon. Right after that very emotionally disturbing lunch. I ran along a number of walkways and pathways I'd taken before, getting in a slightly longer run than normal. I was definitely trying to run away from something or someone. But there was nowhere to go. It was as if I was running in place. When I got back to the dorm, to my room, I didn't feel any more settled than I'd been before I'd left.

I'd showered and changed and went to see what Emmett was doing. He was Mr. Video Game. I figured maybe we'd hang out a bit and play something and it would keep me busy and distracted. We started with X-box and then we finished with Wii. Emmett just got more and more pissed off at me for being sidetracked and absolutely no competition for him. He said it was worse than playing against Alice. And usually, he and I would argue about everything as we played, but my mind just wasn't really on it, so I wasn't the belligerent opponent that he was looking for.

"Well, Edward," he finally said, as he put everything away, "what the fuck is going on with you? You're not yourself. Usually we would have had a few good arguments by now, but today you're just sitting here all mopey and quiet. And you're going along with everything I say. Where's the fun in that for me? Where's the challenge in that? You know how I love a good challenge."

"Uh, oh, sorry, Emmett. I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me." _Oh yes you do! "_I guess my mind is on other stuff." _Or people. Or girls. Or a girl. Or… fuck!_

"So, what's your mind on, Edward? As if it isn't obvious." He grinned at me and I wanted to belt his grinning face.

"Nothing," I told him belligerently.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Edward. Get over yourself! Let yourself have a little fun once in a while. You spend so much time PMS-ing and having cramps. Just enjoy yourself once in a while. Bella seems like a really nice girl."

"This has nothing to do with her!" I glared at him.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Yeah, okay, you tell yourself whatever you want, but you're not telling me that. I know better. As your Resident Advisor and your brother, I feel it's my duty to tell you that you've got to let yourself get involved a little and go with the flow. Why don't you think about asking her out?"

"I'm not sure her boyfriend would be pleased."

His eyebrows hiked up a little at that. "There's a boyfriend?" he asked me. I nodded. "Where is he?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I guess back home, not here. Anyway, I don't think I can do that."

"You will, sooner or later. Maybe it's not going to be her, but there will be someone at some point. So for now, you should just go with the flow. But let yourself relax a little. You know, people probably wonder if you're the adopted child. This reflects poorly on me and Alice." He was grinning again. Emmett didn't do 'serious' very well or for very long. It actually felt a little weird when he did.

I shook my head as I stood. "Well, thanks, Dr. Cullen. Today's session has been enlightening."

I exited his room as he yelled, "I'll send you my bill!"

This wasn't working out quite like I'd thought. I figured I could squash my thoughts about Bella back down inside of me. But that wasn't happening. Especially not after what she'd said and the visual image that kept stealing into my thoughts, playing over and over again in my annoyingly overactive imagination.

Sunday night I went to bed, not having seen her for the rest of the day, although I didn't really expect to. Naturally I thought about what she'd said. _How could I not?_ By the time I woke up Monday morning I was in deep shit. I'd dreamed about her. About what she'd said. About her _doing_ what she'd said. And it had been so vivid.

I'd woken up plenty of times before with morning wood, but by Monday morning, when my alarm woke me, I was sporting some serious lumber. It refused to be ignored and I was in need of some serious wankage. I took one of the longest showers of my life that morning. And I was thoroughly exhausted by the time I was done.

It was frightening to realize that my fantasies had become real-girl specific again. For a long time now, I'd only ever conjured up images from porn mags, or maybe a scene from a movie with some actress; someone that didn't seem too real. But suddenly there was a real girl in my thoughts as I stood under the shower spray.

This was so totally fucked up.

I hoped she couldn't read it on my face.

**A/N: Okay, so now Edward might be establishing a morning ritual. ;) Bella's morning ritual is brushing her teeth. She has a few chapters to go before she's on the same page. Your thoughts? I know you have thoughts.**

**Don't go on to chapter 11 unless it has been revised!**


	11. Movers and Shakers

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N:So the title: some inhabitants in this dorm are moving, others are shaken. I'll let you decide who is who.

Everything belongs to Stephenie Meyer, blah, blah, blah. My tiny mind likes to come out and play with E & B. No infringement intended. Blah, blah, blah.

Okay, Bella, you can't keep avoiding Edward forever. If you'd analyze your recurring dream, it's all there for you, girlfriend. Read between the lines.

**Chapter 11: Movers and Shakers (****Revised****)**

**BPOV**

Late Monday afternoon, after my first day of classes, I was looking at the Country-Western CDs Jasper and Edward had bought. I was trying to read the lyrics when I finally just gave up. The sounds of Alice's bagpipe music continued lilting my way and I just had a sneaking suspicion that it was Alice's way of beckoning to me through music. A sort of nasally, whiny, siren call. I picked up the CDs and headed over to her room.

She had a big smile on her face when she opened the door and saw me standing there. I'm sure she had assumed I'd be showing up shortly. "I've got some good news, Bella," she told me, virtually glowing with delight.

"What?" I nearly had to shout over the sound of the bagpipes.

_If this had anything to do with her brother I would have to run and hide._

"Well, I had an interesting conversation with Lauren a little while ago."

_Oh, her, thank goodness. Not him. _"About...?"

"Well, she commented on how much time you and I have spent together the past two days."

"Alice, can you turn the music down a little?"

"Oh, sure. Sorry." She lowered the volume a little. "Anyway, she's noticed how much time you and I have spent together."

And…?"

"And, don't you get it, Bella? It's the foot in the door. The gears are turning. She and Victoria are probably thinking about making a roommate switch. And why shouldn't they, they've spent as much time together these past few days as you and I have. And did you see them today?"

"No, why?"

"They're dressed practically identically. It verges on creepy. I swear, Bella, I think you and I will even feel safer once we're roommates and those two are free to bond, meld, frolic, or whatever the heck it is they do together, behind their own, shared, closed door."

I laughed. "Okay, Alice, so maybe we should step it up a notch. I brought my CDs over. I thought maybe you'd like to learn lyrics and practice singing with me."

"Let's not practice too much. We certainly don't want to come close to sounding like we know the words or the melody. I think the off-key and error-filled approach will be best suited for what we're seeking. We want to sound annoying and off-putting."

"Right you are."

We both sat down next to each other on her bed, tucking our legs up underneath us, poring over the lyrics and reading them aloud.

"Oh, my God. Some of these songs are just so tacky," I told her. "Who writes this stuff? More importantly, who listens to this stuff?"

"You want to know something scary?" she asked, "I can actually imagine Jasper feeding me some of these lines. We'd better make sure he's not around to hear these. I'd hate for him to develop some new obsession that I couldn't live with. He already does a good Southern drawl, I'd hate for it to morph into a Country-Western twang."

We giggled to each other.

The door opened then and Lauren stepped in, wincing at the music.

"Hi, Alice. Oh, hello, Isabella."

"Hello, Lauren." We both greeted her, stifling our giggles.

"So, the bagpipes...again." She smiled weakly at Alice. "You must really like this music."

"Yeah, Bella really likes it, too. It's not bothering you, is it?" Alice asked in a sweet voice, looking like she was truly concerned.

"Uh, no, not really. Um, I think I'll go see what Victoria is doing. I saw her downstairs a few minutes ago, coming back from a late class. I think she stopped by to see Emmett. I'll catch you both later."

She turned and bolted out the door.

Once the door slammed shut, we turned to each other with our hands clasped over our mouths, shaking with laughter. Alice nearly rolled off the bed and onto the floor. I laughed even harder at her surprised facial expression as she managed to catch herself.

"Bella, they're going to go see Emmett!" She got up and did a little happy dance around the room. Then she paused long enough to grab my hands and yank me up to do the happy dance with her. I suddenly felt like I knew what Jasper must experience on a daily basis.

"This means I'd better get back to my room and make sure to have my Country-Western CDs blaring," I told her. "I think I'll stick a few dryer sheets around the room, too. Victoria can't stand the scent." I got up and headed to the door with the CDs.

Alice giggled. "Oh, yes, '_Isabella', _you told me she '_couldn't stand the stench_.'"

"Hey, if you ever call me Isabella again, I'll throw a magical crystal at your head. My friends call me Bella. And stop talking like Victoria. One Victoria per suite is bad enough."

Alice nudged me toward the door. "Go get her, cowgirl!"

"Yee-haa!" I said as I left with a smile on my face.

I only had to listen to about fifteen minutes of music before Victoria waltzed into the room.

"Oh, Isabella…really. I don't think I can take this music. Don't you find it somewhat offensive and irritating?"

_Of course I do. But what's even more important is that _you_ find it offensive and irritating. And that's good, because I find you offensive and irritating._

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Victoria. It's a CD that I just got, and I haven't really had the chance to listen to it. Whenever I get new music I like to be able to experience the whole thing at least one time all the way through. I just started this, so I should be done in about a half an hour or so."

"Well, do you think you can at least put on your headphones?"

"Oh, gosh, Victoria. They're not working right. The sound on the one side is all scratchy. I need to get some new ones."

"Well, do you think you could borrow some from someone?"

_So, yeah, I notice you're not offering yours._

"Oh, that's just gross to use someone else's."

"That's exactly how I feel, Isabella. Well, I'll be back in about an hour. Your CD will certainly be over by then."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure. Okay, thanks, Victoria. That's really sweet of you."

She was about to head out the door when she turned back around to me.

"Isabella, do you think you and Alice might like to share a room? I've seen the two of you spending a lot of time together and you seem to get along and have similar interests." Her eyes wandered over to the CD cases on the bed. She looked at them like they were vermin. "Lauren and I are becoming friends and we have many similar interests. We wouldn't be opposed to being roommates."

_I'm sure Lauren would like to be your roommate. Actually, I think Lauren wants to _be…_ you._

"Gosh, I don't know. I'll mention it to Alice and see what she says. I'll let you know."

She closed the door as she walked out. I pressed my ear up to it, realizing that I couldn't hear anything with the music playing, so I stealthily opened the door a crack, peered out, and saw her disappearing down the stairway, shaking her head and muttering to herself. I silently closed the door. Then I did the same happy dance I'd done with Alice earlier. I was getting good at it. Alice was going to be so happy about this latest development; she'd be bouncing off the walls.

But I decided to wait and tell her tomorrow. It was dinnertime and although I wasn't really avoiding Edward, I certainly didn't want to seek him out. There was no set arrangement that said that I had to eat with the Cullens and Hales. Surely there were other options.

I heard voices in the hallway and I opened my door, heading to the bathroom. It was Angela and Jessica. They were just coming out of their room.

"Bella, are you headed to dinner?" It was Angela, bless her, smiling at me.

"Yeah, I was about to head down there, I'm just running to the bathroom quickly first. How about you two? Off to dinner?"

"Yep, dinner calls," Jessica nodded. "Why don't you join us? Unless you've got plans?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

_What was with the eyebrows?_

"No, I was just going to head down there myself. I'd love to join you. Thanks for the invite. Give me a minute and I'll be right there."

So I joined them for dinner on Monday evening and luckily missed the whole Cullen-Hale clan. It was a nice, low-key dinner. No Edward. No Mike. No drama. Just us girls. I breathed a sigh of relief.

The rest of my evening was quiet and uneventful. It was nearly boring.

I had only two classes that met on Tuesday and Thursday, so my schedule was lighter than it was on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. A light day could be good, although it didn't keep me nearly busy enough and I found myself feeling restless as the day progressed.

In the morning I'd grabbed some fruit and a coffee in the dining hall, leaving immediately and eating on my way to class. After my classes I'd gone to the library for a while and then grabbed a bite in the Student Center for lunch. I went to dinner fairly late, and the dining hall was virtually empty. I had managed to avoid uncomfortable meals with Edward again today, but I knew it couldn't last.

In the evening I went to Alice's room and told her to sit down. I told her I had bad news. Her face grew very concerned. She took me by the hand, telling me to come in and leading me over to sit down on her bed next to her. She still held my hand, covering it with her other hand.

"Bella, what is it? What's wrong? You can tell me." Her eyes searched mine.

"Oh, Alice. I just don't know what to do."

"What, Bella? Just tell me. Maybe I can help. We'll figure it out."

"Okay. Well, it's official. Lauren and Victoria don't want to be our roommates anymore…" I didn't get any farther than that.

Alice shrieked a high-pitched little scream and threw herself at me, hugging me. We immediately rolled off the bed and bounced on the floor in a pile, laughing.

"Oh Bella, this is perfect! I can't tell you how perfect this is! Did you just find out? Oh this is fantastic! How do you know? What did you hear? Tell me! Tell me!"

I laughed at her exuberance. "Actually, I heard something last night from Victoria, nothing definite, but she confirmed it for me earlier today."

"So when does this happen?"

"I think we can probably do it this weekend. There's a form and we all have to sign it. I guess they talked with Emmett last night and he explained the process to them."

"That big oaf didn't tell me! He was supposed to report in the minute he heard any rumblings."

"He probably didn't want to get your hopes up until he knew for sure."

"Maybe. Still, I gave him strict orders and he should have followed through." Her brow was furrowed as she contemplated Emmett's lack of good judgment. Suddenly her expression cleared and she was beaming at me. "Hey, we have to celebrate! We should all go out to dinner together this weekend after we do the move."

"Celebrate? Who? You, me, Victoria, and Lauren?"

"No, _Isabella_." Alice was imitating Victoria's voice now. "I wouldn't be able to choke down my dinner if I had to dine with you two imbeciles."

"Okay, that's it; I'm flinging a crystal at your head."

"Sorry, Bella! It was a momentary lapse in judgment. No, I don't want to go out to dinner with them. That would be horrific. I meant us: you, me, Jasper, Edward, Rosalie. But not Emmett. He's sure as hell not invited. He's on my shit list."

"He might hold up the paperwork, or not put it through, or lose it, or even make _you_ room with Victoria and _me_ room with Lauren." I arched my brows.

"You're right. We'd better invite him." She laughed her silvery laugh. "Oh, this is so awesome. There's so much to plan and organize. I can hardly wait to decorate!"

Later that evening I called Charlie, my dad, to let him know how my first two days of classes had gone. I felt bad that I hadn't actually talked to him when I had called last. I had only left a brief message. But tonight I told him in more detail about Victoria and Alice. I mentioned I'd gone to the barbecue and dance. I told him the food was okay and that my classes seemed like they'd be interesting. Our conversation didn't last too long. Charlie was a man of few words.

Later that night I called Jake.

"Hey, Bella!" He answered the phone after three rings. He sounded happy.

"Hi, Jake. I told you I'd call in a day or two."

"I see how you worked that right into the conversation immediately. You didn't give me a chance to complain that I hadn't heard from you soon enough."

I could hear the smile in his voice.

"You caught me." I laughed. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. Trying to keep busy. Working a lot. You?"

"Classes just started. They seem like they'll be interesting, but it's only been two days. I think I'll have a lot of reading to do, but you know me, I love reading. I'm happiest when I'm pretending to be a character in a book."

"I don't suppose you plan on coming home this weekend, do you?"

"Oh, no. Gosh, Jake, school just started and I'm still settling in. I can't come back home after just one week. And I don't even know what kind of a homework load I'll have."

"Well, how about if I come visit you this weekend or next?"

"Um, this weekend is going to be pretty hectic."

"Maybe next weekend?"

"Um, yeah, I guess next weekend would be okay."

"What do you have going on this weekend? You said it was going to be hectic."

"Oh, well, my friend Alice, I mentioned her to you last time, she and I are going to swap roommates and I'm going to move in with her. I think that happens this weekend. It'll be like moving out and moving in all over again."

"Sounds like a lot of work. Are you sure you don't want me to come up and help? I don't mind, B."

"Oh, no, that's okay. Alice's boyfriend Jasper lives in the dorm and she has two brothers who live here too, Edward and Emmett, and Emmett's girlfriend lives here too, in the dorm next door. They'll all help if we need them."

"What about... what was his name? Edward?"

_What? "_I'm sorry, wh… what?" I stuttered. I could feel myself blushing for absolutely no reason.

"What about Edward? Doesn't he have a girlfriend in your dorm? It sounded like they all have a boyfriend or girlfriend right there in the same dorm."

"Oh, no, I guess he's the only one that's unattached."

"Well, at least it sounds like you've made a few friends."

"Yeah, they're all really nice."

"I'd like to meet them when I come up next weekend."

_Oh no. This could be kind of awkward. How would I manage this?_

"Bella?"

"Hm? What, Jake?"

"I said I'd like to meet them when I come up next weekend."

"Oh, um, of course. Of course you'll probably meet them. Sorry. My mind was wandering."

_Okay, I have a week and a half to figure this out and get back to normal._

"Okay, Bella. Well, I'd better let you get to sleep. I'll make sure I have next weekend off. I'm sure Sam can spare me at the garage for two days."

"Okay, Jake. Take care.

"You too, Bells. Love you.

"You too, Jake. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I shut my phone and lay there on the bed in the dark.

Okay, so why did this feel so weird? He was my boyfriend. He was coming to visit. And I had a knot in my stomach as I contemplated this. _What was my problem?_

I decided I wouldn't think about it. I'd think about it in a day or two. Maybe I was just a bit overloaded with the start up of school. That was probably it. I'd feel better in the morning after a good night's sleep.

I sat bolt upright in the middle of the night. It was my recurring dream. Once again I was running in the dark forest with Jake. He was yelling to me to keep running, telling me not to slow down; to stay with him. Only now he took my arm and was trying to pull me along, not letting me go. Behind me I heard breathing. Someone or something was pursuing me. I heard a low snarl and then Jake was suddenly losing his grip on me and fading into the background. I heard his voice dimly calling out to me. My steps faltered and then suddenly I just stopped running. I could hear the breathing right behind me, I felt a warm breath on my neck as I was grabbed from behind. My captor held me in an iron grip and then immediately my body was being spun around.

That was when I awoke.

The dream had made me feel on edge and I slept rather restlessly thereafter the whole night.

I went to breakfast Wednesday morning and sat where I sometimes sat with Jessica and Angela. Neither of them was there, nor was the table at the side wall occupied. I hadn't seen or eaten with the Cullens and Hales for a few days. So I was eating solo. I had just started on my French toast when Mike Newton came to the table and sat down across from me. He and I had been chatting for about ten minutes when I heard the chair next to me scraping along the floor a little as it was being pulled out. I looked up to see Edward setting down his tray of food right next to mine. And then he was gracefully sliding into the chair next to me as he carefully watched me.

**EPOV**

I didn't see Bella the rest of Sunday. Or Monday. Or Tuesday. And now it was Wednesday. I wondered what was going on with her. She had said she didn't want me to avoid her. Wasn't she now avoiding _me_? _Why_? She didn't want me to feel uncomfortable. Was _she_ now uncomfortable? I hadn't done anything or said anything weird to her. She, on the other hand, _had. _And then she had just left me hanging. And it was driving me fucking nuts.

So now it was Wednesday. I went in to the dining hall for breakfast before my first class. No one was at the usual table, so I was on my own. Or at least that's what I thought until I noticed Bella sitting alone with Mike Newton. Nope, I couldn't allow that. That wasn't going to be happening. At least not with me here to keep an eye on him. Who knew what kind of perverted crap he was capable of?

_There'd better not be any 'plucking' going on._

I walked over after getting some breakfast and set my tray down next to hers. They hadn't noticed me approaching, so she looked surprised at first when she looked up at me, and then she immediately began with that blushing thing she did so often. Newton, on the other hand, looked quite peeved that I'd crashed his little party with Bella_. Good. No, better than good. Splendid! _Anything that I could do to ruin Mike's plans with Bella, or for Bella, was downright splendid.

"Hey, Cullen, good morning!" he enthused. He'd looked unhappy about my arrival, but he'd managed to recover quickly. "Your group's not here yet, huh? Well, you're welcome to join us."

_Splendid, Mike. Because I'm already sitting down._

"Hey, thanks, Mike. Good morning, Bella."

"Good morning, Edward." She leaned forward and her hair formed a little curtain that I could no longer see past. Her face was now hidden from my view.

Mike spoke up. "I was just telling Bella that my nine o'clock class is so big there were people sitting in the aisles on Monday."

"Really?" I asked him. _Perfect._ "So I'm sure you have to get there way ahead of time to get a decent seat."

"Yeah," his head snapped up, "that's probably a good idea."

_Yes_. "Probably a lot of other people are going to have the same smart idea."

"You know, you're right Edward. Thank goodness I mentioned this to you. I should get going right now. I could get there way ahead of time and not be stuck on the steps in an aisle."

I saw Bella look up and across at him. Her eyes were begging him not to leave, but she didn't say a word. He didn't notice. _ Mike, you are splendid!_

"Smart man, Newton." I nodded as he stood, shoving his chair back into the table.

"All right, well, I'll catch you both later." Newton grabbed his tray, hustling toward the door.

"Um, I should probably get going too," Bella mumbled.

"No, Bella, wait a minute. Don't leave." She owed me an explanation. I put my hand on her arm to keep her from standing. I immediately felt a little electric jolt tickle its way up my fingers and arm. I took a breath before I spoke. "Am I annoying you?" I leaned in closer to her, willing her to make eye contact with me.

She turned and looked at me, surprised. "No, you don't annoy me, Edward."

"Then why have you been avoiding me?"

She blushed of course and then looked down where my hand was still holding her arm. I quickly removed my hand. I had forgotten it was there. No, that's complete bullshit. I was hyper-aware that my hand was on her arm. I wouldn't have minded keeping it there but I could see that she was uncomfortable and so I let go.

She breathed a little shaky sigh. "Edward, I honestly don't know what to say."

"Well, I find you very difficult to read, Bella. I don't know if you want me around, as a friend, I mean, or if you want me to stay away. I don't want to bother you but I know you're Alice's friend and she's my sister and, well, she's with Jasper, and he and I are friends, so this is very hard for me. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."

She looked down at her hands for a moment, her hair hanging down, blocking my view of her face once more. After a moment she spoke. "I want you around, Edward. I don't want you to feel that I don't. You're a really great guy and you're a nice friend. I'm sorry I've been acting so rude."

She looked up at the clock on the wall.

"Oh, gosh, I can't be late to class."

She stood and I did the same. It was time for me to go too. I took both of our trays and dumped the trash, stacking the trays on top of the trash can. She waited for me and we walked to the dining hall doors together. I pushed the door open for her. "Ladies first?" I smiled at her.

"Thanks a lot, Edward."

"No problem, Bella." I got the feeling she was referring to more than the opened door or the tossed trash.

She stopped and looked up at me. "Maybe I'll see you later - at dinner?"

I smiled down at her. "Yeah." _I would like that._ "I'll see you then."

**A/N**: **So, Edward doesn't let this nonsense keep going on. Let me know what you think. I know you think, just share those thoughts with me.**

**Don't go on unless the next chapter has been ****revised!**


	12. Just Let Go

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N: As you know, I am not, nor have I ever been, nor do will I ever claim to be Stephenie Meyer. I'm not trying to infringe on what belongs to her. I'm just mesmerized with green-blue eyes, wildly dishevelled hair and a rockin,' rock-hard hardbody. Nuff said.

Okay, Bella, get ready for some physical contact of the Edward variety! Yum!

**Chapter 12: Just Let Go (****Revised****)**

**BPOV**

Wednesday afternoon I had come back from my classes and I had lain down on my bed to do a little reading. I had fallen asleep with a book in my hand and slept for almost two hours. I awoke shortly before dinner, famished because I hadn't eaten lunch. I went to brush my hair and get ready and I happened to see Alice in the hall.

"Bella, tell me you'll come to dinner with us tonight." Her eyes were pleading.

I smiled at her hopeful face. It was hard to say no to Alice. "I'll come to dinner with you tonight."

"That was easy." She grinned at me.

"Actually, I had planned on it. I know I haven't been very good company lately."

"Hello! You've been non-existent company lately."

"Um, yeah, that too. Well, I'm ready to go to dinner whenever you are."

"I'm ready now, if you are. Do you mind if we swing by and pick up Jasper?"

"No, that's fine. Let's go."

"…and Edward?"

"Alice, that's fine too." I didn't bother to tell her I had spoken with Edward this morning and told him that I would see him this evening at dinner.

"And I usually try to coordinate with Emmett and Rosalie, too."

"Fine. To all of the above. The whole gang. Let's go get them." Alice looked relieved and happy.

"Well then, what the heck are we waiting for?"

We went to Jasper and Edward's room first. Jasper was there and joined us, but Edward had stepped out so Jasper left him a note. Then we went to Emmett's room. Alice knocked and after a few moments, Emmett answered the door, looking rather disheveled and out of breath. Alice peered past him and saw Rosalie, also somewhat disheveled, smoothing her hair and clothing.

"Well, that explains a lot." Alice said, smiling and retreating back into the hallway.

"Um, Rosie and I were just studying," Emmett tried sheepishly.

"Right. Each other!" Alice giggled as she took Jasper's hand and arched her brow at him suggestively. "Maybe you and I can get in a study session later, Jazz."

"School me, baby," Jasper purred at her, sliding his arm around her waist and we all laughed as he leaned in and mauled her neck, growling as he did so.

We had just seated ourselves in the dining room when Edward came in and joined us. He picked up his dinner and came and sat on the far end of the table, opposite me, between Jasper and Emmett. Everyone greeted him and he responded to them. Once he had settled in, and they were no longer paying much attention to him, his eyes flickered across to me and he gave me a very brief, crooked, little smile. He seemed glad, maybe even relieved, to see me there with the group. I was glad because I certainly didn't want him to think that I was avoiding him because I found him annoying.

About halfway through the meal, Alice picked up her spoon and began tapping it against her glass.

"Bella and I have an announcement to make."

"You've decided to tie the knot?" Emmett asked, his dimples forming.

"Emmett, you're just not that funny. And don't be thinking about the girl-on-girl thing, because I'm your sister and that'd be disgusting, even for you." Alice crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ewww, that's right." Emmett looked as though he hadn't thought that far ahead.

"You're wasting your breath, Alice," Rose told her. "It does absolutely no good telling him he's not funny. As long as he finds humor in the things he says, there's no corralling him. He's just going to blurt out whatever occurs to him, without thinking. He lives filter-free. So what's your news?"

"Bella and I get to make a room switch with Lauren and Victoria this weekend."

There was a communal 'hooray' followed by some congratulations and other positive comments.

"That's great!" Rosalie said. "Which room will you two be in? Are you taking Alice's or Bella's?"

"I think we're staying in mine," Alice told Rosalie. "And Lauren and Victoria will keep the Crystal Kingdom. I guess that makes sense, since Victoria and I have both lived in our respective rooms for two years. Why change now? Besides, mine has the better, corner view."

Jasper stood up and looked at all of us seated at the table. "If you would all just focus on me for a moment…ahem…I'd like to take most of the credit for this turn of events." He bowed grandly, waving his arms in a flourish as he did so.

Alice laughed, but nodded in agreement. "Yes, Jazz, it was all your idea and I think the lovely CDs you and Edward bought us did the trick. And to thank you both, we'd like to invite you to help us move Bella in this Saturday."

He sat back down, leaning towards her and resting his chin on his hand. "Now that doesn't sound like an appropriate way to thank me, Sugarlump, it just sounds like more work we have to do. What's in it for us, Pumpkin?" he asked her, waggling his eyebrows.

"Besides getting to enjoy the loveliness of our company all morning and afternoon, we'll take you out to dinner afterwards to help us celebrate. I know a great restaurant we can go to."

"I'm in, if Edward's in." Jasper turned to look at Edward. He raised his eyebrows in query and maybe even in a…_dare_?

Edward looked a little caught off guard, then he glanced around at the others as they waited for his response. He hesitated a split second longer and then just nodded and shrugged. "I'm in."

"We're in, Babydoll." Jasper nodded to Alice, his face serious.

Alice turned to Emmett and Rosalie. "You two are also invited to dinner on Saturday. You don't have to help us move Bella in, but we'd like you to join us for dinner."

"Why don't they have to help us?" Jasper asked.

"Because they have to _study. _If you know what I mean." Alice winked overmuch and laughed her silvery little bell-like laugh as the rest of us joined in.

Thursday passed by rather unremarkably. In the morning I overslept and managed to get up and out the door just barely in time to get to my first class. I got back hungry and ate an early lunch alone in the dining hall, reading a few chapters of a novel I had been assigned. In the evening I had dinner with Angela. Ben came and joined us. It seemed that there was a little dorm romance brewing. They were awfully cute and a little shy together.

On Friday I had another busy day. But by the time the evening rolled around things had slowed down and I was wondering what to do with myself. I realized I hadn't exercised, run, or worked out since the previous Saturday afternoon, before the barbecue. I checked to see if Angela or Jessica wanted to visit the fitness center with me, but they were both busy. I decided to head over to the fitness center on my own.

I had been there for probably only ten minutes when I saw Edward come in. I was in the corner, waiting my turn to get onto one of the elliptical machines. I knew Edward hadn't seen me and I did nothing to call attention to myself. I just watched him as I waited for my machine.

He seemed rather serious, quite insular, and perfectly beautiful. He ran on the treadmill for a while. I watched him as his body moved fluidly. I realized that his body, at rest or in motion, was as beautiful as his face. He was perfectly proportioned. He looked just like a Greek god. If you wanted to sculpt a statue of a mythological being, Edward was your man; he could have been the model for any classical sculpture.

I finally got on to the elliptical. I worked my legs and butt hard, while I continued to observe Edward. He got off the treadmill and went to a rowing machine. He'd been there for a while when two pretty, blond girls approached him and began talking to him. He slowed a bit initially, but after a while he began rowing as hard as he had been earlier. As they talked, I watched the muscles in his arms and back bunching and flexing smoothly beneath his t-shirt, I saw the muscles in his legs flexing as he moved forward and back. The conversation between Edward and the girls dwindled and stopped and the two girls wandered away. I wondered about them. I wondered who they were.

A short while later Edward was in the area with the free weights, lifting, when one of the girls sauntered back over to him. She positioned herself near him and began talking to him again as they worked out next to each other. I realized he looked a bit uncomfortable and maybe even a little annoyed, so when I was done on the elliptical I walked over to him, to see if my intuition was right.

"Hi, Edward." I smiled as I pressed my towel to the sweat at the back of my neck.

"Oh, hello, Bella! I didn't know you were here. When did you get here?" He smiled up at me, looking relieved, relaxed and happy.

"I've been here for a while, Edward. I didn't want to bother you while you were working out." I turned and looked pointedly at the girl. "Hello."

"Oh, Bella, this is…" He turned to the girl that was still standing there. "I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

_Yes, my intuition had been right. He didn't know her. She was hitting on him. Could I blame her? No, not really. Just look at him…no, don't!_

"My name is Amber," the girl answered, looking at me rather haughtily, like I was ruining her plans.

"Oh right, Amber," Edward said. "Amber, this is Bella." He gestured from her to me, introducing us.

"Nice to meet you," I told her, then looked at her expectantly.

"You too," she mumbled. She looked at me like she didn't approve. I knew she was wondering what my connection to Edward was. He hadn't mentioned any, so she was trying to figure that one out.

"Well, I was just leaving," she said. "Oh, but I did want to give you this." She pressed a small piece of paper into Edward's hand. "Bye, Edward." She smiled and batted her eyelashes. "I hope I hear from you."

"Bye, Amber," Edward politely responded as she turned and walked away. He turned and looked at me. "Not likely," he sighed, rolling his eyes. He glanced at the slip of paper she had pressed into his palm and began shaking his head. I watched as he crumpled it up. When he looked back at me the distaste on his face had disappeared. He seemed happier again now.

"So, how long have you been here, Bella?"

"Long enough to watch that girl hit on you." I smiled.

"She was with a friend before," he said, shaking his head, his mouth twisting.

"Oh, I saw the two of them earlier. So that was a tag-team hit?" I asked, smirking at him now.

"Very funny." He scanned the room. "Who are you here with?"

"No one. I just came by myself."

He picked up his towel and slung it over his shoulder then he grabbed his bottle of water, uncapping it and taking a swig. He looked back at me. "Are you finished here?"

"Yeah, I just got off the elliptical and now I think I'm over the need to exercise. I'm going to head back to the dorm."

"Can I walk you back?"

"Oh, you don't have to. I'll be fine."

"I'd feel better if you didn't walk back alone. I'll keep you company if you don't mind. I'm done here anyway."

"Okay, Edward, but you don't have to feel obligated."

"I don't. It's just…" his voice broke off and he grimaced very slightly. And then he didn't say anything more.

"It's what, Edward?"

His face registered the fight within. He couldn't decide if he wanted to tell me what was on his mind. But he did. "This is probably going to sound stupid, but I…I feel very protective of you." I could read the embarrassment on his face. But then he quickly came to his own defense. "You don't know a lot of people here yet, and it's just not smart to be alone, walking so far at night. Seriously, Bella, if you come here at night, I would come with you. Or you could even call me and I'll just come to walk you back home when you're done, if you're alone." Then he seemed to have another thought and I watched as his face relaxed into a grin, adding, "You never know where Newton could be lurking, and he's not even the most dangerous thing out there."

I laughed as we headed out of the fitness center together. He passed by the trash can on his way to the door and dropped the crumpled paper into it.

"So, are you ready for the big day?" he asked, smiling as he pushed the door open for me.

"What big day?"

"Moving day. Don't you get to move in with Alice tomorrow?"

"Oh, right! Yes. I'm more than ready. I'm so sick of listening to Country-Western music every chance I get, just to annoy Victoria. Her all-Celtic-all-the-time music isn't nearly as bad as some of that Country-Western crap. Thanks for picking that out, Edward."

He laughed. "Sorry, we had to find the best worst-stuff we could. But I can see how you'd get sick of it. I have to warn you, though; I think Alice is actually getting rather attached to her bagpipe tunes."

"Oh, Lord no! You mean I might have to move in with Victoria and Lauren?"

"That might turn out to be the lesser of two evils." He chuckled again. "And I'll tell you a secret," he was leaning down toward my ear as we walked. I could feel his warm breath tickling my ear and a little chill ran down my spine.

"What secret?" I asked, looking up into his eyes. I knew I was blushing and I was glad for the cover of darkness as we walked back home. I'd prefer that he not be able to see my blush.

"Jasper is getting into the bagpipe thing, too. Wait until tomorrow—he's got something special cooked up for Alice. It's a surprise."

"What?"

"No, it's a surprise. That's all I'm saying for now."

"You have to tell me more than that," I begged.

"No, I've already said too much." His eyes danced and sparkled. _Like they had at the dance last Saturday._

"Edward, you're just plain evil to leave me hanging like this."

"Bella, I'm a monster, I do evil things." His expression was devilish.

"Yeah, right. Okay, so I guess I just have to wait and see."

"You just have to wait and see," he agreed, nodding, obviously pleased with himself.

Before long we had arrived back at the dorm. For a brief moment I thought about the other night, when we had arrived at the back door of the dorm after the barbecue and dance and how it had seemed like he was about to kiss me. I found myself now wondering what that would feel like. It was suddenly hard to breathe. And then I pushed those thoughts out of my head as we walked inside.

"Thanks, Edward, for walking me home."

"Sure, Bella. Hey, I meant what I said before. I'll go with you if you work out at night and you won't have to walk home by yourself in the dark. Or you can call me and I'll come meet you."

"I appreciate that Edward; I just would hate to bother you."

"Honestly, Bella, it wouldn't be a bother. Besides it gives me a chance to get a little exercise either way."

"So, you'll protect me from strange men on the way home from the gym and I can protect you from strange women _at_ the gym."

"Something like that," his lips curled into a smile. "Not a bad idea really. Did you see how fast that girl, Andrea, took off when you came over to me?"

"Her name was Amber," I corrected him.

"Who cares?" he laughed.

"Not you," I laughed with him.

"Not me. Goodnight, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow." His smile was warm.

"See you tomorrow, Edward." I walked upstairs smiling_. _

_That was fun._

**EPOV**

Alice had our Saturday all arranged. She was the consummate organizer and planner. There would be no sleeping-in today for me or Jasper. She and Bella showed up to go with us to breakfast. Alice had a design scheme to discuss and a plan of attack to map out.

Apparently we weren't just moving Bella in, as Lauren moved out. Alice also had some crazy interior-decorating itch to scratch, and now we were going to be rearranging furniture, hanging curtains or drapes, or some such nonsense, and possibly even building risers for their beds so that they would be right near the loft window. Bella looked a little overwhelmed, but she was a good sport and let Alice have her fun. She was an easy-going girl with a great disposition.

Alice was telling us now how important it would be for us to get a good breakfast. I was tired just thinking about it. I knew how demanding Alice could be. She was small, but she could be a tyrant. Or a dictator. Or a despot. Or the best of all three wrapped in one. Sometimes I wondered how Jasper put up with her. Then again, sometimes I wondered how she put up with him. We'd see what she thought of his surprise today.

After breakfast Alice and Bella headed off to the store. Alice had a shopping list featuring matching bedding, curtains, curtain rods, pillows, floor cushions and a string of lights. I wondered if Bella was having second thoughts.

Jasper herded me to the Clown Car. He had to run an errand to his favorite thrift shop. I knew what he was shopping for, and I was a little embarrassed to be going along. But he wanted my opinion. It was things like this that made me wonder about his sanity. He was going to spring his surprise on Alice. Bella would undoubtedly get a kick out of it. I'd been tempted to tell her last night on the way back home from the fitness center, but it was much more fun to pique her curiosity and then aggravate her by not telling her.

A little over an hour later we were back at the dorm. Before Jasper and I headed up to the girls' suite, he had to change his clothes. He had made a special purchase for himself and needed to put it on. I let him lead the way up the stairs. He knocked at Alice's door and she opened it a moment later. She let out a little shriek of laughter when she saw him and then jumped into his arms, giggling. He was wearing a kilt. Well, it wasn't really a kilt. It was a woman's plaid, pleated skirt. On him, with his socks pulled up high, it did sort of look like a kilt. Not many guys I knew could pull off a woman's plaid, pleated skirt.

Alice pulled away from him, still laughing. Bella was in the room with Alice. Her eyes grew wide in disbelief as she saw him. She turned to me and mouthed the words 'the surprise?' as she pointed at him. I nodded and she laughed.

"Oh, Jasper,' Alice sighed dramatically, "You have got such great legs for a kilt."

"Thanks, my little Lassie. I tried to convince Edward to buy a pair of cowboy chaps to go with the Country Western music theme. But he was totally opposed and unwavering."

"Yes, Jasper, I was totally opposed because those were assless chaps. Actually, I wouldn't have let myself be caught dead in chaps, with or without ass coverage."

"Oh, Edward, you're such a downer all the time. You've got to relax and enjoy yourself. Besides, you've got a great ass." He winked lasciviously at me a few times.

I shook my head in dismay, pinching the bridge of my nose.

Alice and Bella both laughed. Bella was blushing. _Probably the ass comment from Jasper._

Shortly after that Victoria and Lauren joined us, coming out of Victoria's room. That put an end to our levity. I knew Victoria would try to take charge, but that wasn't going to happen with Alice involved. Nobody takes the reins out of Alice's hands in a situation like this. Not when it comes to decorating or fashion.

It turned out that Alice had a lot more support on her side from the rest of us, and Victoria only had Lauren. So our team won the coin toss and we called the plays.

We decided that the easiest way to do this was to swap out the closet contents at the same time first. If we each grabbed a handful of clothing on hangers and swapped them at the same time, we would be saving ourselves some time and effort. Then we would take the drawers from the dresser in one room and swap them with the drawers from the dresser in the other, as long as they would fit okay. The furniture was all standard, so that turned out to be a piece of cake.

Not so much a piece of cake, however, was the fact that the drawer that I now pulled out, and was now transferring to Bella's new room, was the drawer filled with her underwear. _Shit!_ I had to look at all that skimpy, lacey stuff and not break out in a sweat. I already had that dream image in my mind. Now I could clad it in sexy lingerie. _Double shit!_

I couldn't help staring at it. Some of the stuff in the drawer didn't even look worth the effort to put on. Then it dawned on me that the point in putting some of this stuff on, was so that it could also be _taken off_. For someone. For someone like Jake. I didn't know him, but he was really beginning to annoy the crap out of me.

_Fucking piece-of-unknown-quantity shit!_

I walked into Bella's new room and asked her where she wanted this drawer. I think I kind of shoved it in her face a little. She looked at the contents and blushed a bright red all the way up to her hairline. I have to admit, it was kind of worth it, just to see that reaction. And just to hear that stammer. I felt like it served her right. If this drawer full of fantasies was going to make me feel uncomfortable and awkward and pissed off, it might just as well make her life a tad bit miserable too.

**BPOV**

I could barely get the words out when Edward asked me where I wanted that dresser drawer. I looked down at it and was mortified that he was holding every bra and panty that I owned. Boy shorts, bikinis, thongs. _Yikes!_ I couldn't even look him in the eye. And he was just right there; kind of up in my face. I tried to act nonchalant, but I knew my blush was giving me away. And he had just looked kind of pleased with himself; like he wanted me to be embarrassed. _What was that all about? _It irritated me a little bit because he seemed to be getting a rise out of this. _Oh no!...tell me he's not getting an actual rise out of this! _

I managed to point to the space in the dresser where that drawer was supposed to go. He slid it into place while I quickly exited the room. I needed to get away from him. I went back into my old room and began to fold the comforter from my bed. When he came into the room I just shoved my pillows and comforter into his arms just to give him something to do quickly so I wouldn't have to think about him.

"Here, lie on my bed."

His breath hitched. "What?"

_What?...What had I just said? _"I mean _this. Lay_ _this_ on my bed."

His mouth twisted tightly as he took the things from me quickly and abruptly spun around, leaving without a word. I left the room just after him and bolted for the bathroom. Once I had shut the door behind me looked at myself in the mirror and then I splashed some cold water on my face.

_Bella! What the hell? What is wrong with you?_

I could do this. There was no reason for this to be so difficult. I splashed a little more water onto my heated face, dried off, took a deep breath and headed to my room.

**EPOV**

_How does she do it? How does she manage to just ruin me?_

There I was, feeling all smug because I'd taken my embarrassing awkward moment and turned it around onto her. I had made her feel embarrassed about her skimpy lingerie. Then I walked into her room to get the next thing and she tells me 'lie on my bed'. It wasn't what she'd meant to say. Or was it?

_Was it? Did she say it on purpose? Was she trying to mess with my mind?_ _Was it a Freudian slip? What the hell is happening here? _

I'd grabbed the pillows and comforter and done a quick about-face, heading back to the new room. My mind was racing, trying to figure out her last verbal slip, when the scent from her pillow hit me like a wrecking ball. It was her scent, intensified. Heavier on her pillow and bedding. _Holy shit! _I held the things up a little closer to my face and breathed in, closing my eyes. _She smelled so fucking good. _A part of me wanted to slink away with her things and find a secluded spot to wrap myself up in her scent and maybe just sleep for a while. And dream that dream.

_Oh, I'm so fucked!_

I paused outside the door to Alice's room, leaning against the wall in the hallway. Jasper was on his way back through.

"You okay, Edward?"

"Yeah," I told him, opening my eyes and adjusting the load I held in front of me. "I just felt dizzy. I think I stood up too quickly. I'll be okay. Give me a moment."

_I just have to wait until the tent I'm pitching subsides, because I'm so fucked!_

**BPOV**

I came back out of the bathroom and went into my old room. Alice and Jasper had moved the contents of my desk and bookshelf. There was only one thing left of me in the Celtic Crystal Kingdom. I unplugged my desk lamp. The one that matched Edward's. I carried it into my new room and set it on my desk, reaching down to plug it in.

"Where did Edward and Jasper go?" I asked Alice, looking around and noting their absence.

"They'll be back shortly. They went downstairs to get some unused risers from Emmett so we can raise our beds to just under the loft windows. We'll put one end of each of the beds on top of our closets for support on that end. The other end will need a few bunk extensions and I think it'll be level. We'll have to climb up using the bars on the extensions to get into bed at night, like getting into a high bunk bed, but it will give us all kinds of room below to make a lounge area."

"That sounds really cool yet dangerous, Alice. You'll be the one that has to call nine-one-one when I fall out of bed some night."

"What are friends for?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye. "Bella, you'll be fine. When was the last time you fell out of bed?"

"I think I was about six."

"My point exactly. Plus, if we ever wanted to climb out onto the roof we could do that with our beds right there at the loft windows."

"Why would I want to climb out of the window?"

"It's good to be prepared for any eventuality, Bella."

Edward and Jasper returned with the bed frame extensions and Alice explained how she wanted enough of them attached together so they would form a ladder at one end of our bunks. These ladders would be at the foot end of each bed. Meanwhile the head end of the beds would rest on top of each of our closets for support at the opposite end. Our beds would be placed on the far end of our room, beneath the window. Alice's bed would go against the side wall; mine would be perpendicular to hers, just under the loft window.

It didn't take long for Edward and Jasper to put together the risers, lift the bed frame up and put it on top of the closet and attach the extended legs on the foot end. They managed to lift the mattresses up onto the bed frames once the beds were in place.

After that we began creating a sort of lounge below the beds, between the closets, framed with the sheer curtains hung on rods . The rods were attached to the bed frames, and the lounge was filled with throw pillows and cushions. The curtains and pillows gave the room a rather exotic, airy feel. Jasper was helping Alice to open and untangle the twinkle lights, so they could attach them to the underside of the bed frames.

The only thing we hadn't taken into consideration was how difficult it was now going to be to make our beds. I climbed up on top of my bed and began pulling and tucking the fitted sheet into place. Alice and I now had matching sheets and comforters. I scrambled around on my bed, attaching the corners, and then began tucking the flat sheet into place.

I had moved backward to turn around and work on the other end of the bed, when one of my legs suddenly slid off the edge. I gasped loudly as my other leg slipped from the momentum and I quickly grabbed onto the far side of the mattress to keep myself from falling off the bed and landing on my back on the floor below. I heard quick steps below me and suddenly I felt someone's hands on my body. Strong arms were supporting me. I heard Edward's voice behind and below me.

"Just let go, Bella. You'll be okay. I've got you now."

I released my grip and felt my body slowly and carefully pulled down, sliding against his warm, strong body until my feet were on the floor and he released me. I had been so frantic, and maybe that worked to my benefit, because I think I would have focused more on the feeling of being in Edward's arms as he helped me down. And I didn't want to focus on that. That wouldn't have been smart.

"Oh, God, that was close!" I exhaled, bending over to catch my breath and calm myself.

"Yeah, that was too close," Edward's voice was tight. I turned around to see him turn and head out the door.

**EPOV**

It scared me when Bella came flying off the edge of the bed. She had been up there trying to organize the sheets and comforter. I'd heard her gasp and I had managed to get to her quickly, while she was hanging there. I grabbed hold of her to support her so she wouldn't fall, in case she couldn't hold on, then I told her I had her, that she could let go.

She let go and I gently pulled her down and into me, letting the weight of her body slide down along the length of mine until her feet touched the floor. She was so warm and soft and so small and she just smelled so good. I found that when her feet hit the floor, I didn't really want to let go of her. My arms were bands of steel that I had to mentally pry off of her before she noticed my difficulty.

My reaction to having her in my arms was far more frightening than it had been seeing her nearly fly off the bed.

And so I had to get the hell out of there before I did or said something stupid.

_Fuck! This is so fucking fucked up!_

**A/N:** **So the girls are now together and Edward is coming rapidly unglued. Sounds like a collage made in heaven. Oh dear, Edward, what are you going to do now? **

**Go ahead. Do it. Write a review. And don't read on unless it's revised!**


	13. Your Place or Mine?

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N: Please share your thoughts and write a review. Even if the story is way past this point, I still like the trip down memory lane from a past chapter with you.

Stephenie Meyer is awesome. Me, not so much. No copyright infringement intended.

Time to do the Transfer Tango. Bella spills. Edward can be noble. Oh, the anxiety! It's wearing them down, though. Be patient!

**Chapter 13: Your Place Or Mine? (****Revised)**

**BPOV **

I knew the blush was still apparent on my face. Every part of me that had touched Edward's body was still zinging with an electrical current. My face still felt overheated. I could still smell his scent on me and around me. I was certain that he must have felt that same jittery electrical charge that I had. And there had been just the slightest of pauses once my feet touched down, like he wasn't quite ready to let me go. He had _held_ me.

Once I was on the ground, I had exhaled, saying, 'God, that was close.' Edward's tight response had been, 'Yeah, that was _too _close.' By the time I looked up at him to see what was wrong, he had already turned around and was striding out the door with clenched fists. He didn't say anything more and he didn't turn and look back; he had just fled.

I turned around to look at Alice. She and Jasper both had forlorn expressions on their faces as they sat under the curtains, holding the strands of twinkle lights in their hands.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice a little shaky from the whole experience. "Why did he leave?"

Alice looked despondent. "Oh, Bella, do you really not know what's going on?" she asked plaintively.

I looked from her to Jasper. He was now inspecting the floor, tracing designs in the carpet, unwilling to look up at me. I shook my head. But I knew. How could I not know? I knew and I didn't want to say it out loud because that would be acknowledging it and then it would really exist.

But Alice said it and that made it real. Her voice was nearly a whisper. "Bella, Edward really cares for you."

She didn't have to tell me that. I really already knew that. He had volunteered to walk me home from the fitness center whenever it was dark, anytime at all. A guy doesn't volunteer to do that for everybody. Just someone special. Because he worries. Because it's someone special.

"Alice, I have a boyfriend back home in Forks."

_Was I trying to convince her or myself?_

Jasper was keenly interested in his fingernails at the moment, and still would not look up. It was apparent that he wished he were elsewhere.

"I know that, Bella," Alice replied.

"And Edward knows that I have a boyfriend." I felt like I was pleading my case.

"I know that too." She paused, obviously torn as to whether she should say anything more. "This is really hard for Edward, unimaginably hard. He doesn't want to be attached to anyone, and suddenly he finds himself attracted to you and you're becoming unavoidable. It's really not my place to say anything more, but he has a past that makes this harder for him than you would imagine. It's not just that he's attracted to another guy's girl. The difficulty factor in this is way beyond just that. I can't say anymore. It's not my place to do so. He's the one that would have to tell you, if he decides it's important that you know."

I stood there, just looking at them for a moment, feeling slightly bewildered. Then I realized that Edward and I really needed to talk, instead of dancing around the issue. We had to confront this because it wasn't going away. Maybe if we aired it all out, it would be something we could both manage to deal with and overcome.

"I've got to go find him."

Jasper finally spoke as he examined a pillow carefully. "He's either in his room playing the guitar, or, depending upon how upset he is, he's going for a run. A run-situation is more severe than a guitar-situation. Just so you know." He finally looked up at me and gave me a little shrug. It was one of the rare times I would ever see him be completely serious.

I was out the door instantly, hurrying down the stairs to Edward's suite, to his door.

It didn't look like there was a light on as I glanced at the bottom of the door. I leaned up to it and could hear soft guitar music being played quietly from within. Jasper had been right about Edward's options for dealing with this situation. Okay, this was good. It wasn't so bad that he felt he needed to go for a run, and I didn't have to try to chase him down. I took a breath to steady myself and I knocked on the door.

"Edward, it's me, Bella." I pressed my forehead against the door.

There was no response, but the guitar music abruptly stopped.

"Edward…please open the door."

I heard a very quiet groan from inside. A moment later the door opened slightly. He was blocking the entrance, not allowing me in, not allowing it open any farther. His face was impassive, controlled. Absolutely beautiful, but stoically emotionless.

"Can I please come in?" I asked him quietly, as I searched his green-blue eyes.

His emotionless face changed and he suddenly looked pained. "Bella, I really don't think that's such a good idea." His soft voice was like velvet, but it sounded thicker than normal.

"Please… Edward?"

He hung his head for a moment, then he took a deep breath, seemingly to steel himself, and he backed away slightly as the door swung open wider. I slid through the doorway. The room was fairly dim. The blinds were closed tightly to the late afternoon light. I could see the lava lamp on Jazz's nightstand, oozing away. That was the only light on at the moment. I shut the door behind me and stood there, letting my eyes adjust. Edward turned and walked over to his bed, sitting down and backing himself into the corner. He leaned up against the pillow and wall. His eyes were pitch black in the dim light and they were regarding me warily. He looked like an unhappy, caged animal that wanted desperately to escape.

I looked around and pulled out the chair that was at his desk. I wasn't sure what to say. I sat down, pulling my feet up and hugging my knees. I looked at him for a moment and I suddenly felt very tired and inexplicably sad.

"Bella, what do you want?" His voice was low.

I took a shaky breath. "I'm not really sure, Edward." _Did he realize that this was beginning to be the crux of this whole situation? I didn't know what I wanted anymore. _I wanted to say something else to him, but my thoughts wouldn't form.

"You came down here to find me, but you're not sure why?" A hand drifted to his unruly hair and his long, elegant fingers raked slowly through it.

"I couldn't just let you leave like that."

"Why not?" he asked me quietly. He was making this awfully hard for me.

"I should have at least thanked you for helping me down."

"So you came down here to thank me?"

I shifted uncomfortably on my chair. "Yes! No! Well, yes. Thank you. But it's not the only reason." _Oh, this was so hard! _"I'm sorry you felt like you had to leave."

He drew his legs up close to his chest and rested an arm on his bent knees. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb for a moment, and then relaxed his hand and tipped his head back to rest it against the wall. He exhaled slowly. "Bella, maybe it would be better if we weren't friends."

_What? No! Why? _"Edward, I'm your sister's roommate now, and a friend too. We live in the same dorm. I see you everyday. I eat meals with you. I do things with your family and friends and now you don't want us to be friends?

"I didn't say that I don't _want _to be friends, just that it would maybe be better if we weren't. It would be easier. It's not going to be very easy to be friends. And I don't want to be in the middle of anything that's going on between you and your boyfriend."

**EPOV**

She just stared at me for a moment, shocked. It was as if I had just slapped her. Then she was suddenly up and out of her chair, pacing back and forth in the small space in my room. Her hands were clenched tightly, I could see her knuckles whitening, and her jaw was set. She was suddenly all agitated and had a fiery look about her. It seemed I had touched a nerve.

Her voice was harsh as she spoke. "Don't you do this to me, Edward Cullen!" She looked at me. No, she _glared_ at me. "I've known Jake almost my entire life. He's always been good to me. He's never done anything, not one single time, to hurt me. He wouldn't do _anything_ to hurt me. He cares about me too much. I can't and I won't do anything to hurt him." She threw her hands up in dismay, adding, "I don't want to hurt _anyone_."

She had stopped pacing for a moment and glared at me more intently. I knew she wasn't done. I didn't say a word; I really didn't know what to say, anyway. I just waited.

She began pacing again, wringing her hands now as she spoke. "I don't want to hurt _you _either," she continued. "Edward, you're a really great guy and you're fun to be with and now you want to protect me and walk me home so I won't be alone in the dark. I know you care about me. And I care about you. I don't know what your story is, but I think you wanted to kiss me last Saturday after the dance. And now a week later I'm wondering what it would have felt like. And when you lifted me down from my bed, when I was just hanging there, I liked how it felt; I liked the feel of your body against my own. And I know you felt the same electric jolt that I did. And then you kept your arms around me for just a split second longer than necessary, but I noticed it." Her voice caught. She stopped pacing.

I was in shock, but somehow I slid myself forward, climbing off my bed, and went to her.

"Bella, I …" She put her hand up, pressing it against my chest for me to keep my distance. I stopped, silenced.

She looked up at me and I could see the tears brimming in her eyes in the low light cast by the lava lamp. _Oh no, I didn't want to make her cry._

"No," she said quietly, "this isn't happening." She dropped her hand from my chest. "This isn't _going_ to happen." The tears overflowed her eyes and began rolling down her cheeks. "This can't happen, Edward. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I just can't _do this_!"

She fled to the door, slamming it as she left.

I sat back down on my bed carefully and took a very deep breath, trying to process what had just been said. She didn't want to hurt anyone, yet here she was, already hurting.

This was so spectacularly fucked up. And I had fucked up, so spectacularly.

**BPOV**

I quickly made my way upstairs again, almost forgetting that I had moved out of the old room and into Alice's. I paused at the door, wiping the tears out of my eyes. I couldn't believe the turn of events that had happened in such a short time. I'd only been here one week. I decided to head into the bathroom and splash some cold water on my face. It didn't help much. I tried again, but I looked a mess. That was fitting. What a mess I'd created! And I wasn't even sure what I'd done to create it.

I knocked on the door to Alice's room as I opened it.

"Bella, you live here now; you don't have to knock on your own door." Alice's voice came from the curtained lounge area, where she was still sitting with Jasper.

"I, uh, I didn't know if you and Jasper expected me, so I thought I'd knock."

Alice eyed me carefully. "Jasper is just leaving anyway," she said as she grabbed his hands and pulled him up. "Let me walk you out, Jasper." She pulled him to the door, where he mumbled a rather quiet, "Goodbye, Bella," before they both went out, shutting the door.

I could hear them talking quietly outside for a few moments. I climbed up the bed extensions and I lay down on my bed, clutching my pillow and bunching it up under me. I turned my face to the wall, squeezing a few more tears out of the corners of my eyes, before they rolled down onto the pillow below. I lay there for a while, wishing this would all go away. I no longer heard Alice and Jasper's voices outside in the suite.

A moment later, I heard the door open softly, and then close again. I lay there, wondering what Alice would say; wondering what she thought.

But it was Edward's voice that I suddenly heard.

**EPOV**

She had fled and I remained sitting there for a moment in the semi-darkness. I wondered why I hadn't just stayed there in her room before. Just put up with it. Just manned-up and stayed. What the hell was wrong with me? Somehow everything had spiraled out of control. Out of my control. And I was usually so in-control. How had I let this happen?

Last night had been fine. Today, well, earlier anyway, had been fine, too. Until I had her damn drawer of panties in my hand, and in my mind. And that was when I remembered about her boyfriend. That was when I started to lose my grip on my control. Then she had handed me her bedding and she told me to lie on her bed, when she had meant to say to _lay_ _it_, the _bedding_, on her bed. _And the scent of her in her bedding, …oh, holy fuck!_ I had felt my control slipping even more. Thank God, Alice had had an errand for Jasper and me to run and we went to get the bed extensions from Emmett.

Maybe things would have been okay after that, except that she had almost fallen from her bed. I lost nearly every last shred of control. I couldn't take it. She was there in my arms and I just wanted to hold her and pull her more tightly into me. And breathe in her scent. And feel her soft hair. And look into those dark chocolate eyes. And kiss the fucking living daylights out of her. Screw it if Alice and Jasper were sitting right there. They could have watched and I wouldn't have given a shit. It was as if a monster had been unleashed within me and I could only barely contain him.

But I had to leave, because I wouldn't hurt her. I knew she still cared about her boyfriend and I wouldn't force her into this situation. I couldn't do it. I had no business having the feelings that had exploded within me. I was a fucking idiot but I wasn't going to be an idiot to her.

And then she came to my room. If I hadn't been playing the guitar, I could have pretended that I wasn't there. I knew I should have gone for a run. But it was too late. I had to let her in; she knew I was there and her voice had been pleading. But I sat in the corner on my bed, trying to put distance between us, so I couldn't reach out to touch her. She sat at my desk. That was a good call on her part. No telling what I would have done if she'd sat down within reach on the bed too.

Once she had gone from my room, I tried to process what she had said. She had been upset; pacing. She'd said that she didn't want to hurt me. She cared about me. Well, I cared about her too, and she knew that. She said she'd wondered what it would have felt like to kiss me. _Fuck, I was wondering the same thing._ She'd liked the feel of my body against hers. To me, it had felt like she was where she belonged - in my arms. She had felt the same electric jolt I felt whenever I touched her. So now I knew I wasn't alone in that.

It was hard to remember to breathe as I thought about everything she'd said and compared it to my own building feelings.

But I'd also heard what she didn't say. About Jake. She'd said she'd known him almost her entire life, that he'd always been good to her, had never, and would never, hurt her. She'd said she couldn't and wouldn't do anything to hurt _him_. But there was one thing that she _hadn't_ said. She hadn't said that she _loved _him. She hadn't mentioned love at all. And that thought was now screaming at me in my head.

I'd gotten up off of my bed after she'd said all of that. She was upset and tears were beginning to form. Even in the darkness, I could see the tears welling up. I had wanted to go to her and hold her or tell her I was sorry or something, but she wouldn't allow it. She'd put her hand up to stop me.

Then the tears were beginning to overflow, glittering in the dark. She was telling me, or herself, that this wasn't happening. She couldn't hurt anyone; she couldn't do this.

And then she left. Like I had left when I ran out of her room earlier. She couldn't allow it. Just like I wouldn't allow it. So now I had to go to her, like she had had to come to me. At least we were on the same fucked up page in our reaction to this.

I climbed the stairs to her room slowly, wondering what I was going to say. Jasper and Alice were talking quietly in the suite. Alice smiled a tiny, sad smile and told me that they'd go down to Jasper's and my room. She had grasped my hand briefly as she passed and they left. I stood outside the door for a moment, and then I quietly opened it and closed it behind me. I didn't see Bella, at first, and then I realized that she was up on her bed.

"Bella?" I quietly said.

She gasped and turned over abruptly, nearly tumbling off of her bed and down to the floor.

"Oh, jeez! Bella, no!" I was under the side of her bed in an instant, thinking that she was about to fall over the edge again.

She caught herself in time, but the look on her face registered the fright of her near-fall. Then we were both just looking at each other, wearing identical frightened expressions. That broke the tension. We both exhaled simultaneously and I grinned at her. Suddenly we were both laughing hard and the tension evaporated.

"Who's idea was it to put these beds up there on the fourteenth floor?" I asked.

"You know, don't you, the headstone on my grave is going to merely read, 'Here lies Bella Swan. Clumsy until her death.'"

We laughed a little more. And then it got quiet. And a little uncomfortable.

I was the brave one; I had come to her, after all. "Bella, I feel like we need to talk more. We can't leave it like this."

"I know, Edward. This isn't good." She nodded, sighing.

"Do you want me to come up there, or do you want to come down here?" I flashed a small smile up at her.

"I guess I should come down there." She paused and looked down doubtfully.

"Do you need help?" I asked, smirking.

"Maybe. I only know how to fall off of here. I don't actually know how to climb down from here safely."

I chuckled. "Climb down the same way you went up. Roll over on your stomach," I told her. She did as I said. "Now swing your legs down here where the extensions are. You must have used them like a ladder to climb up, just do it in reverse now."

I took hold of her foot as she swung her leg over the side, moving it to the bar she would need to stand on. I managed to ignore the slight tingling in my hand as our bodies came into contact again. Then I reached for the other foot as she started down, placing it on the next bar, until she got the feel of it. She finally stepped off the last bar and onto the floor.

"There, you did it!" I told her encouragingly, as she turned to face me.

"Yeah, I'll just have to call you every morning to come coach me down."

I laughed. "I give this contraption that we built one week."

"Or until Alice has to call nine-one-one, whichever comes first."

I smiled at her. "Let's sit in the fort."

She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "I don't think you should let Alice hear you call it a 'fort'. She likes to call it 'the lounge.' I think that sounds more hip and elegant to her."

"You want 'elegant?' Let's sit in the 'swanky fort'."

She giggled once again. "There we go. The 'swanky fort.' Elegant."

"Yep," I nodded, adding, "It's a damn fine, swanky fort."

She smiled. "It's a DFSF."

I parted the curtains, holding it open for her, and then went in myself, sitting down on a cushion, leaning up against the wall. Bella sat at a right angle to me, leaning against her closet. We settled and our eyes met and the mood changed perceptibly.

"I'm sorry," I told her. I was serious now. "I had to help you down before, but it got kind of… difficult for me to deal with."

"No, Edward, I'm sorry. I should have been more careful." She looked down at the throw pillow she held in her hand.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Bella. I just got all moody because I felt like I was losing control of my emotions. In case you haven't noticed, I like to be in control."

"Oh, I totally missed that about you." She grinned at me through her lashes. "But I need to apologize because I sort of boiled over downstairs and said some things that probably would have been better left unsaid." She blushed, looking back down at the pillow, tracing its corded edge with her fingertips.

I looked at her point blank. "I'm glad you said them. It's nice for me to know those things. But you have my word, Bella, I won't do anything with that knowledge. I won't act on it. I can be noble. I know you care about your boyfriend."

"Yeah, Jake and I…" she was hesitant, pondering.

"What? Jake and you… what?"

"Well, it's… complicated."

"I think I can keep up. If you want to tell me, that is."

"Well… we grew up together. Our families are close. We've always been really close; I mean, even as kids. He's really always been my closest friend. We've been going out since my senior year. But this - me going away to college - has been really hard on him. Really, it's been hard on both of us. He wants me to be happy and he says he wants me to do what I want to do, but when I do what I want to do, it's not really what he wants. What he wants is for me to want what he wants; and I'm not sure that's what I want."

It was hard to keep from chuckling. Not because of what she said, because I understood what she was saying, but how she said it was funny. I couldn't resist. I deadpanned, "Yeah, you were right. That was way too complicated. I _couldn't_ keep up."

She lifted the pillow and chucked it at my head, smiling. I ducked and snickered.

"Bella," I was serious again, "you said earlier that he's good to you and that he really cares about you. That's important. You should be with a good guy who really cares about you. But it sounds like you and he have some other stuff to figure out. And I don't want to be a part of that equation; I don't want to get in the middle."

"But I still want you to be my friend, Edward." She looked at me seriously with those big, soft, brown eyes.

"I know, Bella. I am your friend." _And if that's all I'll be, I'll tell myself it's enough._

"I don't want you to avoid me." Her eyes still held mine; would not let them go.

"I know. I won't." _I don't think I could. _

I reached up and lightly traced her cheekbone with the back of my finger. I could feel my throat tightening. I knew that two people were going to get hurt. One of them was Bella. It was just a question of who would be the other. I dropped my hand back down to my side. I would do nothing to force this.

**A/N: I don't know about you, but I'm wrecked. Jake's visit is a week away. It's time to go celebrate the move-in. Sounds like a group date. Turmoil much? Tell me your thoughts. Leave me a review.**

**Don't read on if the following chapter hasn't been ****revised!**


	14. Partial to the Blush

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N: So, they both have good and noble intentions. But they just can't keep their hands to themselves. At least it's for a good reason. Yeah right!

The original Twilight characters and Twilight plot are the property of Ms. Meyer. I'm just usiing a different arrangement of letters of the alphabet to tell a different story in a parallel universe. No copyright infringement is intended.

Now, let's go on a triple-date, shall we?

**Chapter 14: Partial to the Blush (****Revised****)**

**EPOV**

When I returned to my room after my heart to heart with Bella, I knocked on the door. I didn't want to surprise Jasper and Alice if they were doing the nasty or some such thing. I also really didn't want to walk in on them and see Sister Alice spanking Naughty Catholic School Girl. I wondered briefly if Jasper was going to be incorporating his newfound kilt into his regular clothing repertoire. Jasper was a little crazy and Alice was all over crazy. Precisely why I was concerned about interrupting any activities going on in the privacy of my own dorm room.

Jasper opened the door. He was still dressed in his skirt. He peered thoughtfully at my face for a moment.

"Alice," he turned to speak over his shoulder, "it's Edward, and happily enough, he doesn't look any more morose than usual."

"Out of my way, you skirt-wearing bitch," I joked, as I brushed past him.

Alice spoke up from where she sat cross-legged on Jasper's bed. "Oh Edward, I'm so sorry for how things went today. For both of you. Is everything okay? Are _you_ okay?" I heard the concern in her voice. She always thought she had to watch out for me.

"We talked a little. Things are better, especially if I'm not opposed to living in limbo. But it's tolerable. There's nothing I can do anyway. I refuse to try to alter the situation; I told her as much." I crammed my hands into the pockets of my jeans, hoping Alice wasn't going to try to persuade me differently.

"I'm glad you at least talked to each other. I told Jasper I hoped it wasn't a big mistake having Bella be my roommate. She's just so nice and she's fun, but I don't want it to be hard on you with the whole boyfriend thing."

"No, Alice. Bella's great and she's going to be a great friend. I can see that already. She feels like one of us, you know? She belongs."

"I just don't want it to be awkward for you."

I shrugged. "I'll deal." _What else could I do? I had no other choice._

"Do you think we're still on for dinner tonight? We were so busy and then we got all sidetracked because of the two of you, we missed lunch and I'm starting to get really hungry. We had said we'd take you guys out for helping us. I'd like to still do that. Oh, and our room is fabulous, by the way! We just love it! Thank you, both of you!"

"I think Bella would probably still be up for dinner. She seemed okay when I left. And I'm hungry, aren't you, Jasper?"

"Always ravenous, you know me."

"Alice, why don't you go up and check with Bella, just to make sure? Jasper and I'll talk to Emmett. What time do we need to leave?"

"How about in an hour and a half? I'll call Rose. We girls need some time to get ready. I already called the restaurant earlier to make sure they have a table for the six of us, so we'll be good to go."

"Which restaurant?" Jasper asked.

"It's a cute little place called Bella Italia," Alice answered him.

"Molto bene!" Jasper exclaimed in an Italian accent and gesturing more than necessary. "Italian food sounds outstanding!"

"Why don't you guys check with Emmett and make sure he can drive? Then we can all fit together in his car."

**BPOV**

After Edward and I had talked in the swanky fort I'd felt better about the whole situation. We'd had the chance to clear the air, and even though there was _something _there, we would do what we could to move past it. He'd left to go down to his room and I'd remained where I was, just trying to sort through all that had been revealed.

I'd been shocked earlier when Edward had said he didn't want to be in the middle of anything that was going on between me and my boyfriend. _What did he mean? What did he think was going on between me and Jake?_

It had made me angry, and I felt like I had to defend Jake to him. Edward didn't even know him! Did he think I wanted to hurt Jake? Well, I didn't and I told him as much. Jake and I had been through a lot; he had always been my rock. I couldn't do anything to hurt him.

But I didn't want to hurt Edward either.

Alice had told me that he cared about me; that he was attracted to me. I had already begun to figure that out but I wasn't sure how it had happened. I wasn't available, I knew Edward didn't _want_ to be involved with anyone, and yet he seemed drawn to me. Heck, he wanted to protect me from the evil that lurked at night between the fitness center and our dorm!

I thought he was nice and funny, but I was realizing that he didn't show that side of himself to very many people. For some reason, he was showing it to me. Alice had told me he would tell me his situation if he thought it was important for me to know. _What did that mean? _I'd even given him the opportunity to tell me this afternoon. But he hadn't clarified anything. And now that I thought about it, he hadn't denied wanting to kiss me after the dance either. _So did that mean my hunch had been right?_

I blushed as I thought about what I had divulged to him. I'd told him that I wondered what it would have felt like if he had kissed me and that I liked the feel of his body against mine when he had helped me down from my near-fall off the bed. I told him I felt that strange electricity when he touched me and I knew he felt it too. And I also told him that he had held me a little longer than necessary.

But I had finished that confession with the statement that this wasn't happening and wasn't going to happen. I couldn't let this happen, not to him, not to Jake, not to me. Just because I was in a new situation, away from home in unfamiliar surroundings, and found the attention of someone as incredibly attractive as him flattering, I wasn't going to use him because of some misguided feelings. We could only be friends; nothing more.

I took a long shower and it really felt good. I hadn't realized how tense I'd become during the course of the afternoon, and the hot water really helped to relax me, washing all the stress away. I just hoped we could get past this. I checked the time when I got out of the shower. I still had about forty minutes to dry my hair, dress and put on a little make up.

I finished up in the bathroom, drying my hair most of the way. I didn't bother to straighten it. That took too long. There was just too much to fight with, so I let it do its own thing, curling and waving whichever way it wanted to go.

When I got back into the room I stood in front of my closet, wondering what to wear and looking at my options.

"Alice, is this a nice restaurant? Should I dress up?"

"Let me see our choices," she said, coming to stand next to me, scanning my wardrobe. "What about this?" she asked, pulling out a dark forest green blouse. "Pair that with some skinny jeans and you'll look perfect."

I'd never been a very big fan of green. Brown was usually my favorite color, but I'd always felt rather pretty when I wore this blouse. Maybe it would help to lift my mood that little extra bit.

We were both dressed and ready with about ten minutes to spare. Alice looked intimidating in skinny jeans, a short little trench style-jacket and over-the-knee black leather boots that had very high heels. I didn't dare wear heels. I had a hard enough time navigating the world in shoes other than my Chucks. But tonight I decided to wear some little black flats; they were a little dressier. I grabbed my black jacket and we started down the stairs for the guys' suite.

They were already hanging out in front of Emmett's open door. I could smell the scent of aftershave or cologne; some such masculine scent. And they had dressed up a bit more nicely than their standard student-on-campus attire.

I saw Jasper first. He had on some dark gray jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, he held a light gray jacket in his hand. Emmett, standing just beyond Jasper, inside the door to his room, wore a cream sweater over black jeans.

Edward was just beyond the other two guys, leaning back against the wall, with his head tipped up, eyes closed. _Oh my!_ He looked like he'd stepped out of a glossy, brooding magazine ad for men's cologne. He looked pretty darn amazing. He had on very dark blue jeans and a steel gray v-neck sweater with a white t-shirt underneath. He was holding a black leather jacket in his hand. His sweater made his normally green-blue eyes look nearly navy. His slightly damp hair seemed a little more orderly than usual, but I knew that wouldn't last long as soon as was dry and he began running his hand through it. I'd never seen a guy in the flesh looking so much like an advertisement for sex.

They turned when they heard us approaching, Edward's head pulling away from the wall, and his eyes opening.

Jasper whistled. "Don't you girls look beautiful?"

Edward's eyes were a little wider than usual. His smile seemed in agreement with Jasper.

Jasper suddenly groaned. "Oh, Alice, the boots, not the boots! How am I going to concentrate on dinner, knowing that's going on under the table?"

"What's going on under the table?" It was Emmett's voice, coming from inside his room.

Rose's laugh lilted out of the room "Really, Emmett, I'm surprised you have to ask about what goes on under the table."

Edward rolled his eyes, wincing. "Can we all just get going, please?"

They filed out of Emmett's room. "How about we discuss possibilities for above the table now; specifically on a tabletop, Edward?" They all laughed at Edward's discomfort.

"I'll be waiting by the car," he said as he led the way down to the parking lot.

Emmett's car was a Hummer. We all fit inside easily and it felt a little bit like we were riding in a tank. There were harnesses for off-roading, and at first I was confused about what to fasten where, but Edward, sitting on the middle seat next to me, slid over and reached around me, fastening me in with the appropriate belts. He looked up at my eyes as the buckle clicked into place. His face was only a few inches from mine. He paused there for a moment, and my breath caught, but then he quickly slid back over in the seat and looked out his side window.

The restaurant was quaint, typical Italian décor. The hostess couldn't take her eyes off Edward, and the majority of her questions were directed at him. He turned and looked at me, rolling his eyes. I stifled a laugh. I really couldn't fault the poor hostess. Edward was pretty darn heart-stopping to look at.

Once we were all seated, we looked over the menu. I decided to order the mushroom ravioli, a favorite of mine. Edward said he was getting the pasta with the blush sauce.

Emmett immediately gave him a hard time. "So, you're partial to the blush, Edward?" he asked as he continued looking at the menu, his dimpled grin giving him away.

I looked away quickly, focusing on the décor of the room, certain Emmett's comment must have something to do with me.

"Oh, Edward is most definitely partial to the blush, I'd say," Jasper answered before Edward could say anything to either of them.

I looked back in time to catch Edward glaring at them both and flipping-off both Emmett and Jasper simultaneously for a split second before he realized that I was watching him.

Rosalie jumped into the conversation and to the rescue . "Stop it, you three dolts! Have some manners. So, Alice, Bella, how did the room move go today?"

"Oh, Rose, you should come see it when we get back. It's really cool. We got Bella moved over in no time and we did some decorating. We've got a really cool lounge, now."

"Or 'swanky fort,'" Edward said, turning to look at me, his lips curling into a smile.

"It's a "damn fine swanky fort," I agreed, smiling back at him.

"Yes it is. It's a DFSF," he said nodding, still smiling. .

"Agreed." I nodded back. He and I laughed and the others all looked confused.

"So, yeah, I want to come see your lounge or fort or whatever the hell you built, when we get back," Rose said, looking from Alice to me. "So that went okay, huh? Building it, I mean?"

"We couldn't have done it ourselves," I told her. "Edward and Jasper added extensions to the bed frames and moved the closets against the wall for support and the beds form the ceiling to a little hang-out space. The whole thing is awesome."

"It's great as long as Bella doesn't break her neck falling out of bed," Edward agreed.

"There is that to consider," I nodded.

Our food arrived and we dove in. It was exceptional, probably in part because we had missed lunch, but it really was excellent, authentic Italian.

Over dinner, Alice continued painting the picture of our fabulous dorm room, until she suddenly recalled Jasper's kilt.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Emmett butted in, "you bought a kilt?"

"No, he did not buy a kilt," Edward explained, "he bought a woman's plaid, pleated skirt that looked kilt-like."

"Yeah, Edward went to the thrift store with me to help me pick out a good one."

"Edward, you went with Jasper to shop for women's clothing? That's really out of character; not for Jasper, obviously, but for you."

"Yes, I was there. He wanted me to buy something Country-Western, but I couldn't be swayed."

"Yeah, he wouldn't buy these perfectly good chaps they had. And they were cheap."

"They were cheap because they were assless, you ass. Actually, that didn't even matter. I wasn't going to buy chaps, ass or no ass. No matter how cheap."

"What's so bad about chaps?" Rosalie asked, turning and looking mischievously at Emmett.

"Or even just a big cowboy hat and not a stitch else?" Emmett asked, looking at Rosalie meaningfully.

Suddenly they were kissing and Alice was fake-gagging, pointing her index finger into her mouth. "Ew, disgusting! Get a room, you two!"

Emmett and Rose stopped, laughing. "Got you going, Alice," Emmett observed.

"Yeah, I'll bet." Alice wasn't convinced it had been a joke. "I don't want to even know about the cowboy hat thing."

We finished dinner and divided our bill, Emmett paying for him and Rose, and Alice and I splitting the rest of the bill to pay for ourselves, Edward and Jasper. We headed back out to the Hummer.

"Hey, the night is still young," Emmett said as we were climbing into the car. "A couple guys I know are having a party at their house tonight. We could swing by there before we go back home. Anybody opposed to that?"

Nobody voiced any concerns, so the decision was made and we were off.

I managed to buckle myself up on my own this time. Edward stayed put on his side of the seat, but I glanced up to see his darkened eyes watching me and making sure I would be safe.

When we pulled up we could hear the music thudding from within the house. There were quite a few cars parked on the surrounding streets. We piled out of the Hummer and went inside. The place was fairly packed, with people spilling out onto the dimly lit patio behind the house.

"Do you know the guys that live here?" I asked Edward, leaning up toward him so he could hear me over the music.

"Not well. I just know who they are," he responded, bending down toward me to get closer to my ear. "They're both seniors like Emmett and Rosalie. I think Emmett had a class with them last year; that's how he knows them."

I nodded.

Edward's fingertips were on the small of my back as he leaned into me to speak into my ear again. "I'm going to get a beer, you want one?"

I shrugged and nodded again. He turned to walk away, but a second later he was back, standing close in front of me, taking my hand in his as he peered around the room. "Just come with me," he said. "I don't want to leave you here alone." I smiled to myself. P_rotective much?_

We threaded our way through the crowd, found the beer and helped ourselves. I wasn't really much of a beer drinker, but the occasional one was fine. Edward talked to a few people that he recognized, and introduced them to me. At one point I had to go to the bathroom, so I told him I'd be right back and he waited nearby.

I was quick. I came right back. But there was Edward, standing with a girl who was batting her eyelashes up at him. She was leaning toward him, breasts thrust out, chatting him up. Her body posture was feral; she was ready to pounce. His body posture was somewhat rigid; he looked ready to cut and run. I walked up to them and put my arm through his, looking up at his surprised face and grinning. I just managed to catch the end of what the girl was saying. Something about Jell-O body-shots.

I looked into Edward's wide eyes. "Hi Pooh Bear," I said to him, batting my own eyelashes, grasping his arm tightly in my hand, and laying my other hand flat on his chest. "What have you been doing?"

"I'm just waiting for you, love." He had recovered his surprise and his smile at me was now a smirk.

Miss Jell-O-Shot smiled weakly, withdrew her claws and slinked away.

Edward looked back down at me, his lips curled into a smile. "Seriously, Bella? 'Pooh-Bear'? You couldn't do better than that?"

I giggled. "Hey I had to think quickly on my feet. I had to call the shots."

"But not the Jell-O body-shots?" He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

I blushed. "No!" And then I realized I was still touching him and there was no reason to, and I quickly removed my hands. "Let's go find the others."

We headed into the living room, it was darker and the music was louder. Through the throng of people we could see Emmett dancing with Rose, and Alice and Jasper were dancing nearby.

Edward bent down toward me, "My turn to make a pit stop. I'll be right back; wait right here."

I nodded up at him.

He left and I stood there, sipping at my beer.

A moment later I was aware of someone brushing up against me; a light touch running up the back of my arm. But there was no feeling of electricity. I turned and looked up at a vaguely familiar face. His hair was a dirty blond color and his icy blue eyes were cat-like. He was a predator.

He leaned toward me and spoke. "I remember you…you like it _sweet _and _ra_w." He looked at me lasciviously. "Cafe latte with two raw sugars. Right?"

I nodded as I moved away slightly. It was the creepy guy from the coffee shop.

"What's your name, beautiful?"

"Um, I'm Bella."

A slow smile slithered across his lips. He was aware of my discomfort and he took another step toward me.

"The name fits you. 'Beautiful.' I should have known. Who'd you come here with?"

"Um, I came here with Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale," I managed. I looked out to where people were dancing and saw them all still out there.

He moved closer to me as he peered around at the crowd. "And they left you here all alone, unprotected?" He licked his lip, sidling up next to me. "Would you like to see the rest of the house?" he asked seductively. "I'd like to take you on an exclusive tour. We could find ourselves a quieter spot."

Before I could respond, an arm suddenly snaked around my waist from the other direction, pulling me away from the predator into a big, warm body. I looked up to see Edward's beautiful green-blue eyes, looking down at me. He had a sly grin on his lips.

"I leave you alone for a minute and the wolves descend!" He spoke loudly enough for James to hear. "Did you miss me, _love_?" he asked. His eyes were dancing. Payback was a bitch.

I couldn't say anything, though, because he suddenly pulled me closer and then he planted a soft kiss on my forehead. My mouth went dry. I pulled back, looking up at him, my mouth agape, in shock. His mouth twitched, but then his gaze shifted, staring down the coffee shop guy; Edward's expression a challenge.

"James, how's it going?" Edward was extending his other arm, encircled me within the safety of his arms now. I was still speechless. Still shocked. "I see you've met Bella," he said, smiling down at me. "This is James. This is his house. He and his roommate Laurent are hosting this party."

My head swiveled slowly to James and I nodded. "James and I have met."

James was eyeing me speculatively. "Why didn't you say you say you were here with Edward?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I didn't have the chance." Edward's hands loosened and I felt one of his hands travel up to the back of my neck, long fingers lacing through the hair at the nape of my neck. It sent a shiver down my spine.

"Are you cold, love?" Edward asked, feeling me shiver. I could see that he was enjoying himself with this charade.

"No, actually, it's gotten a little warm in here. I've got to step outside for some air." I looked up at James. "Nice to meet you." _Or not. _I looked up at Edward and I knew that my face was flushed from his attention and proximity and his physical transgression. I slipped away, weaving my way through the crowd and out the door to the patio.

I found a quieter spot outside and I took a deep breath. Edward joined me a moment later. He stood there chagrined, with his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry."

"That wasn't necessary, Edward." I punched him in the upper arm and then I just glared at him.

He looked contrite. "Sorry. It was impulsive. I came out and I saw James putting the move on you. James can be a real letch. I wanted to make sure he knew you weren't available. I didn't want him hassling you. He can be a creep."

I looked down at my hands. Edward was definitely protective of me. He had called it right, though. James _was_ creepy and I had to admit, I _was_ glad Edward had interrupted James' actions. It seemed like James had gotten the message, still…it hadn't been necessary to kiss me.

"Well, let's call it even now," I told him. "I got rid of Miss Jell-O-Shot, you got rid of Lecherous James. And from here on out we're on our own; no saving each other from sexual predators."

He ran a hand through his hair as he stood there looking at me. "Does this mean you won't call me 'Pooh-Bear' ever again?" he asked quietly, a hopeful little crooked grin appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"It depends on how well you behave yourself," I threatened, but I relented, smiling at him.

He laughed his musical laugh. "Well then, I'll be on my best behavior. Don't want to be a 'Pooh-Bear.'"

**EPOV**

Bella looked beautiful tonight. When she and Alice came downstairs to our suite earlier, I'd already been worrying about the evening ahead. I'd been thinking I should maybe not go. Those thoughts went right out the window when I saw her. _She was breathtaking._

When I buckled her into the Hummer, her face had been _right there. _I wouldn't have had to duck my head very far to press my lips to hers. Her eyes had had that unfocused look that just reeled me in. I managed to slide back over to my side and look out the window for the rest of the drive, willing myself to not think about what it would feel like to kiss her.

Dinner had been easy with the banter of the group. Just the 'blush' shit from Emmett and Jasper had been embarrassing. I think she caught me flipping them off, but she didn't say anything. They could be such assholes sometimes.

Bella and Alice had seemed really happy about their room. They thanked us profusely numerous times. I was glad we'd been able to help them, even though I'd had my moment of spontaneous combustion. I smiled to myself, thinking about how Bella remembered I'd called the lounge a 'swanky fort'. That little lounge area would always be the 'damn fine swanky fort' to me now.

The party at James' and Laurent's had been kind of a surprise. I don't think Emmett knew them all that well. Laurent seemed okay, but James gave me a bad vibe. And I'd heard some unpleasant rumors about him concerning girls. They could have just been rumors, but there must be some basis in fact. It upset me when I saw him hitting on Bella. He was disgusting.

Bella had saved me from the Jell-O-Shot girl, snuggling up against my arm. It was a pleasant surprise, and it would have been sexy, except that she'd called me 'Pooh-Bear,' and that kind of nixed the sexy for me. Just as well. It was just a ruse, anyway. I knew she wasn't doing it seriously.

But I'd had my own opportunity when I'd caught James slithering up to her. I'd had to step in, but I knew I'd gone overboard, and I'd blamed it on wanting to make sure that James got the message. I had really just gotten carried away once I had my arm around her. I enjoyed the feeling of holding her, and the blush and confusion on her face when I'd kissed her forehead. _And she'd smelled so damn good._

I'd apologized, but deep inside, I wasn't too sorry. And I'd managed to keep things light. I don't think she was really angry with me, anyway. She had punched me, but it wasn't a very solid punch. I realized I was smiling now, just thinking about it. If I could do it over, I wouldn't change a thing. But I knew I wouldn't get the opportunity to do that again.

Emmett and Rose came out to the patio after I'd apologized to Bella.

"You guys done?" Emmett asked. "We're ready to roll."

"Yeah, let's go." We turned to leave and I kept my hands to myself.

We all got back in the Hummer. Bella had her seatbelt wired, so I didn't get to help her.

Once we got back home we all trooped upstairs so Alice could show Rose and Emmett the new and improved version of their room. On our way up the stairs we met Victoria and Lauren coming down the stairs. They were dressed identically. After they passed, we all looked at each other, our eyebrows raised. _What the hell was that?_

"Bella, we've got some serious shopping to do," Alice said, her thumb jerking over her shoulder toward the two disappearing girls and their matching outfits.

We all burst out laughing as we headed into their room.

Alice gave Rose the grand tour of the rearranged room and the 'damn fine swanky fort'. Alice was pissed that we were all calling it that now, but that was just too bad. The name stuck. Bella showed Rose how she climbed up to her bed and then back down, making me feel a little better about her chances of living through the next twenty four hours.

Emmett and Rose were appropriately impressed about the modifications. They thanked us for the tour and for including them in the dinner outing. We thanked Emmett for driving and then they left.

It was late and suddenly everything was awkward. For Emmett and Rose, and Alice and Jasper, it had been a date night. And now it was that point in the date where you would thoroughly kiss your date goodnight, hold each other for a while and maybe murmur a conversation. But for me and Bella it hadn't been a date night. So what were we supposed to do now? It would have been easier if we hadn't all come up here. Or if _I _hadn't come up here.

I cleared my throat. "Well, that was a great dinner. Thanks Alice and Bella, for taking us out. Dinner was great. I'm going to take off. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Edward." they both said simultaneously. "See you tomorrow," Alice called after me.

I got down to my room and realized I was actually rather worn out. It was going to feel good to crawl into bed and get a good night's sleep. It had been a long day, filled with a lot of ups and downs.

My life was sure a lot more interesting now than it had been just one week ago.

**A/N: ****So, excuses, excuses. There didn't have to be any touching. Right? And yet they both had to touch. Something's going on here! Feel free to discuss!**

**But don't feel free to continue reading unless the next chapter has been ****revised!**


	15. Dawn of the Dilemma

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N: As you know, I am not, and don't pretend to be Stephenie Meyer. I'm not trying to infringe on what belongs to her. I just need more Edward in my life. This is how I achieve that.

Okay, gang, time for Jake to be a Jakeass. Bella, put your thinking cap on, and look at what's staring you in the face.

Here we go…

**Chapter 15: Dawn of the Dilemma (****Revised****)**

**BPOV**

The evening had been a blast, for the most part. I'd really had a great time with them all. It was fun, partly because of how they were all paired up; well except for me and Edward, of course. They were entertaining couples and you could tell how much they loved and enjoyed each other's company. I'd never known any other siblings to get along as well as they did. I'd enjoyed dressing up a little and going out to dinner. Jake and I never went out much; he was more of a homebody and there weren't many choices for dinner dates in Forks.

Even stopping by the house party tonight had been fun, although Edward had gotten a little carried away trying to make James believe that we were together. It still sort of… bothered me a little, although he had said James was a letch, and James _did_ come off creepy. I guess I had deserved Edward's somewhat shocking protectiveness anyway; I had 'protected' Edward from Miss Jell-O-Shot in a very similar way.

All too soon the evening was over. Rose and Emmett had left after checking out Alice's and my newly arranged room. Jasper was still hanging out with Alice, but I figured they'd wrap things up soon. Edward had left rather abruptly, but it was probably because the evening was winding down a little uncomfortably if you weren't part of a couple. Which we weren't.

I wandered off to the bathroom to wash the make up off my face and to brush my teeth. I took my time, to allow Alice and Jasper their privacy, just in case they were still in our room. When I went back inside, Jasper was on his way out the door.

"Goodnight Bella. Don't forget to fasten your restraints once you get into bed."

"Thanks for your concern, Jasper." I smiled at him. "Goodnight."

Alice and I had both begun to get changed into our pajamas. I pulled off my blouse and jeans and I slipped into a pair of flannel pants and an old T-shirt of Jake's.

_Ohmygod! _

_Jake! _

_Oh. My. God._

I suddenly realized that I hadn't called Jake in four days. _Four days? _And he hadn't called me. This wasn't good. No, this was not good at all. He must be so angry and hurt. I wondered why he hadn't called me. Or texted me. But then again, I had done neither myself. I grabbed my phone. But then I realized that I couldn't very well have a conversation with Jake in the same room where Alice would overhear. That would feel weird for both of us. I stood there for a moment contemplating what to do.

"Bella, is everything all right?"

I turned at the sound of her voice and looked at her, standing there in her pajamas. I hadn't realized that she was watching me. "Um, yeah, I've just got to make a phone call. It just dawned on me that I haven't talked to Jake in a few days."

She nodded, not saying anything for a moment. Then she asked, "Bella, do you want me to leave, you know, so you guys can talk?"

"No, Alice, but thanks. I'll sit out in the suite. You can go to bed, if you want."

"I think I'll read for a little while, but I can sit out in the suite if you'd rather have more privacy."

"Oh, no, you don't have to give up the room. I'll be fine out there. Thanks, anyway, Alice."

I pulled on a sweatshirt and some socks and, grabbing my phone, headed to the suite sitting room. The room was empty. I left the overhead light off and sat down in the corner of the sofa. I already had the phone to my ear, listening to the rings. The phone went to voicemail almost instantly, and I heard his message.

"Hey, this is Jake, leave me a message. Bella, if this is you, what's the point? You're obviously too busy. Why bother calling?"

I held the phone away from my ear, looking at it like it was a foreign object I couldn't quite comprehend. But I did understand. He was being a brat. He could be stubborn when he didn't get his way. He could have called me, or texted me, but it was almost like he wanted to be able to put all the blame on me, so he could point his finger and say, "See, I told you this college thing was a bad idea!" He wanted any problems we had to be my fault, for moving on, not his. _This was so childish!_ I snapped my phone shut and went back to my room.

Alice was already up in her bed, reading by the light of a small lamp attached to her bed frame, when I walked through the door. "Everything okay?" she smiled down at me.

"No, everything is really immature," I ranted. Sometimes I can't believe him," I added angrily, as I pulled off my sweatshirt, turned off the light, and began the climb up to my own bed. I paused, halfway up and then climbed back down. I angrily pulled off his old T-shirt and yanked on one of my own. Alice was watching me.

"Bella, what did he say?" she asked quietly as I climbed up to my bed.

"All I got to hear was his voicemail." I pulled back the covers, and scooted down into my bed, managing to stay up on the bed and not fall off. Edward would have been so proud.

_Hmm… I was thinking of him again._

"So Jake's phone was off? It is pretty late, maybe he went to bed." Alice tossed her book down below and shut the little lamp. Now the room was completely dark except for the scant amount of moonlight that stole in through the loft window.

"Yes, his phone was off. But I know he's not asleep. He's a creature of the night. He's probably up watching TV. Or hanging out with his friends. But he left a message on his voicemail for me: 'Bella, if this is you, what's the point? You're obviously too busy. Why bother calling?'"

"You're kidding! He's that mad that you haven't called? Why didn't _he_ just call?"

"Because he wants to be able to do _this_. He can be very stubborn and he likes to pout about things not going his way. He's not happy that I'm here and he's there, back home in Forks, and he likes to keep reminding me of it."

"So what do you think he'll do now?"

"He'll check his phone later on tonight and be secretly pleased that I tried to call him and all I got was that message. Then I'll try again tomorrow and he'll answer and we'll talk about how upset he was and how badly I feel about it."

"Jake sounds like a lot of work."

I sighed heavily. "He can be. But he has also had a lot of very good moments. We've known each other for years and have been friends for practically forever. Our parents have been friends; well, now it's just our dads. His mom passed away a few years ago and my mom is in Florida. Jake and I have a lot of shared history, up until this summer anyway, when I moved here. He probably sounds like a jerk, but him acting like this is really kind of new. We hit a rough patch this summer, when he realized that I really was going to transfer here, and I'd be almost four hours away."

"And you weren't able to smooth that over before you left?"

"Not really. It's the first time we've been apart in the nearly two and a half years we've been dating, and it has him worried. Things have been a little strained ever since the summer. I keep hoping we'll work it out and move past it."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I hope you get things resolved."

"He was supposed to come for a visit this next weekend, but now I'm not sure that's happening."

Alice was silent for a beat too long. I realized that she was probably thinking of Edward, and I wondered if I should have kept my mouth shut about this whole mess.

"I'm sorry, Alice. This isn't really something that should even concern you."

"But I am concerned, Bella. You are my roomie now, and a roomie looks out for her roomie."

Thanks Alice. You're such a great roomie. Better than Victoria."

"Well shit, that's not saying much, bitch!"

I laughed. "Alice, you're even better than magical crystals, bagpipes and Country-Western music."

"There, that's better! Now I feel truly appreciated. Well, Bella, maybe after a good night's sleep, you'll be able to deal with the Jake issue."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. Thanks for listening. Goodnight, Alice."

"Goodnight, Bella."

That was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen.

It was much later that night when I awoke, my heart pounding. Same dream. More clarity. And a whole lot more sexy, with a few surprises thrown in. Once more, Jake and I were fleeing in the dark forest. Someone was pursuing me. I heard Jake breathing hard as he ran alongside me, urging me to go faster, to keep up with him, and pulling me along. Behind me, to the other side, I sensed another presence. I heard a low, rumbling growl. Those footfalls were gaining on us. Jake faltered, and when I stopped and turned to look for him, I couldn't see him. The forest had grown much darker. I stood, looking for Jake, calling out to him, peering through the darkness.

Suddenly he gripped me from behind, pulling me into him as he twisted me around in his arms. He pressed me tightly, securely, to his chest. I gasped as I suddenly felt his hand at the nape of my neck, grabbing a fistful of hair and pulling, tilting my face up. Desperate lips were on my collarbone, drifting slowly up my neck, kissing and sucking. Hot breaths warmed my shivering skin, mingling with little, nipping bites. I moaned. My breathing became ragged as the lips continued their ascent to my jawbone, to the delicate spot just under my ear. The hand that had grasped my hair was now pulling harder, tipping my head back, exposing my throat. The desperate heated lips were on my throat; but they gradually gentled now. I felt the tip of a tongue tracing a languid line up to just under my chin.

And then the tongue and lips pulled away and I moaned again, because of their loss. "No, don't stop," I begged, gasping, opening my eyes to look into Jake's own, nearly black eyes. But I was stunned as my eyes focused. I was shocked to see that it was Edward's green-blue eyes, burning with desire, looking down at me hungrily. It was him, holding me tightly in his arms; his face that hovered just above mine. It was his breathing I'd heard and felt on my skin. His lips and tongue had tormented me. I gasped in surprise. His eyes were piercing. His mouth was descending down to my own. His soft, sculptured lips were parted slightly as they moved toward mine.

"Oh God!"

And with that shout I awoke, sitting bolt upright in bed. It must have been my shout that woke me up, because it had apparently awoken Alice as well.

"Bella!" She whispered loudly, "are you okay?"

"Yeah." I took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself. "I guess I was dreaming," I whispered back, still somewhat breathless, embarrassed. I was glad she couldn't see my face. Or hear my pounding heartbeat as it slowed its erratic thudding.

"It sounded like a heck of a dream. You were moaning and whimpering."

_Whew! Alice, you have no idea. And thank goodness you have no idea!_

"It was pretty wild; I'll tell you in the morning." I would have to come up with something credible. I couldn't very well tell her that I'd had a very erotic kiss dream sequence, featuring her ridiculously good looking brother, could I? And now I would have to lie here, re-imagining that dream for the next several hours. I threw the covers off. It was incredibly hot in here now.

Somehow I eventually fell asleep, although I did indeed contemplate every aspect of that dream. Several times. The rest of the night, however, was dream-free. Thank goodness. One dream like that was plenty.

The next morning Alice and I went down to breakfast later than normal. We walked in the dining hall to find Rose sitting by herself. It seemed that Emmett, Edward, and Jasper had all gone off together on some guy-errand, so Alice and I were left to breakfast alone with Rose. Thank God I didn't have to face Edward after that dream.

We sat down at Rose's table.

"Good morning, you two." She smiled up at us. "Hey, thanks again for including Emmett and me last night. That was a great little restaurant and we had a really nice time. We don't do things together enough. And it was nice to get to know you a little bit better, Bella," she said, turning toward me.

"Thanks, Rose. It _was_ fun and I feel the same way." I smiled back at her.

"We're glad you guys came," Alice told her. "And stopping by the party was fun. Jasper and I were able to get our groove on for a few dances."

"Yeah, Emmett 'did his duty' last evening too," Rose made little quote marks in the air. "He's not much for dancing, but I force him into it and he goes along. Otherwise I withhold sexual favors. That keeps the big dancing bear on his toes, literally."

Alice and I laughed.

"So, Bella," Rose turned toward me, "How come you and Edward didn't dance?"

I blushed. "Oh, I'm not much of a dancer and I don't think Edward likes to dance."

"I don't know." She looked thoughtful. "He might dance with you." Then she leaned forward and asked, "What's going on between you and Edward?"

"Nothing… really," I answered her, blushing. "We're just friends."

"You're kidding, right? That's your story and you're sticking to it?" Rosalie's eyebrow was arched disbelievingly. "He was watching you throughout dinner and he seemed pretty attentive at the house party. And he just seems so happy for a change; still very uptight, in an Edward sort of way, but happy. And that's different."

"Rose…" Alice interrupted.

"No, Alice, I'm serious. Edward hasn't been interested in anyone since…"

"Rose!" Alice was emphatic this time. She looked at Rosalie quite pointedly and Rose shut up. "That's Edward's business. And stop bombarding Bella with so many questions. Besides, Bella was talking in her sleep last night. And if that mumbling and moaning was any indication, she's already got a boyfriend that is quite the hottie."

My face suddenly felt aflame. I visualized Edward's face hovering over mine, his eyes filled with desire. I was thoroughly embarrassed. I hadn't thought to come up with any kind of cover story for my nocturnal admissions. _But wait! Alice thought I had been dreaming of Jake?_

"Why, what did I say?" I asked her, curious now as to what she had actually heard.

"Okay, and I'm quoting here, Alice promised. Then she really threw herself into it, theatrically hanging onto the edge of the table with both hands, writhing, "Jake… Jake." She threw her head back. "Gasp!" She started moaning. Now her hands were up running wildly through her hair, tangling it. "No, don't stop! Gasp! Oh my God!" She dropped limply to the tabletop.

I covered my blushing face in my hands. But at least I hadn't mentioned Edward's name. Thank goodness for small favors. Very small favors.

Alice regained her composure and sat up. "Now, doesn't it sound like Jake is Mr. Hotness?"

"I've got to go take a cold shower," Rose said, fanning herself and smiling. "Okay, Bella, spill about this Jake guy. What does he look like?"

"Well, um, he's pretty tall, over six feet tall. And he's very muscular; he works out an awful lot with a group of his friends on the reservation. He's Quileute Indian, so his skin is a darker, russet color, and he's got thick black hair that he wears long, very dark eyes, and an amazing smile."

"Well," Alice looked at Rosalie. "It sounds like he _could_ be Mr. Hotness; Mr. Melt-Your-Drawers. So tell us about the dream."

"Oh, no, I'm going to keep that mostly confidential. But he and I were running in a forest and I was caught up in a kiss. I know I didn't carry on like you just did, thank you very much. It's not really the kind of dream you're imagining, Alice."

_It was the kind of dream that involved your achingly beautiful brother. Crap! _

We were done with our late breakfast and I realized I had better try to call Jake and see if he had pouted long enough to be willing to answer my call. We were walking back up to the dorm when we saw the guys coming up the hill from the parking lot. Emmett was carrying something and both he and Jasper were waving to us. Edward walked along, behind them, with his hands in his pockets, his head bent down in thought.

Emmett's voice boomed up to us. "Rose, come see what I've got."

"What do you think he's got?" I asked her.

She pondered for a moment. "Ten bucks says it's a pair of assless chaps."

Of course she was right.

They came up to where we waited and launched into their shopping exploits. I listened along with Rosalie and Alice. But I remembered that I wanted to try to call Jake, so I told the group goodbye and we all agreed to meet later for lunch.

Alice went to hang out with Jasper and I went upstairs to try and call Jake. I sat down in the swanky fort and pressed redial. It didn't go directly to voicemail this time. Just as I expected.

"Hi," he said simply, his voice carefully devoid of emotion.

"Hi Jake." I decided I wasn't going to play the game. "I guess you're answering your phone today."

There was a pause. I must not have said what he expected me to say.

"Yeah, and I guess it's a good thing, because you're finally calling."

_Touché._

"Jake, _you_ can call _me_. You don't have to wait for me to call you. It's like you're making me report in."

"Well, I knew you'd be busy and I told you I didn't want to disturb you while you were in class or studying."

_He just did this to bug me; to let me know how much it bugged him._

"Bella, I just don't get it," he continued, "I mean, I know, during the week, you've got classes and studying and I'm trying to be supportive, but what about the weekend? You didn't have class yesterday. You could have called."

"Jake, _you _could have called, too. Why didn't you? Is this some kind of test I'm supposed to pass?"

"I was waiting for you to call. I figured you've been missing me as much as I'm missing you. Are you Bella?"

"Of course I miss you, Jake."

_Although I hadn't thought to call you for four days. What does that say about me? About us? Did I really not miss him?_

"Bella, I've got to admit it, I get upset and then I feel suspicious, you know? I wonder if you're out running around on me with somebody else."

"Jake, it's not like that. I've met some nice friends and I've been doing stuff with them."

"I think if you'd said, 'I've met some nice _girls _and I've been doing stuff with them,' I'd feel a lot better."

"Jake, it's the same people I mentioned in my last phone call with you. You even said you wanted to meet them last time."

"So you're out having so much fun with them that you don't even think about me."

_Was he right?_ "Well, I was busy with school stuff during the end of the week, and then yesterday I moved out of my old room and in with Alice."

"Oh, that's right," Jake's voice suddenly sounded a little brighter. "I completely forgot about you moving. Did it go okay?"

"Yeah, everything went fine." _Except for the Edward dilemma. _"I'm all moved in."

"Did Alice's brothers' help?"

_Shit! Don't ask me these questions. _"Just Edward, and Alice's boyfriend, Jasper helped. They helped us build a loft for our beds, so we have a little sitting area underneath where our beds are."

_There, that sounds okay._

"And that took you all day?"

_What's with the interrogation, already? _"No, we finished in the afternoon and then we all went out for dinner to celebrate, to a little Italian restaurant that Alice knows."

"The four of you went out? Sounds cozy." He was getting angry. I was, too.

"No, it was a group of us. We were celebrating the fact that Alice and I got to be roommates. Actually, there were six of us. Alice's other brother and his girlfriend came too."

"So, three couples? Are you a couple? You and this 'Edward' guy?"

"No, Jake. Don't say that. He's just a friend."

"I'd feel better if he had a girlfriend."

"Well, he doesn't; he doesn't really date."

"What does _that_ mean? Is he _gay_?"

"No! Jake, why would you even ask that?"

"Because then I wouldn't have to worry!"

I didn't respond to him. _Did he have to worry?_

"Bella," his voice was suddenly quieter, "are we still on for this weekend?"

"I think so."

"What do you mean by, 'I think so'?"

"I mean, if you want to come up, I think that would be nice. But if you're going to be all mad and accusatory, maybe it's not a good idea."

"You don't sound like you're looking forward to it very much."

_I'm really not sure._

"I am, Jake. I think it would be a good idea. But not if you're all angry with me. I'll talk to you later on this week, okay? We'll firm up our plans once we've calmed down?"

"Okay. As long as you don't forget to call."

"No, Jake, _you_ call _me_ this time."

"Okay, I'll call. But you'd better answer."

We smoothed things over a little more, then we said our goodbyes and I ended the call. I flopped back down onto the cushions in the swanky fort. I lay there thinking of that phone call, and even more so, the feelings that I had and didn't seem to have. I realized that I felt irritated whereas I should have felt happy, and I felt kind of empty whereas I should have felt excited. I wondered if all this had to do with Jake's feelings of abandonment, the distance between me and Jake. _Or the proximity between me and Edward?_

I needed to get out of the dorm. I was feeling trapped and confused. I grabbed my keys and my wallet and decided to go to the store. Maybe I'd just go for a junk food run. Junk food has been known to solve myriad problems. I hurried down the steps and out the back door, almost colliding smack into Edward.

"Whoa! Been there, done that!" he exclaimed as he grabbed my shoulders, just as I'd been about to crash into him.

I looked up to see the quirky little grin that was forming in the corner of his mouth. He released me and the smile slowly faded from his lips.

"Bella, you okay?" His eyes showed his concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…. Something… Oh, everything! I don't know, Edward." I took a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about it right now." _And I don't even know if I can talk about it with you anyway._

"Okay, you don't have to. Where are you headed?"

"I'm just going to drive to the grocery store." And then I just didn't feel like being alone. I looked up into his concerned, green-blue eyes, "Do you want to go?"

"Sure. I'll come with you. Are you okay to drive? I could drive us if you'd like."

"No, it'll give me something to concentrate on."

He smiled down at me. "You _are_ going to concentrate, right? I don't have to fear for my life, do I?"

"You'll be safe with me." I smiled as we headed down to the parking lot where my truck was parked.

"Does this thing really run, Bella?" he asked, patting the passenger side of the roof and smirking at me.

"Don't be a smartass, Edward, or I'll make you ride in the back." I unlocked my door, got in, and leaned over to unlock and open the passenger side door for him.

"So touchy!" he said as he climbed inside. "Let's see if you can go faster than thirty miles an hour."

"Keep it up and you're walking home, buddy." I glared at him, but I couldn't help the smile forming on my lips.

I started up the engine and when the truck loudly backfired, Edward slumped into me as though he'd been shot. I shoved at him, giggling. He straightened up and looked back at me, chuckling.

It was warm in the cab of the truck. I wasn't sure if it was the weather, or Edward's proximity, but he must have felt it too. Edward pulled off his flannel, bunching it up onto the seat next to him, just between us. He reached forward with one arm, patting the dashboard.

"Okay, Bella, now show me what this baby's got. Put the pedal to the metal."

I slowly backed up the truck, ground the gears, as Edward winced, and we pulled away, chugging along at a brisk fifteen miles an hour.

I looked over at him, smirking.

"Will we be back by dark?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

I lightly slapped his arm. "_You, _Edward, may not be coming back _at all_!"

He threw his head back and laughed. His beautiful face was radiant.

**A/N: Oh, Bella, you've opened the passenger door in more ways than one! You're making way for a new passenger in your heart, girlfriend! Please review, if you would. Let me know what you thought.**

**Only read on if the next chapter has been ****revised!**


	16. It's Not Always a Picnic

**The Transfer (****Revised****)**

A/N: So Bella had another annoying phone conversation with Jake. This just seems to happen all the time! At least she's dreaming of Edward and taking him grocery shopping. She's heading in the right direction. )

The characters and original storyline belong to SM. (As if you didn't already know that.) I just can't leave well enough alone. No copyright infringement is intended. Sighs, smiles and chuckles are intended, however.

Alone time for Edward and Bella. There are some answers to some questions that have been bothering you all along. Now's the time to get those things cleared up.

**Chapter 16: It's Not Always A Picnic (****Revised****)**

**EPOV**

I'd gone this morning with Emmett and Jasper to Jasper's new favorite establishment, the Thrift Store. It seems he can't get enough of that place, and now Emmett is sure to be a frequent shopper as well. I'm not sure why I get dragged along to these things, but I suppose it's best that I go. At least they can't plot pranks to pull on me, and buy ridiculous shit for me if I'm there to supervise them. Those two guys don't mind making fools of themselves, but I've always been more reserved. I don't want people to laugh at me; Emmett and Jasper welcome it wholeheartedly. They're willing to wear neon signs, declaring themselves goofs to the world.

Emmett had to have the assless chaps. Apparently he spent all evening thinking about how much mileage he could get out of something so ludicrous. I wasn't looking for anything to buy. It's fun to see what kind of shit they sell in those places. And all you have to do is look at the two morons I'm with to see who buys that kind of shit.

So we were coming back up the hill to the dorm when we saw Bella, Alice and Rose coming back from a late breakfast. Bella looked pretty but then she always looks pretty. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail. A few stray strands had managed to escape and were blowing in the breeze. I wanted to reach out and tuck them behind her ear, but I didn't, of course. I was already in trouble for kissing her on the forehead the previous evening. I didn't want to overstep my bounds twice in one twenty-four hour period. That would be pushing my luck something awful. Besides, there was no James around to give me a logical motive for my actions.

Emmett was excited to show Rose the chaps. Bella laughed with the other girls although she seemed preoccupied, and shortly afterward, she said she had to leave. We all talked about meeting up for lunch, but because of her distraction, I was wondering if I was really going to see her later or not. She left and my eyes flickered over to Alice, who was looking back at me, her brows slightly knitted and a little frown on her lips. She shook her head ever so slightly. I knew whatever was going on with Bella wasn't good.

The rest of us stood around talking for a bit, and then we went our separate ways. I was in my room for a while when I realized that I'd left my cell phone in Emmett's car this morning. I borrowed his key from him and went back down to the parking lot to his Hummer.

On my way back into the dorm I was almost bowled over by Bella as she was coming out the door. Her head was down and she had a frown on her face. She was lost in thought. I quickly grabbed her by the shoulders before she actually crashed full force into me.

"Whoa! Been there, done that!" I joked, looking at her and grinning. It seemed that she was going to often bowl me over, if not physically, then emotionally.

I released my grip on her shoulders when I saw the expression on her face. She looked truly troubled. She was more upset than I had realized and I wondered what had happened. She'd seemed happy last night, but something had occurred at some point between last night and now, that was really getting her down.

"Bella, you okay?" I asked her. "What's wrong?"

"Oh…nothing… Well…something. Oh, everything! I don't know, Edward." She took a deep breath, adding, "I don't want to talk about it right now."

She really didn't have to say, either now or later. I thought maybe I knew. At least in a general sense. I was willing to bet it had something to do with _him._

When I asked her where she was headed she told me she was going to the grocery store. Then she looked up at me, a little bit hopefully, and asked if I wanted to go. Of course I wanted to go. How could I say no to that sad, little, hopeful face?

I offered to drive but she wanted to, just to keep her mind occupied, probably. We walked down to where her truck was parked and I gave her a hard time about that beat up old thing. But defending it put a little smile back on her face. I was glad to see it there. I felt better knowing that her mood had lifted a little.

When she finally started driving, she went excruciatingly slowly. I know it was just to drive me crazy. I asked if we'd be back by dark and she hit me on the arm, telling me that I might not be coming back at all. That really made me laugh. As if she was dangerous and I should watch out. She looked happy as we drove off. She wasn't the only one.

When we got to the store, I asked her what we were shopping for.

"Junk food," she answered simply. "Junk food cures all kinds of problems."

"Oh, I see," I responded, grinning. "What type of junk food: greasy or sweet?"

"Sweet would really do the trick." She smiled back as we walked through the aisles.

"Hmm, how about ice cream?" I asked her as we neared the frozen foods.

"Oh, that sounds perfect. That's exactly what I want."

We stood in front of the glass doors, looking at our choices and reading the labels on the containers.

"What kind of base flavor do you prefer, Bella? Something vanilla? …or chocolate? …or maybe something more exotic?"

"Oh, most definitely chocolate. I like to live dangerously. How about you?"

"Chocolate; dangerously chocolaty."

"What about 'Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Overload'?" She was pointing in the case. "It sounds like it might have just a bit of the required ingredient."

"Sounds dangerously chocolaty to me," I agreed. I opened the door and grabbed up a small container. "Anything else on your list?"

"You know, Edward, Oreos have been scientifically proven to be mood altering."

I chuckled as we turned to look for the cookie aisle. We found it and picked up a package of Oreos.

"Anything else?" I asked her.

"No, I think that's good. That should cure my problems." She smiled up at me.

I found myself wondering what, specifically, her problems were. I didn't feel like it was my place to just ask her outright. If she wanted to tell me, she would. She wasn't as upset as she had been when she'd first come barreling out of the dorm, so I guess that was good.

We went to the register and I paid. At first she wasn't going to let me pay, saying that she was the one who needed the junk food fix. But I told her that I was only paying because I wanted in on the action. She finally relented and I was allowed to make our purchase. On the way out the door I grabbed a couple of plastic spoons and some napkins from the deli counter.

She drove us back and we hiked up the stairs to her room. Alice was nowhere to be seen. Bella suggested we sit in the swanky fort, but I told her I had a better idea.

"What?" she asked, clearly puzzled.

"We could go sit out on your patio."

"Patio?" she asked, obviously confused.

I pointed up to her loft window.

She turned and looked up. "Can we really sit out there?"

"I do it all the time from my room," I answered her, grinning at her surprise. "Your room is even easier because you can climb up to your bed. Then you just open the window and pop the screen out, and step out onto the roof. It's flat there, and you're surrounded by other structures so you're safe; you're not going anywhere, Bella. Of course I'm not going to let you go falling off a roof."

I could see from the look on her face that she was game to try this. "You go first, though, Edward, since you've done this before."

I climbed up onto her bed, struck for a brief moment with the realization that I was on _her bed_, but it was a passing thought and I managed to stay focused on the activity at hand. Then I opened up the window, popped out the screen, leaning it against the outside of the wall, and looked back down at her, where she stood watching me. I smiled proudly; it was such an easy thing to do, I was surprised more people weren't up on the roof in nice weather.

"You might want to grab a blanket or a towel or something, to sit on, so your pants don't get too dirty."

She opened up her closet and grabbed a small fleece blanket and tossed it up to me.

"Come on up." I smiled down at her encouragingly. "It's safe."

"Will the bed hold both of us?"

_Oh, holy fuck!_

Of course she blushed as soon as she said it.

I quickly shut my gaping mouth; hopefully she hadn't focused on it. I marveled at her inadvertent ability to make sexual innuendos out of simple statements and questions. All the time. I really didn't want to let my mind wander in the direction it was headed, because then my dick would wander in that direction too. She just might be the inadvertent death of me. I couldn't help it though; I grinned a little at her and raised an eyebrow suggestively.

She covered her face with her hands, saying, "Okay, stop looking at me like that. You know what I meant."

I chuckled at her discomfort. "I'm sure it would hold both of us, but I can climb out the window before you come up, if you'd like."

"Um, no, just stay there. With my luck I'd be about to climb out the window when I stumbled backward and fell off the bed, landing on the floor below and knocking myself unconscious."

"And I would get to eat all the ice cream and cookies myself."

"Yeah, but don't even go there, Edward. I need my chocolate fix, so stay put, I'm coming up, and your job is to make sure that I don't kill myself."

She handed the grocery bag up to me and climbed up more nimbly than I would have expected. Then I took her hand to help her, as she stood up on the bed, stepped out the window, and onto the roof. She took the blanket and laid it on the roof as I stepped out to join her. She looked up at me, positively beaming.

"This feels so very _wrong!_" she said excitedly.

"Yeah, I don't think they intended to have college students out on the roofs here. But what they don't know won't hurt them. I like to sit out here when it's sunny, because the roof gets warm and the other structures block the wind. It stays pretty warm up here."

"And most people don't have their beds up on risers like Alice and I, so they would have no idea that we're up here."

"Yeah, it's like you're in your own private bubble up here."

We sat down, leaning back against the wall and stretching our legs out in front of us. The blanket wasn't very big, so we had to sit rather close. _No complaints about that here._ I reached back to the window and slid it almost closed, leaving just an inch or so open. We didn't want to be locked out. I took the ice cream out of the bag, pulled off the lid, and handed her a spoon, holding the little carton out between us, for her to take a spoonful.

"Mmm. Oh, this is decadent," she moaned, slowly pulling the spoon out of her mouth, licking it off neatly with her tongue.

_Christ Almighty! First the bed comment and now I've got to deal with my own perverted decadence, watching her tongue and listening to her moan. _

"Edward, you'll really like it; it's incredible," she said, scooping up another spoonful.

It was a moment before I realized she was talking about the ice cream. _Focus, Cullen! _I also realized my mouth was hanging open. I just hoped to God I wasn't drooling at her like an imbecile. I got my thoughts out of the gutter and I figured I'd follow her suggestion. That way I could concentrate on taking a bite of ice cream instead of trying to figure out how I was going to adjust myself while watching her tongue lick her spoon again. _Shit!_

"Mmm." I had to agree with her. "That _is _really good. Some of the best dangerously chocolaty goodness I've ever had."

She laughed. "It tastes even better because we're up here in the bubble." She took another bite.

I quickly scooped up another bite, too. I couldn't watch her

"You kind of like it up here, don't you?" I asked her, pleased that she was obviously enjoying my suggestion.

"This is awesome, Edward." She smiled up at me. "Thank you. For coming along to the store. For buying my junk food. For bringing me up to the private bubble. And for sharing this with me, so I don't pig out all by myself."

I smiled at her. "Oink!"

She giggled.

"No, seriously, anytime, Bella. Anytime at all." _I truly meant it and I wondered if she knew._

I set the container down between us and picked up the bag from the store. Bella leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. She had a small smile on her lips.

"A cookie for your thoughts?" I asked, as I opened up the bag.

Her smile broadened, but her eyes remained closed, her head still tipped back. I admired the pretty curve of her throat.

"Hmm. I'm not sure I want to share my thoughts just yet, but I'll take the cookie."

_What the heck did that mean? 'I'm not sure I want to share my thoughts just yet.' What was she thinking about with that smile on her face?_

"No deal. You've got to give me something to get some cookie."

She laughed, turning her head toward me and squinting up at me in the sunlight. "Okay, but here's my part of the deal: you can ask whatever you'd like, but you've got to be willing to give the same information about yourself. And we take turns. Okay?"

"Sounds fair. I'll start us off easy. What's your full name?" I picked a cookie out of the bag and unscrewed the cookie. One half had icing, the other was icing-free.

"Isabella Marie Swan. Yours?"

"Edward Anthony Cullen." I held the halves out for her to pick one. She chose icing.

"My turn," she said. "How old are you?"

"Twenty one. You?"

"Twenty." She chose the plain half, and I ate the half with icing.

"So I gave a beer to a minor last night?" I looked at her in mock horror.

She rolled her eyes at me. "They weren't exactly carding at the door, Edward. Besides, I'll be twenty-one soon. Move on to your next question."

"Okay. So when is your birthday?"

She blushed and she hesitated. She didn't want to say. Too bad.

"You have to tell me. I'm willing to tell you when mine is, so you have to answer. We never made any kind of stipulations for taking a 'pass'." I smirked at her. She was trapped.

She was still blushing, but she just sort of threw her hands up and quickly said, "It's September thirteenth."

"September thirteenth? That's this Saturday! Your birthday is this Saturday?"

"Shhh! Yes! But please, don't say a word. Don't tell Alice, or anyone else, for that matter. Please. It makes me uncomfortable to be the center of attention. Just forget it. I really don't want anyone to know. Okay?" Her eyes were pleading with mine.

"Okay, Bella, no worries. My lips are sealed. Promise." I split the cookie and gave her the icing half.

"Thanks. For the promise, I mean." She visibly relaxed. "So when's yours?"

"Not until June. The twentieth."

She nodded. "That's a long way off." She paused, and then she remembered that it was her turn to ask a question. "Okay, well, back to me. Let's see… favorite color?"

"Uh, I don't know, blue, I guess."

"Not a very original answer, Edward."

"I didn't know we were supposed to be original. Why? What's yours?"

"Brown."

"Brown? Is that really a color?" I smiled at her. _Who picks brown? And what's wrong with blue?_

"Of course it's a color! Do you have something against brown?"

"It was just an unexpected answer." I chuckled at her indignation as I handed her a plain cookie half. I licked the icing off of my half and caught her staring. _Huh!_

I cleared my throat as I watched her blush again.

"What's your major and why?" I finally asked.

"Hey, that's a two-part question! Is that fair? We didn't discuss that aspect of the questioning technique."

I grinned down at her. "I'll give you a _whole_ cookie."

She leaned toward me, nudging me with her shoulder, before straightening back up. "You're such a cheater; changing the rules as we go. And who put you in charge of the cookies anyway?"

I chuckled. "Hey, I paid good money for these cookies. I can dole them out _or not dole them out _as I see fit. Answer the two-part question or I take these cookies and go."

"Are you serious?" she asked, laughing.

"I have never been more serious about anything in my entire life." I told her without cracking a smile.

She was laughing up at me now. Her eyes were sparkly and she just looked so pretty.

"Why, Edward Anthony Cullen, you had ulterior motives when you paid for this stuff. I thought you were just being a gentleman and now I find out you're actually a schemer."

"I'm closing the package," I said as I rolled the top of the bag down. "I'm about to stand up." I pulled my legs up toward my body, ready to push off the wall and stand. She put her warm hand on my bare arm to stop me; to keep me there next to her. I felt a little electric buzz where her hand lay on my arm. _God, that's amazing!_

"Okay, okay," she grumbled. "English Literature. I've always loved reading. I'm an escapist and I've always especially enjoyed the classics. Give me a good romance novel any day. 'And why?' I think I'd like to teach English someday. Maybe high school. Now give me my damn cookie." She withdrew her hand from my arm and turned it over, palm up.

I opened the bag, took one out and placed it in her hand. I relaxed my legs back out straight in front of me. "There, now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" I smirked at her.

"I managed. Now tell me about you. What's your major and why?"

"Psychology. I'd like to get into some type of counseling someday. I've always thought about doing something in the medical field. My dad is a physician, but I think I'd rather work with mental and emotional issues, rather than the physical I don't know if I could handle all the blood and guts he does."

She nodded. "Okay, you've earned your cookie." She reached into the bag and handed one to me.

"Next question?" I prompted her.

"What's your family like?"

"Well, of course you know Alice and Emmett. You know that Alice and I are twins; obviously fraternal, not identical. We've always been really close. We kind of watch out for each other. The rest of the family is convinced that we have some sort of mental connection; that we can sometimes read each other's minds, but I think that it's common with twins to sort of have a feel for what the other is thinking.

"Emmett was always the typical rowdy older brother. He used to pick on us when we were growing up; well, he still does, me more so than Alice. But he is also very protective of us. He's a good guy. A little on the wild side, attesting to that are those newly purchased assless chaps."

She laughed. "And your parents?"

"My parents, Carlisle and Esme, live in Port Angeles. Our family moved down here from Alaska during my senior year of high school. Anyway, I already mentioned that Carlisle is a doctor, and Esme is an interior decorator. I think that's where Alice got her designing and decorating skills. We're really tight knit. Everybody really cares about and depends upon each other."

I unscrewed a cookie and ate the plain half, holding her half until she told me about her family.

"Your family sounds really nice. My family is more the dysfunctional sort of family. I don't have any siblings. It's just me and my dad, Charlie. He lives back in Forks. He's the Chief of Police there. He and my mom split up when I was really young. I moved with my mom, Renee, to Phoenix, but bounced back and forth from Phoenix to Forks for years. Eventually my mom remarried. In my junior year of high school I moved up to Forks to live with my dad. And my mom and her much-younger husband, Phil, moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where he plays minor league ball. He's nice and I'm happy for them. But I'd grown used to the Pacific Northwest by that time, and didn't want to move to Florida."

I gave her the icing-ed half of the cookie.

I contemplated a new question. "What kinds of things do you like to do when you have free time?"

"Well, I really love reading; I mentioned that before. I could just sit and read most of the day. I'm not much of a TV watcher, although I do love to watch movies. Especially older movies. I like listening to a lot of different kinds of music, now including Country Western and bagpipe music." She grinned up at me, and then continued. "I've never learned to play any musical instruments. I took dance classes when I was little, but I haven't done that for years. It was a fairly disappointing venture. I'm not really very well coordinated."

"That surprises me," I couldn't help interjecting with a shocked expression on my face. She shoved me hard and I burst out laughing. Her reaction had caught me off guard. She was funny and she kept me guessing.

"I could probably beat someone up, though," she defended herself, "if _he _deserved it. I'm coordinated enough to give someone a sound spanking if _he_ needed it."

I laughed harder. "I wouldn't put it past you. You've definitely got some fire in you."

"Back to the topic at hand, smartass. What about you?"

"Don't you want your half of a cookie?"

"No, thank you, I think I've eaten enough junk food. But I'm enjoying our conversation. Can I continue even though I'm forfeiting the cookies?"

"Sure." I smiled. I popped her half of the cookie in my mouth.

"So, what about you?" she asked. "Spare time activities?"

"I like to read too. I read a lot of different things. I like to watch movies too, and I feel the same about TV. There's not much on that interests me. I like music a lot. I even like to write music. You already know that I play the guitar. I also play the piano. Musical instruments can be very therapeutic. You can express a lot of emotion through music, I find. Let's see, what else? I played various sports as a kid. In high school I played baseball, but I was never a real star athlete. I swam, too. Now I just like to run and work out. I like to swim, but I don't do that much. We have a pool at our home. But I don't play any kind of organized sport anymore." I finished the other half of the cookie and closed up the bag.

"Next question?" I asked her.

"Okay, my next question. Hmm." She thought for a moment. I saw a faint blush wash over her face. She didn't turn and look at me, she just looked straight ahead as she asked, "What about a romantic history? Do you have one?"

**BPOV**

I glanced over at Edward after a moment and saw that he had retreated into himself a little. I could see the muscles in his jaw working. His eyes flickered over to me for a moment and I saw a sadness there. I realized that we were suddenly plunged into heavy-duty territory.

"Edward," I quietly said, "you don't have to answer that one. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I don't know what made me ask that."

He was silent for another few beats. But then he cleared his throat and ran his hand through his wild hair.

"No, it's okay, Bella. I'll tell you. In grade school, of course, there were the few little girls that I would throw something at, or pass a note to." He smiled weakly at me and then continued.

"In junior high I was pretty gangly and awkward; braces, you know, the whole nine yards. Just like every other junior high kid in the world, I guess. I probably had four crushes that lasted a week and a half each. We were probably all too focused on ourselves and on how awkward and gangly we were as individuals." He smiled again, briefly, but it was a tight smile, that didn't quite reach his eyes. He was running his hand through his hair again, and then scratching the back of his neck.

And then he was quiet. I looked down at my hands, wondering why I had asked this question; wishing I hadn't. When I glanced back up at him he was picking at lint on the blanket now, not looking up.

He pulled his legs up toward his chest and wrapped his arms around them, pulling them in and leaning forward. I could no longer actually see his face because he was sitting forward, leaning toward his knees. His body language spoke volumes to me.

He cleared his throat and started again. "In high school I dated a little, not a lot. In my junior year a new girl came to our school. I developed quite the crush on her, but I didn't really get to know her well until part way through the school year. Her name was Tanya. We started dating."

He paused and fiddled with the lint on the blanket again, pulling off little bits of fuzz and watching them float away in the breeze. He remained quiet for a few moments and I couldn't bring myself to press for information. I knew he would continue when he was ready.

Finally he exhaled a breath, his cheeks puffing out as he did so. "Anyway," he continued at last, "she was my first real girlfriend, I guess my only girlfriend, but she had a lot of problems. There were family problems; she had problems with herself. I think she was probably bi-polar, but I didn't know that at the time. She'd go from being really up and hyper and happy to being really depressed and down. There was always a lot of turmoil with her. I tried to be the one to solve her problems; to make her happy, to keep her happy. But I couldn't do it. I wasn't enough."

He was looking forward, staring at nothing, seeing things that were no longer there. I put my hand tentatively on his back. His head turned slightly in my direction, almost like he'd forgotten where we were and what we were doing.

Quietly I asked him, "What happened to Tanya, Edward?"

He didn't answer right away. And then very quietly, he spoke. "She took an overdose of pills, and no one found her until the next morning. By then she was gone. I didn't see it coming. I didn't know."

I gasped. "Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry!" I rubbed his back. "Oh, I'm so sorry I brought it up. That poor young girl. How absolutely horrible." I leaned toward him and put my other hand on his upper arm and squeezed it. He glanced back at me and laid his hand on top of mine, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"It's okay, Bella. It's been three years. But it _was_ really horrible. Someone that young, who should have their whole life ahead of them…." His voice trailed away and then I heard him take a deep breath and slowly exhale. "I wasn't just sad, you know? I had a lot of feelings of guilt. I couldn't help feeling that I should have known, that I should have been able to sense it, to see it coming and stop it from happening somehow. I really lost it for a while there; I could barely function. With my dad being a doctor, though, my parents were on top of it; I was taken care of. I went through a lot of counseling and therapy, but I think I felt, for a long time, that I should have been able to keep her happy and in that respect, I felt like I'd been completely inadequate."

It was crushing. I imagined a younger Edward, happy and carefree and in love, trying so hard to take care of someone so broken, and suddenly losing all of that and feeling himself somehow to blame, or at least inadequate to help. That was so much for a teenager to have to experience; and then to have to bear. For years, obviously. Tears stung my eyes. I sniffled, and Edward turned to look back at me.

"Oh, Bella, don't cry." His arm went around me and he sat back, pulling me into his side. "I didn't mean to make you cry. It's okay that you asked, and I didn't have to tell you, but I felt like it was important for you to know. It was something I felt I should share with you. But I didn't mean to upset you." He handed me a few napkins and I wiped at my eyes and blew my nose.

"I'm sorry, Edward. You're consoling me, and I want to console you. Someone so young shouldn't have to go through something that terrible. And it's still affecting you. You know it's why you haven't wanted to be involved with anyone. You're afraid of the possibility of loss. That's certainly understandable."

He didn't say anything, but his arm tightened around me for a moment and I felt him rest his cheek against the top of my head. We sat that way for a long time.

Finally his head lifted and he cleared his throat. "It's okay, Bella. I'm okay now. Life goes on. I know we each have to make our own happiness; we can't depend upon others for our happiness and we can't let others be dependent upon us for theirs. But, yeah, I've had a hard time feeling like I wanted to let myself get close to anyone… at least until now."

_Oh my! _I looked at him, but he wouldn't look up at me.

"Edward, …"

"Bella… when are you going to see Jake?"

_Oh crap! _I didn't want to think about it. "This weekend. I think he's coming up here."

He nodded, without speaking, his expression was guarded.

"We should probably head back inside. We missed lunch long ago, and everyone probably thinks we fell off the face of the Earth." He stood and then extended his hands down to me, to pull me up. Then he bent, picking up our trash and putting it in the grocery bag.

I picked up and shook out the blanket, folding it up. Then I picked up the bag with the remainder of the cookies. I was about to duck down through the window, when I turned back around to him. He was pensive, but his eyes widened as he looked at me.

"Edward, thank you so much. Thank you for this." I waved my hand at the area where we had been sitting. "Thank you for this afternoon. And thank you for telling me." I suddenly felt the need to hug him. I felt him stiffen in surprise at my touch, but he relaxed into it and returned my hug briefly, before pulling away.

His features softened as he looked down at me, he smiled a small smile, and reached out, gently tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Thank _you, _Bella. You've done more for me than you know."

**A/N: So, there you have it. He felt like he needed to tell her. Surely not just because she asked the question? Other than Bella, the only ones who know his story are Emmett, Alice and Rose and Jasper. So why tell her? Hmmm?**

**Please don't go on to the next chapter unless it has been revised!**


	17. Stepping off the High Dive

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: If you enjoy what you are reading, please leave a review to let me know.

As you know, I am not Stephenie Meyer. I wish I were. She's financially well off. I live on a teacher's salary. I'm not trying to infringe on what belongs to her. I just can't get enough Edward. So here he is, slightly damaged, but getting ready to get back out there with a girl named Bella. *sigh*

Text messaging-you gotta love it. Edward said he could be noble. Bella said she couldn't do this, and wouldn't do this, to Jake. This is how the best of intentions begin to crumble:

**Chapter 17: Stepping Off the High-Dive (Revised)**

**BPOV**

He took my hand as I ducked down through the window. I assume he thought I might take a dive off the bed and onto the floor. It was a valid concern. I glanced down at our hands; my hand in his much larger hand. He had strong, yet graceful hands with long fingers. They were the hands of a musician or an artist. As I stepped down onto the bed, I felt the slightest increase of pressure on my hand. He had given it a gentle squeeze; it told me he hated to let go. Thinking about it honestly, I realized that I did too.

I managed to climb down safely as he adjusted the screen back into place and slid the window shut. He turned to me, where I stood on the floor below, reaching down and handing me the small blanket, the rest of the cookies, and the bag of trash. Then he climbed down, putting a foot on one rung of the extensions, then another one. He looked behind himself to make sure that I was out of the way and he let himself drop down the rest of the way to the floor, landing on his feet and straightening back up. He did that so gracefully.

But it was an awkward moment when he turned to me and neither of us really knew what to say. I think I needed time to process all that he'd told me. I had a lot to think about. I was coming to grips with the fact that I was struggling with a few things internally myself. There was so much to sort through.

I looked up at him, where he stood, fairly close to me. I suddenly became aware of a humming tension in the room, like an electrical current or a live wire. His perfect, angelic face was looking down at me; contemplating me. His green-blue eyes searched mine and then I saw his eyes drop and focus on my mouth. I couldn't breathe. I was aware of my thudding heart. I heard him swallow and I could see his Adam's Apple bob with the effort. I looked at his mouth, at his parted lips as his face hovered above mine. It was very nearly the scene from my dream and it suddenly felt excruciatingly warm in the enclosed space.

I put my hand on his arm, to keep whatever distance between us I could. "Edward, don't, please," I managed to squeak. "I think you should go. I really don't want you to, but I think it would be best for now."

His eyes had darkened to the color of a stormy sea and I watched as they shifted from my mouth back up to my eyes. His beautifully sculptured Cupid's bow lips closed and he nodded.

He raised a hand and cupped my shoulder gently, and then light fingertips traced their way down my arm to my hand, squeezing it slightly before letting it go. He retreated a step. "Maybe I'll see you later?" His eyes were wistful, hopeful.

I shrugged wordlessly then gave him a small nod, still unable to really catch my breath.

He nodded back and then turned and let himself out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

I stood there for a few minutes after he left, my thoughts a swirling maelstrom. Then I sank down into the cushions of the swanky fort, grabbing a pillow to my chest and rolling over onto my side. I closed my eyes, trying to push my thoughts away. I didn't want to think about where this might be headed.

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. _Oh no. Jake, don't call me now. I can't do this just yet._

I fished the phone out of my pocket and glanced at the screen. But it was a text, not a call. And it was from a number I didn't recognize. I flipped my phone open and read, realizing who had sent me the text that appeared there. I had completely forgotten all about our phone mix-up as we moved in on the first day.

_You didn't answer_

_your last question. _

_What about YOUR_

_romantic history?_

I texted back my answer and pressed 'send'.

_I guess just Jake._

After a few moments my phone buzzed again and I looked at the screen once more.

_So you never met_

_anyone else you _

_wanted?_

I thought long and hard about this question, and finally responded to it.

_Maybe._

**EPOV**

'_Maybe?' _ What did she mean by 'maybe'? Maybe she _had wanted _someone besides her current boyfriend, Jake? Or maybe she _hadn't wanted_ anyone besides him? I texted her back.

_I don't understand._

_Maybe you did? Or_

_maybe you didn't?_

**BPOV**

Another buzz from my phone. Another message from him.

_I don't understand. _

_Maybe you did? Or_

_maybe you didn't?_

I flopped over onto my back, uncertain. I could feel a knot forming in the pit of my stomach and I realized I was biting my lip. I couldn't respond. I waited, undecided and deliberating. My phone buzzed again. The sound was jarring.

_Bella?_

_Shit! _I thought about the last few years and months with Jake. And then I thought about the last few days and hours with Edward. And then I took that step off the high-dive and felt myself falling.

_Maybe I have now._

I closed my phone and put it back into my pocket. I knew he wouldn't text a response back to me. He knew how I was feeling when he left. Still, I imagined his face, his eyes, as he read that last text from me. I hugged the pillow more tightly to me and closed my own eyes.

What was coming was going to be just awful.

**EPOV**

I waited. I had texted 'B_ella?_' But still there was no response. I closed my phone, about to put it away when it buzzed. I opened it up again and looked at the screen.

_Maybe I have now._

Four little words. They sucked all of the air from my lungs. They turned my world on end. I looked back at the conversation we had had. I read and re-read my question, trying to get every bit of meaning out of her answer that followed. '_So you never met anyone else you wanted?' 'Maybe I have now.' _Maybe she had now. Maybe she had now met someone else she wanted. _I _was the someone else. Maybe she wanted _me_.

I finally thought to breathe.

But now what? My mind was numb. I couldn't think. I wasn't sure what to feel. I felt happy. I felt frightened. It was wonderful and I was scared. It was too much to process and there were too many aspects involved. I had my past and I would have to come to terms with it; and come to terms with moving on and going forward. And opening myself up to someone, and possibly to a future hurt.

I realized that she had a lot to figure out and deal with too. I was so sorry she was now in this position. How had all this happened to both of us over such a short period of time?

It was only a week ago that she had told me that I didn't have to feel unsure of myself, because she thought that I was great; that any girl would think I was great. She had told me not to keep to myself or avoid people; that I was nice and fun to be with. Last week she had been making a generality as she tried to convince me that girls would appreciate me. Now it had become one-girl-specific.

I thought about what she had said to me yesterday afternoon, as she paced in my room with tears in her eyes. 'I know you care about me. And I care about you. I don't know what your story is, but I know you wanted to kiss me last Saturday. And I'm wondering what it would have felt like. And when you lifted me down from my bed, I liked the feel of your body against mine.' She must have known, _must have felt, _what it had done to me; she must have felt how my body had reacted. And then I had hardly been able to let go of her afterward.

She now knew my story and I felt somewhat unburdened having told it to her. At least I didn't have to worry that she would have a wrong perception of my inability or reluctance or hesitance at being in a relationship with a girl. She knew last Saturday, that I had wanted to kiss her. She must have felt it again, the short while ago when we were in her room. She had put her hand on my arm, to stop me. I hadn't been thinking clearly. If she hadn't stopped me, telling me '_don't, please_,' I'm pretty sure I would have just kissed her then and there. But I'd realized then how much she had to sort through. And then she was telling me I should leave, though she said she didn't really want me to.

I lay on my bed in my room, holding my phone, contemplating her; imagining her pretty face, her pale skin and lovely blush, and her soft, wavy hair. I thought of her luminous chocolate brown eyes; there was so much depth to them, and it seemed they sparkled when she laughed or smiled up at me.

It suddenly felt to me as though I were thirsting for something that only she could provide. And every day that thirst grew exponentially. I had only met her one week ago; I hadn't known her long. And now I didn't know how much longer I could hold out to slake that thirst.

There was also the very awful truth that she might still choose Jake and I would be left with nothing of her. 'Maybe I have now' could also mean 'maybe I haven't'. And if she did choose me, would she, at some point, hold it against me that I had come between them? When I thought of just _her_, it made me happy. When I thought of what it would take to maybe, _get her, _to make her_ mine,_ it made me feel ill. For all of us.

I lay there holding my phone on my chest. I don't know how long I'd stayed there, but I suddenly heard the door opening. Jasper and Alice breezed into the room.

"Hey Edward, where the hell have you been?" Jasper asked.

"I was upstairs with Bella."

"Wait, you were _with _Bella?" Jasper's eyebrows were raised and his face was so hopeful.

"No, you fucktard. Not like that."

"What were you guys doing?" Alice asked, pushing Jasper lightly out of my face.

"I went with her to the grocery store earlier. She was upset and she wanted some junk food. So I went along for the ride, and to keep her company and try to lift her spirits a little; she seemed pretty down. I bought her cookies and ice cream and we came back and ate them upstairs."

Alice sat down on the bed next to me. "I know she was pretty upset with her boyfriend last night. And I think she must have talked with him on the phone again this morning. He sounds like he's rather immature. I think he plays mind games on our poor Bella. But it sounds like she's had just about enough of it."

_Really? _"What do you mean? What did she tell you?" I asked Alice, trying to keep my voice level and fairly indifferent.

"From what she said, it sounds like they've had problems since this summer. He was mad that she went off to school so far away. It sounds like he doesn't even want her going to school at all; like he wants to keep her wings clipped. She said they'd known each other for years, since they were little kids, and that their families have been friends, only now it's just them and their dads. They have a lot of shared history."

"She told you all that?"

"Yeah, and I guess there's a chance he might be coming for a visit this weekend."

"Yeah, I know. She told me." I exhaled loudly.

Alice continued, "To me, Edward, it sounds like their relationship exists out of habit, more than anything else. I mean, I'm sure they're probably good friends, but maybe that's all they should be."

"Sounds like she ought to kick the habit," Jasper volunteered. "Actually, Edward, I bet you could really kick the shit out of that habit of hers if he comes for a visit."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence, Jasper. And what a terrific idea; I'm sure she'd really like me to kick the shit out of a family friend and boyfriend. That would work in my favor, most assuredly."

"Stick with me, buddy, I've got lots of great ideas." Jasper tapped his head sagely.

I rolled my eyes at him and looked back at Alice.

"Don't mind him," she patted my arm, "he hates to see you upset. So do I. So, Edward, what did you do after you went with her to the store, or were you gone there all that time?"

I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "I took her and our junk food hit up to the roof outside your bedroom window and we sat and talked."

"Oh! Did she like it up there?"

"Yeah. She thought it was cool. I think she had a good time; I did. We just sat there talking about lots of things, eating ice cream and cookies. It was really comfortable. She's really very easy to talk to. I uh, …I even told her about Tanya."

Jasper sat down heavily on the other side of me. They were both suddenly in my face, taking turns blurting questions at me that they didn't give me time to answer. "You told her? Were you okay talking about it? I mean, how was it? What did she say?"

I had to scoot backward to the wall. It was like I suddenly had two leeches sucking me dry. I knew they cared about me, but couldn't they let me breathe just a little?

"It was okay. I was okay. She cried a little though. You know, you don't expect someone to tell you something depressing like that. She was sad for Tanya and for me. She realized how it had affected me. I told her about the guilt, the therapy. I told her the whole thing about having to make our own happiness, and not depending upon others and not letting others be dependent upon us. And then I told her that I've had a hard time letting myself get close to anyone. At least until now."

"You told her _that_?" Alice asked, a look of surprise on her face.

"Yeah, why?"

Alice scooted back to the wall so she was sitting right next to me. She put her arm around me. "That's a big step, Edward. I'm proud of you. And I knew this girl was the right girl from the beginning. I knew she had the right stuff."

Jasper nodded, "We just have to find somewhere to stuff her boyfriend when he comes to visit."

I shook my head disapprovingly at him. "Actually it gets even better." I couldn't stop the smile that played on my lips.

"What does?" Alice asked, cocking her head to the side.

I picked up my phone. "Well, the whole reason I told her about Tanya was because she asked me about my romantic history.; whether or not I had one. We'd made a sort of game out of taking turns asking each other questions, but also answering the questions we asked. So after I came down here I realized that she hadn't told me about her romantic history. Well, I know about Jake, but other than him. So I texted her. 'So you never met anyone else that you wanted?' She texted me 'maybe'. But I didn't understand her answer. So I texted 'maybe you did or maybe you didn't?' And she texts me back…"

I opened the phone and showed them the screen, '_Maybe I have now_.'

Alice's piercingly shrill shriek could have been heard by any dogs within three miles. Jasper couldn't stop saying, "Dude!" and bumping my fist. It started to get annoying fast. They were like small children on too much sugar at a birthday party. They finally calmed down after a few minutes.

"But you know," I reminded them, "it doesn't really mean anything yet. There's still a boyfriend named Jake out there. So don't get your hopes up yet."

**BPOV**

I probably had lain there in a heap for the better part of two hours. I thought back to the past few months. When summer ended and I moved away to school, I had realized that having a boyfriend back home hadn't made it any more difficult to leave. That struck me as odd. It should have mattered more to me. Shouldn't I have cried at the time?

But I had realized that we needed a little space. We'd become close during high school, mostly because we'd helped each other through some tough times. My going away to school would give us a chance to think about our relationship and about where our lives were headed in general. I knew I didn't want to stay in Forks. And I knew that Jake _did_ want to stay in Forks. I felt like he needed more in his life; needed to want more, to try and achieve more. And I felt like he was trying to hold me back.

We had had conversations where he felt like I was pulling away from him and I felt like he was pushing me away, simply by being so needy and clingy. He was worried that I was going to go off to college and be lured away by the parties, the dorm life, and wild nights with wild people. I was not being lured away. I was realizing however, that I didn't want to settle for something that was not what I truly wanted. I wanted happiness, and I was not feeling happy with him. He preferred me to feel guilt about wanting to spread my wings. He wanted apologies from me for wanting something other than what he wanted.

I thought about what Edward had said, about having to make our own happiness; that we can't depend upon others for our happiness and we can't let others be dependent upon us for theirs. Edward had gone through an unimaginable hell trying to make someone happy. Jake seemed to be too dependent upon me for his own happiness. And I wasn't feeling very happy very often. Only recently had I felt really happy. Only within about the past week. Pretty much, ever since I got away from Forks, to a place where I could breathe.

I sat up, flinging the pillow across the room. I had to get up. I was hungry. All I'd had for lunch had been cookies and ice cream. A brief smile tickled my lips as I thought about my afternoon on the 'patio.' _Such a lovely afternoon. _

I went out to the bathroom to fix my hair and splash some cold water on my face. Jessica was standing in front of the mirror, brushing her hair and twirling it up into a messy bun on the top of her head.

"Hey, Bella, how's it going?"

"Hi, Jessica. Fine, thanks. What are you up to?"

"Angela and I are going to go to dinner in a few minutes so we can go to the fitness center a little later. Do you want to come with us?"

"To dinner or to work out?"

"Both? Either? Your choice. You're welcome to join us."

"Um, I'll start with dinner. That's a definite yes. I'm starving. I missed lunch earlier."

"Hm, I guess you sure did." She smiled a funny little smile.

"What?" I asked her.

"Oh, come on, Bella! Angela and I saw you and Edward heading upstairs much earlier, before lunch. Then I saw him leave just about two hours ago. You two must have been busy." She had a little smirk on her face.

I blushed deeply. "Oh no, Jessica; it's nothing like that. We just shared some cookies and ice cream and sat around talking."

"Talking, uh-huh." She giggled.

"Really, there's nothing going on."

"There's nothing going on? Really, Bella? Well, I give it a week. There's definitely something going on. Maybe you don't think so, but judging by Edward's behavior, something is most definitely going on."

_One week? Shit! Jake would be here in six days._

I went back into my room to grab a hoodie, then met Angela and Jessica out in the hallway to go down to dinner.

"Hey, Bella," Angela smiled.

"Hi, Angela. How are you?" We started down the stairs.

"I'm good." Angela glanced at Jessica, smiling, then said, "So, Bella, I heard you moved in with Alice."

"Yeah, yesterday Alice and I did a roommate swap. I moved in with Alice, and Lauren moved into my old room, with Victoria, so you two and I are no longer neighbors. Now I'm down the hall here."

Jessica gave me a knowing look. "I'm sure you're not going to miss Victoria; she can really be just so hard to get along with."

"No, I definitely won't miss her. Alice and I get along great, so this is going to work out well, I think. She didn't really know Lauren and then Lauren and Victoria seemed to really hit it off. I think they're glad they're now rooming together."

Angela turned to me. "I can't say that we're going to miss hearing the Country Western music you were playing. Some of that stuff was awful. And what's up with Alice and that dreadful bagpipe music?"

I grinned at her.

Jessica nodded, "Yeah, how could you listen to that crap? It sounded like alley cats yowling in your room. Or maybe that was just _you_ singing along." She and Angela both laughed.

"Well, my Country Western days are over and I think Alice's bagpipe days are history too." We were out of the dorm now, headed to the dining hall. I motioned the two of them closer as we walked. "That awful music was solely to alienate Victoria and Lauren. We can't stand that music either. We just wanted to subtly convince them how little they wanted us for roommates."

They both looked surprised, but began laughing as we entered the dining hall.

"That's hilarious!" Jessica giggled. "And I bet they had no idea. What a great plan!"

"It was actually Jasper's idea and he scored points with Alice for coming up with the plan." I smiled, thinking about how pleased Jasper had been with himself.

We went through the lines, making our choices and took a table near the middle of the room, where the two of them generally liked to sit. No one was at the table by the wall. The Cullens and Hales hadn't arrived yet.

I had just put a spoonful of soup into my mouth when Angela leaned across the table toward me, saying, "So, Bella, tell me about you and Edward Cullen."

I nearly choked on my soup. _First Jessica and now Angela! _ I grabbed my napkin, sputtering, but I managed to swallow, coughing loudly in the process.

"Edward Cullen and I, what?" I asked.

Angela looked at Jessica, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I already asked her," Jessica replied to the unspoken question as she waved a hand. "She says, 'no; they're just friends.'"

"Oh?" Angela turned her surprised face to me. "Well, either way, I didn't think Edward Cullen made friends. He has always seemed so aloof. He keeps to himself; well, except for his siblings and their boyfriend and girlfriend. But he's never seemed very friendly to others, especially not to girls. Until you."

Jessica agreed with her. "Yeah, he has always been stuck up; too good for anybody here. Too into his own hot self to waste his time on the average college girl. You must not be average, Bella."

I shook my head. They had him all wrong; but that was how he had presented himself, knowingly or unknowingly. "Oh, he's not like that at all. He's really nice and funny and he's smart. And he's also very kind. He's not at all stuck up."

"I don't know how you got to know him. How do you even talk to him?" Jessica asked. "He's so drop dead gorgeous, I don't think I could get a sentence out without sounding like a babbling idiot."

I was a little perturbed. He wasn't just a face, although he did have a lovely one. "Edward is much more than just his appearance. He's a person just like you or me. He has fears and doubts about himself, just like all of us. I think he shied away from friendships and attention, for numerous reasons, and people just automatically think it's because he's stuck up. He's actually really nice and down-to-earth; maybe that's not what people expect of him. Maybe people expect him to be a snob and that's the only reason he seems like one."

I looked over their heads at the doorway, to see that Edward was just walking in now, alone, scanning the room. His eyes landed on mine and he smiled his crooked little grin, but then it faded a little when he saw that I was with Jessica and Angela. He glanced over at the side where his siblings and friends normally sat, and saw that it was empty. For a split second he looked indecisive; he was probably trying to decide whether to stay, or leave and wait for the others.

When his eyes glanced back in my direction, I scooted the chair that was next to me back a little, in unspoken invitation. I saw his lips curl up into a smile for the briefest of moments, then set in a straight line of determination as he proceeded inside. I figured this would be good for him and good for Angela and Jessica. The girls hadn't seen our interaction; Jessica was too busy gossiping about other people and Angela was focused on what she was saying.

A few minutes later, I heard footsteps approach behind me just before I heard the low, musical voice. "Hello ladies, would it be all right if I joined you?"

The two girls looked up, their mouths hanging open. Edward was dazzling. His voice was as smooth as velvet. He had his crooked smile curving up the corner of his mouth and he was already nervously running his hand through his wonderfully haphazard hair.

"Hi, Edward." I responded to him since the girls were still unable to formulate words. "Jessica, Angela, you don't mind if he joins us, do you?"

Angela found her voice first. "Um, no, that would be okay. Please, join us."

Jessica agreed. "Um, yeah, sure, um that would be good. Wouldn't it be good, Angela?"

"Yeah, it would be good." Angela, like Jessica, was grinning a little much.

"Well, then, good," Edward said, looking at me. His mouth twisted into a small grin and a crease had formed between his brows, in a mixture of dismay and humor. He set down his tray and pulled the chair next to me out a bit more before sliding into his seat.

"I don't know where Alice and Jasper went, and Rose and Emmett are usually here pretty early, but I guess they're not here yet. I appreciate you letting me join you. I was starving." He smiled appreciatively at them as he sat down. Angela and Jessica looked like they were melting.

Edward continued talking but his eyes had shifted to mine and he held my gaze as he spoke with a smile. "My lunch, though delicious, was not very filling. The conversation, however, exceeded all expectations." I smiled, but felt the heat of a blush creeping up my face. I knew he was referring to not just our spoken conversation, but the texted one as well.

I was surprised at how comfortable he seemed, sitting with us. I was expecting a little bit of awkwardness, but I didn't see it. He didn't seem uncomfortable at all. Maybe he just hid it well. We managed to begin eating dinner and keep the conversation going easily as we all ate.

Edward had polished off his burger and was still working on his fries as he asked me, "Have you shown your room to Jessica and Angela, since you moved in with Alice?" He stretched his legs out and slouched down comfortably in his chair. He reached over and put his hand along the top edge of my chair as he looked at me. Something about that little gesture thrilled me and I wasn't quite sure why. It certainly couldn't be called a public display of affection for most people. But coming from Edward, I knew it was telling. He was extending himself beyond his own personal space; something that I knew he did not usually do. So of course I blushed again, because that's what I do.

"No, I just ran into Jessica and Angela before coming down to dinner. And I didn't see them at all yesterday."

He turned back to look at the two of them. "You should check it out. Jasper and I put the head of their beds up on top of the closets and used bed frame extensions on the foot of the beds. It's pretty cool. They've got a lot more room now; it's like living in a two-story dorm room."

I watched Jessica and Angela as Edward spoke to them. They seemed mesmerized. I hoped that they were also really listening, and not just to the words he was saying. He was being friendly to them. He wasn't stuck up and he wasn't shying away from them. He responded when they asked him questions. They still managed to trip over their conversation with him, however.

Finally Angela turned to Jessica, poking her in the shoulder. "We really should be going, Jess. Don't forget we have to do _that thing_."

Her face was a little too animated. I realized that she was trying to give us a little privacy, pretending to need to leave.

"_That thing_? What thing?" Jessica asked Angela. Angela flashed her eyes at her, giving her a pointed look and Jessica suddenly snapped to. "Oh, you're right! I forgot all about _that thing. _I didn't realize we'd been here so long. Gosh, look at the time, Bella, we'll see upstairs later if you still want to come with us to work out."

"Okay, yeah, I'll see you in a bit, thanks."

"Okay, goodbye then, Bella, Edward." Jessica just stood there, grinning a little foolishly, still looking at Edward.

"Yeah, goodbye you two!" Angela grabbed Jessica's arm and yanked her along out of the dining hall.

"Goodbye," Edward and I both said simultaneously. The girls left the dining hall, arm in arm, clinging to each other a little and giggling. I could only imagine that they were talking about Edward.

He leaned forward, putting his folded arms on the table and turned his head toward me. "Well, that was different. How did I do? Will you invite me back sometime?" He grinned broadly.

I chuckled at him. "I'd say you dazzled them."

"I dazzled them?" He frowned slightly in confusion.

"Yes, you have that effect on people, women mostly, well maybe a few guys, depending on their sexual orientation. You can be dazzling. You must know that."

He snorted a laugh. "Do I dazzle you, Bella?" He raised one of his eyebrows and looked smug.

Somehow I managed to keep my standard blush at bay. "No, Edward, mostly I just tolerate you. I find you barely tolerable." I smirked at him.

He chuckled. "I'm tolerable? And you called _me_ a smartass earlier? I'd say you need to look deep within and ask yourself who the real smartass is here, Bella." He was smiling as he put our plates and trash together on one tray and slid the other tray underneath. "Are you ready to go back?"

"Yeah, I'm done. I have to read a little before I go with them tonight."

We stood and he picked up the trays, taking them to the trash and setting the empty trays on top afterward.

"Thank you," I told him, indicating the trays, now neatly stacked.

He just shrugged. And then he asked, "So, you're going to work out with them later?"

"I was thinking about it."

"Don't forget what I told you, Bella. If, for some reason, you don't come back with them, call me, okay? Don't come back alone. It's not that safe. I'll come get you and we'll walk or I'll drive you back here."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind." I smiled up at him; at the concern that was plain on his face. "Does this make you my guardian angel?"

"I guess so. You of all people need one." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt and we walked back up to the dorm.

**A/N:** **Thank goodness for pockets on Edward's clothing. If it weren't for pockets, in which he can shove his hands, his hands might just be grabbing at Bella. **

**I want your thoughts. No, I crave your thoughts. It's a thirst I have... Leave a review. Continue reading if the next chapter has been ****revised.**


	18. Plunging Into the Deep End

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: It sounds like Bella's coming to her senses. Maybe she has met someone else she's interested in. _Maybe? _Come on, girlfriend, wake up and smell the Edward!

Stephenie Meyer's concepts. My variations on a theme. No infringement intended.

So Bella took the step off the high dive and here she is, plunging into the deep end. Or going off the deep end. Thank goodness she's not alone. She's got a guardian angel. (*sigh*)... (*drool*)... (*puddle*)

Here goes...

**Chapter 18: Plunging Into the Deep End (Revised)**

**BPOV**

Later that evening, Angela and Jessica stopped my room to get me on their way to the fitness center. They came into the room to check out the creative furniture arrangement Alice and I now had.

Angela looked around, saying, "This is so cool. You have way more room with your beds up there."

"It's like grown-up bunk beds," Jessica agreed. "And you both get the top bunk, so there's no arguing or fighting."

"Exactly! I'm sure I'd lose in a battle of wills with Alice anyway."

"But don't you worry about falling out of bed?" Angela asked, concern written all over her face. "It's an awful long way down."

"Well it is something to consider, but Alice has assured me that she will call nine-one-one immediately when it happens. So we've decided to take our chances."

They both wished me the best of luck staying where I belonged when sleeping.

We headed out of the dorm shortly after that.

Jessica turned to me as we headed down the hill. "Well Bella, Angela and I both agreed that we haven't heard as much conversation from Edward in the last two years combined as we heard from him tonight at dinner."

"Yeah," Angela agreed, "he was really nice and he seemed so friendly for a change. What have you done to Edward Cullen, Bella?"

I shook my head, smiling. "He's a nice guy. I've done nothing to him."

"I know what I'd _like_ to do to him," Jessica smiled wickedly.

"Yeah, you tried that a couple of times in the past," Angela reminded her. "If I remember correctly it didn't work out the way you were hoping."

"Oh, well, you can't blame a girl for trying. I mean, look at him; how can you not feel inspired to at least try?" She smiled wistfully.

Angela appeared to be thinking about something. Finally she asked, "Bella, didn't you say you had someone back at home? What's happening with that situation? Is he still your boyfriend?" Angela didn't look judgmental, she just looked concerned.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure really what's going on there. We've had our problems the past few months. We've been together for such a long time. But it's hard to be together, apart, you know? Especially when there are already some problems that have cropped up there. I've been thinking about that a lot lately. He's coming this weekend and I guess we'll sort things out then."

We had arrived at the fitness center and started out on the elliptical machines, finding three right next to each other. Our conversation now veered to their love lives. Angela had had a crush on Ben Cheney since the end of the last school year and now they had actually gone on a date. She was over the fact that she was somewhat taller than he; she realized that the important thing was how he made her feel. Jessica had been thinking about pursuing Mike Newton, and it turns out Mike is now beginning to pursue Jessica a little bit as well.

I was happy for them. I was jealous of them. Their budding relationships seemed so easy and exciting. My relationship with Jake was turning into a series of phone calls that left me feeling anxious, upset and restless. Our relationship seemed to cause me more apprehension each time I stopped to consider it. And then there was Edward. I found myself thinking of him more and more often; wondering what he was doing and when I would get see him next. The problem, though, with that line of thought was that I would then immediately think of Jacob and how dreadful it would be to hurt him. How painful it would be, for both of us, if I were to hurt him.

"Hello, Bella?" It was Jessica. "Did you hear me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, no. My mind was wandering. What's up?"

"I think Angela and I are going to work on our butts and abs. Are you done on the elliptical? Do you want to join us?"

"Thanks, no, I think I'll go run on the treadmill for a bit. I've got to pay the price for eating cookies and ice cream with Edward for lunch."

"Cookies and ice cream and Edward for lunch sounds just delicious," Jessica remarked, swooning a little.

I shook my head as I walked over to the treadmill and got on, ramping up the speed and resistance slowly. It wasn't just the junk food; I thought that if I worked myself out hard, it would keep my mind busy. I had been jogging along for almost twenty minutes when my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and looked. It was Jake.

"Hi Jake," I puffed, as I slowed down to a walk, but kept going as I talked.

"Hi, Bella, I didn't know if I'd get you on the phone."

His voice sounded somewhat quiet, not his usual gregarious self.

"I keep my phone with me. I'll answer if you call. I'm glad you called for a change. See, I'm not busy. Well, I'm at the fitness center, working out with two girls from my suite, Jessica and Angela. But I'm glad if you call me for a change."

Angela and Jessica suddenly appeared in front of me, sort of waving to get my attention. "Hang on a minute," I told Jake.

"What's up?" I asked, holding my phone against my chest, muffling the sound.

"We want to head back. Are you ready?"

"Um, I think I'll stay a little while longer. I'm on the phone and I kind of need to continue this conversation. You go ahead and go."

"Are you sure? We could wait. You shouldn't walk back alone."

"I'll call Edward, he said he'd come down to walk or drive me back."

"That's really sweet," Angela smiled. "And I can see why you'd choose that option."

I was tempted to roll my eyes but then I pointed to my phone. I wanted to get back to my call from Jake.

"Oh yeah, sorry!"

I started to put my phone back up to my ear.

That was when Jessica asked, "You're sure Edward is going to come for you?"

I'm certain my facial expression faltered. I was sure Jake had heard what she'd said. Jessica had been standing right next to me. I nodded and smiled a bit weakly at her and waved at the two girls as they turned to leave.

"Hello?" I said into the phone. But there was only silence. I knew he was still there. "Jake? Are you there? Please answer me."

I heard a low exhale. "Yeah." And then nothing else. _Oh, shit._

"Jacob? Are you okay?" _What a stupid thing to ask. Of course he's not okay._

There was no missing the edge to his voice when he finally spoke. "Bella, are _we _okay?"

"What do you mean?" I stopped the treadmill and got off of it. I wandered over to a bench in a corner and sank down, pulling my feet up. I knew I couldn't tell Jake I'd call him back. I couldn't postpone this conversation now that it had started. He wouldn't have answered, anyway.

"Bella, what's going on? With you? With us? Are you seeing that Edward guy that lives in your dorm? You always seem to be doing things with him. I'm tired of hearing his name. It can't be a good thing for us."

"Jake, I'm at the fitness center and it's far from my dorm. My friends Angela and Jessica were ready to leave, but you called and I wanted to talk to you. It's dark and I just told the girls they didn't have to wait for me, so they were leaving. Jessica told me to call Edward because he had said he would come meet me or pick me up so I didn't have to walk back in the dark alone."

"How come he's all concerned about you? It's not like he's your boyfriend. It's not his job to look after you. I'm your boyfriend. At least the last I knew about it, but maybe things have changed." His voice was tight.

"So, you'd rather that I not call him? You'd rather that I walked home in the dark alone?"

"I'd rather you went back with the girls."

"But they've left already."

He paused for a beat. When he began speaking again his voice was curt. "Suit yourself, call him."

The call ended abruptly and I realized that he had hung up on me. My stomach was in knots. I tried to call him back, but he wouldn't pick up. So I gave up and I called Edward.

**EPOV**

I'd joined Bella for dinner earlier. She was sitting with Angela and Jessica in the dining hall. I had no idea where Alice and Jasper had gone, and Rose and Emmett were nowhere to be found either. I wondered fleetingly if Alice had orchestrated some sort of scheme to desert me so that I would spend more time with Bella. _Alice couldn't be that devious, could she?_

I wasn't sure at first if I should go butt in with Bella, Jessica and Angela, but then Bella saw me and she pulled the chair next to her out in silent invitation. So I took a deep breath and joined the girls and was rewarded with Angela and Jessica ogling me throughout dinner. But it was manageable. Jessica didn't try to hit on me. After all, Bella was there to keep an eye out and I had a good time with her.

She told me afterwards that I dazzled the other girls; that I must know that people were dazzled by me. _I dazzle people? Do I dazzle her? _That must mean that I dazzle her, right? But when I asked her point-blank, she said she only found me tolerable. Tolerable! She's a smartass. I love a good smartass.

She never says what I expect. Always the unexpected. She makes me laugh. Not a lot of people make me laugh. Certainly not most girls; most girls make me uncomfortable.

I had wanted to do something with her, but I didn't really know what to suggest. I guess I could have asked her to go work out, but the girls beat me to it. I couldn't really ask her out on a date; I wasn't her boyfriend, after all. Someone else held that title. I guess I could invite her to my room, but it would sound like I was scamming her. I couldn't really ask her to invite me to her room; that would be lame. None of my choices seemed very viable.

So I had left to go for a run shortly after she had left with Jessica and Angela. I had come back to the dorm about forty minutes later, in desperate need of a shower and clean clothes. I had just pulled on my boxers and jeans when my phone rang. It was her.

"Hey, what's up, Bella?" I asked.

"Hey, Edward. Um, I hate to bother you, but I stayed behind when Angela and Jessica left the fitness center. So now I was wondering if you could come meet me. I don't know if you're busy now or not, and I don't want to interrupt you if you're doing something important..."

"It's not a problem. I'm glad you called me. This is safer. Give me five minutes. I just got out of the shower and need to finish getting dressed. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"Okay, thanks."

"Just wait inside and I'll come get you. I'll see you shortly."

"Okay, Edward. Thanks. Bye."

I hung up the phone and threw on a long-sleeved t-shirt, socks and my shoes. I ran a hand through my damp hair, grabbed a sweatshirt, my wallet and keys and jogged out the door and down to the parking lot where my car sat. I hopped in the Volvo and drove over to the fitness center.

**BPOV**

Edward answered after a few rings. I wondered what he was doing and whether or not I'd be interrupting him in the middle of something that he'd rather be doing. I hoped not. I could use a friend after that phone call with Jake.

"Hey, what's up, Bella?" his low, musical voice asked.

I told him that I was now alone at the fitness center and asked if he would come get me. He said that he was glad I called and would be on his way shortly. He told me he'd just gotten out of the shower. My mind couldn't help but contemplate that image. I tried to push the thought away. It wasn't easy. Wet, naked Edward standing under the shower was the kind of image that wouldn't be ignored. _Damn!_

I didn't see him come in the door at first. I was too busy re-experiencing Jake's call in my head, and thinking about the possible paths that lay before me.

Suddenly I noticed Edward, heading toward me; walking with his usual fluidity. He was graceful. He looked happy to see me, but there was also a look of concern on his face. I knew he had quickly dropped everything to come get me. He was thoughtful and unselfish. I was feeling lousy, so it was nice to reflect on someone doing something for me because they cared about me. He wanted me to be safe. He was protective.

He looked so handsome to me, but not just because of his face or his body, although they were pretty spectacular. I knew what kind of a person he was and I was glad to see him because of who he was. Everything I knew about him or was finding out about him, made me respect him and appreciate him more. I looked more carefully at him, though, as he approached. He was compelling. His hair looked darker than usual; still damp from his shower, and just as fabulously messy as ever. His face was slightly flushed, like he had been in a hurry. I knew he had. His green-blue eyes were piercing, trying to read me, I guessed. He had on a dark blue, long-sleeved t-shirt that hugged his body slightly; the shape of the muscles of his shoulders, arms and chest clearly defined beneath the fabric. His worn jeans hung comfortable on his hips. Much like Jessica and Angela, only hours ago, I felt that I was melting.

**EPOV**

I went inside, but I didn't see her immediately. I glanced around and finally noticed her, sitting on a bench in the far corner, her knees drawn up tightly to her body. She was frowning and looked preoccupied. I wanted to smooth out the little pucker between her brows. I wondered what had happened between her and the other girls. I walked toward her and her face brightened a little when she saw me.

"There's my guardian angel," she said, smiling.

I grinned at her remembering our conversation. "Yeah, but I haven't gotten my wings yet, so we're not flying back. I brought my car."

She smiled as she grabbed up her water bottle, her towel and her cell phone and we walked out in the direction of the parking lot. I went around to the passenger side with her and opened her door for her, and then I went around to my side and climbed in. I started the car and we pulled out of the parking lot.

I glanced over at her as I drove. "So how come Jessica and Angela ditched you?"

Her chin rested on her fist as she looked out the passenger window. She seemed pensive; not her usual self. "I told them to go."

"Why?"

**BPOV**

I felt funny talking to him about Jake. I knew he probably didn't want to hear about him, but I knew he was also aware of my predicament. I guess it was partly his predicament too. I was looking out the passenger window, but I spoke to him, not turning around to actually look at him.

"Jake called. The girls were ready to leave, but I kind of had to talk to him, so I told them to go ahead and go; I told them I'd call you. But my conversation with Jake didn't go very well. And then he hung up on me." I looked over at him, to see his reaction. Maybe he would look irritated, or upset.

He turned to look at me as we pulled into a space in the dorm parking lot. His face showed concern; or possibly regret. He certainly didn't look irritated or upset with me. He might be the only one, in the little triangle that had been forming, that wasn't upset with me.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. I knew there was a lot to feel sorry for. I felt all of those 'sorrys' myself.

He turned off the engine. We sat there in silence for a few moments in the dark. It was very quiet. I wondered what his thoughts were. I wished that I could read his mind.

My phone suddenly rang, startling us both. It was Jake and I had to answer the phone. I turned to look at Edward in the dim light within the car. "It's him. I've got to talk to him."

Edward, ever the gentleman, gave me the privacy and warmth of the car.

"You stay in here, I'll wait outside," he told me in his soothing velvety voice, grabbing a sweatshirt off of the back seat and getting out of his own car as I answered my phone.

**EPOV**

I went to the front of the car and sat against the hood, with my back to her. I waited for her to finish her call. The time just seemed to drag for me. But that was probably due to the nature of the call and the fact that I was anxious to know what was being said. I really did not want to hear anything of that phone call, yet I wished I knew what she was telling him. This whole situation was so incredibly fucked up, but I was in it now until it was resolved.

**BPOV**

"Hi, Jake." My eyes went to Edward. He had gone to the front of the car and sat against the hood, with his back to me. His broad shoulders slumped a little forlornly, and I knew this was hard for him as well. The not knowing. Sitting on the fence and not knowing which way to jump. Or fall.

"Hi, Bella." Jake spoke quietly. "I'm sorry I hung up on you earlier."

"Jake, I'm glad you called me back. I tried to call you, but you know that already."

"Where are you, Bella?"

"I'm back at the dorm, now." _Maybe not technically, but for all practical purposes. Why make things any more difficult than they had to be?_

"Did he come get you?"

He no longer needed to say his name. We both knew what was happening here. I could hear it in Jake's voice. "Yeah, he drove over, picked me up and brought me back." _Please don't ask me what I know you're going to ask me._

"Where is he now?"

_Shit. I can't just lie to him. That would just feel worse. And I'm not really covering up anything. Because I haven't really done anything wrong. _"He's here. He's waiting for me." I had to back up and tell him all of this the right way. I couldn't be lying to him. It wouldn't be fair."Actually, we're not in the dorm, yet. We had just gotten back to the parking lot when you called. We just parked. So I'm actually still in his car."

"And he's sitting there, listening to all of this? He must be having a good laugh at my expense. He must be laughing at how he's screwing us up."

"No, Jake, it's not like that. He's not like that at all. He's not even in the car; he's waiting outside. He got out giving me some privacy because you called. And now he's waiting for me, so I won't have to walk back up to the dorm in the dark."

"Well, I can see that you would be attracted to him. He's the perfect gentleman, isn't he? This is probably all calculated, so you think he's sensitive and caring." Jake's voice was rough; he was angry and I could hear the hurt. "Well, tell me something. What exactly _is_ he to you?"

_Oh, no, I can't do this! _I could feel how my throat was tightening up. "Honestly, Jake, I don't really know. He's just a friend."

"But you care about him?"

"Well, yes, he's a good guy. But nothing's going on."

Jake's voice was tight. "Bella, just tell me the truth; I want to know the truth. Have you slept with him? Is it like that?"

"No! I wouldn't do that to you!"

I could hear him exhale, shakily.

"Jake, I would never do that to you. You must know that. I wouldn't go out with someone behind your back. How can you even ask me that?"

"I can ask because we've never been in this place in our relationship before. I don't know what the hell you're doing. I don't know the people you're spending your days and nights with. You're so far away and I miss you so much. And I feel like everything is out of my control."

"I know." I had tears welling up in my eyes now. "This has been so hard for us; these past few months have been hard on both of us. I'm so sorry, Jake, but leaving Forks was what I had to do. What I have to do. It has nothing to do with you. I want an education. I want to finish my degree and get a teaching credential. I've got to go to school for at least another three or four years. I can't stay in Forks and do that."

Jacob was silent. I'd only ever seen him cry a few times; when he was much younger and then again when his mom passed away. But I knew he was unsure and hurting and I imagined tears in his dark eyes now. I wanted to curl up in a ball. I wanted to disappear. I wanted none of the feelings that I was experiencing.

My eyes focused on Edward, sitting on the hood, his arms crossed over his body. Keeping warm or holding himself together. He didn't deserve this. His head suddenly tilted up, looking at the stars. I wondered briefly if he was getting impatient that I was taking so much time, but then I figured, no, he's not like that. He's patient and he's concerned.

We were all so miserable and we were sharing this miserable moment together, apart.

"Bella," Jake's voice was husky. He cleared his throat. "I guess we need to spend some time together and figure out what's happening to us. I'll still come up there this weekend, if you want. We need to figure out what's going on and where this is going."

"I agree, Jake. I think we need to see each other. I'm sorry it's so far for you to drive."

"Yeah, that's sort of been the problem for me all along. I'd better let you go, so you can get back up to the dorm. Call me if you change your mind. Or if you just want to talk. You can call me anytime, Bella. You know that. I love you. I always have. I always will." His voice cracked.

"I know, Jake. I love you." I suddenly couldn't stop the tears from overflowing. "I'll always love you too; you've always been my best friend."

I closed my phone and wiped at my eyes. This was horrible. I was horrible. I had never felt so wretched in my life. There was an overwhelming heaviness in my chest. _Is this what it feels like when your heart is breaking?_

I tried to pull myself together as I climbed out of the car.

**EPOV**

She had talked with him on the phone for quite a while as I waited outside the car. I was glad I couldn't hear anything. I was afraid I'd hear muffled conversation and I'd be trying to piece it together in my head, imagining what they were saying to each other. Instead it was fairly silent outside. The night was cold and I was glad I'd brought a sweatshirt, although I would have waited outside even if I'd been freezing my ass off. I couldn't have gone back into the car with that conversation going on inside. And I figured there was no reason why I should feel comfortable while she was feeling upset; I was doing penance for my part in this.

The not knowing starts to get to you after a while. It gnaws at you. You wonder what has transpired and you feel like you're just hanging in the balance. But what else can you do? You can't force the situation. That's the surest way to ruin something; to apply pressure. It just has to unfold of its own accord. And you hope it unfolds for you, and not away from you. And in the meantime, you're just in limbo. Limbo was a pretty fucked place to be.

I looked up into the night sky at the stars. It was crystal clear. I heard the sound of the car door opening, then shutting. I didn't turn around, afraid of what I would see in the expression on her face. They might have made up and reached some kind of understanding. I heard her footsteps as she came and stood before me. Once I saw all that emotion welling up in her eyes, I just reached out and pulled her toward me.

**BPOV**

I climbed out of Edward's car. He didn't turn as the door opened, nor as it shut. I knew that he didn't know what to expect and was as afraid of hurt as I was afraid of hurting anyone. He didn't say anything, as I went to stand before him. He just looked carefully at my eyes and simply reached out, grabbing me by the shoulders and pulling me into him. He unzipped his sweatshirt, wrapping the sides around me as he folded me into his solid warmth. He held me there in his arms against him, his hand smoothing my hair. I laid my head against his chest, listening to the steady, comforting beat of his heart as the tears slipped down my cheeks.

What would I have done without him? He had dropped everything to come get me, to protect me. It was a comfort to feel his strong arms and warmth around me, to listen to him breathing quietly and feel the rise and fall of his chest. I lay my head down against him and listened to his heart beating steadily within as his fingers brushed soothingly through my hair. We stood together that way for a long time, my tears subsiding gradually.

I felt him lean his head down toward mine and I heard him inhale through his nose.

I realized that he was breathing in my scent. It was something I had done to him before. It was something I was doing now. I liked the way he smelled. I heard his breath as he exhaled, and I realized it was a little shaky. In a good way. Something about it made me feel lightheaded and dizzy.

**EPOV**

I'd been holding her for a long time now, trying to keep her warm, cradling her in my arms and leaning back against the car.

Alice had said that Jake seemed rather immature, from what Bella had told her. And that he liked to play mind games. He probably wanted to be in control. Only now that Bella had moved away for the school year, he no longer was. Not that I think Bella would have really let someone control her. She had a bit of a temper and I'm sure it would flare up if she felt pushed against her will.

Alice said they'd been having problems, regarding her leaving Forks, since the summer. But I remembered that she'd also said that they had a lot of shared history, and that their families had been close. That was what made this all the more difficult for her; she had all those ties, all those connections. All that guilt.

I held her because I knew how sad and confused she was. I knew she really had no one here that she was close to. Alice and I were pretty much it. Alice wasn't here at the moment, and she might not even have been in the dorm, for all I knew. So it was just me. And I was part of the problem. Even though she and I didn't really want to acknowledge that too much.

I knew she felt guilty. I knew she was blaming herself. Well, he was probably blaming her, too. I wondered what he knew or what he _thought_ he knew. I'm sure it just really sucked to be him right now. He was far away, and impotent to do anything; and he couldn't have really known what to do, anyway. I wondered if he knew there was someone else here that cared about her; that thought about her all the time and couldn't stop thinking about her.

She was still sniffling a little and holding her seemed like the right thing to do. I could feel a very small damp spot on my shirt, where her tears had been pooling. I kept thinking about everything she'd said in my room yesterday; her guilt and how she didn't want anyone hurt.

It was easy at first - holding her. But eventually, my mind began focusing on the fact that I was holding _her_ in my arms. I thought about how small she was; how fragile she felt. I began noticing the specifics of holding her: the silky feel of her hair as my fingers trailed through it, the sound of her quiet breathing and the very slight warmth I felt on my chest each time she exhaled. I leaned down closer to her and I breathed her in deeply. I was awash in her scent and her warmth and I didn't want to let her go. I realized that now-familiar low level electrical charge had been humming through me ever since I pulled her toward me.

My traitor body slowly awoke to the feeling of her body, pressed up close to mine. I could feel myself reacting to her, getting hard, and I tried to will it away, but that wasn't happening for me. So I finally had to shift away from her. I didn't want her to think I was some fucked up letch, getting a rise out of her when she was all emotional. I involuntarily groaned as I gently pushed us apart a bit.

**BPOV**

I was suddenly aware of every last inch of his body; everywhere that our two bodies touched. There was that strange little current again. I realized with a start that I could feel him, hard, up against me, and as it dawned on me, what was happening to him, he was already quickly moving away and pushing us apart a little. I heard him groan and I almost lost it. I think if he had kissed me at that moment, I would have just clung to his mouth, to him; unable to push him away or do the right thing anymore. It would have been lovely and it would have been terrible.

Instead, I managed to focus on my hands, curled up against his solid chest. I flattened them out, pressing them against him. I could feel his body heat against my palms. And then I knew I was blushing, but I knew he couldn't see it in the darkness. I looked up at him, wishing fleetingly that it were just he and I, that there was nothing stopping us, wondering what it would feel like to just take that step and let it happen.

**EPOV**

I looked down at her as she flattened her hands out on my chest, pressing them slightly against me, where they had been lying curled up between us moments ago. She looked from her hands up to my eyes. Her eyes shone in the darkness and seemed a little unfocused. Her gaze traveled back down to where her right hand lay, just over my heart. I wondered if she could feel it pounding beneath her fingertips. I wanted so badly to just kiss her.

She noticed the dark spot on the fabric.

"Sorry about your shirt," she whispered. Her fingers smoothed gently over the damp spot; right over my heart.

"Doesn't matter," I whispered back to her. "It'll dry."

She straightened up, pulling herself a little farther away from me; breaking the spell. A small pucker formed between her brows and I could see her struggling with her thoughts. "Oh, Edward, I feel like such a horrible person."

I had to defuse the situation. For both of us. "For crying on my T-shirt?" I gave her a little smile.

Her lips pulled up into a weak smile that quickly disappeared. "No," she looked at me meaningfully, "for tormenting people I care about."

I reached up and smoothed a knuckle across her cheekbone, wiping away a lingering tear. "I think the people you care about know that's not your intention. You're not a tormentor, Bella. You can't help this situation. You didn't ask for it."

She sighed. "The people I care about didn't ask for this, either."

"I think the people you care about know this wasn't planned; they realize that there's a lot more going on. It's not you just trying to make some random decision, willy-nilly."

A little giggle burst from her mouth. "Willy-nilly?" She cocked an eyebrow at me.

"What's wrong with 'willy-nilly'?"

"No one says 'willy-nilly.'"

"I just said it. You _are_ a tormentor, aren't you?"

She smiled. "Yes. Don't say 'willy-nilly' again or I may have to torment you violently."

I chuckled. "Deal."

She smiled at me.

"You ready to head home?" I asked her.

"Yes."

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked her, wondering about the phone call, but knowing it wasn't my place to ask anything further. She'd tell me if and when she needed to.

She sighed. "I think so."

"Come on." I pushed myself off of the car and took her hand as we turned to start up the hill to our dorm. She fell in step beside me. We walked along in the dark and were halfway to the building when she slipped her hand from mine and spoke again.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"I appreciate the fact that people I care about came to pick me up tonight."

I turned and smiled at her, "I'll let them know."

She flashed a smile. "Let them know that I think they're pretty wonderful, too."

"I will, if I can say 'willy-nilly'."

"Don't push your luck."

"Tormentor."

**BPOV**

I think Edward realized that he had to rein in the seriousness of the moment. He didn't ask about the phone call with Jake, but he must have known by my tears that things were not right with me. He went for cute and funny and I went along with it. Cute and funny was a lot safer and easier to deal with right now than smoldering and yearning and not being in the right place, mentally or emotionally, to just let go.

**A/N: ****It's getting inescapable... **

**Reviews are welcomed. Talk to me, ;) Then continue reading if the chapter has been ****revised.**


	19. This Might Be Working Out

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Poor little emotional Bella and Edward. They are really all over the map at this least a few things will be decided this chapter.

No one has ever mistaken me for Stephenie Meyer. I don't think they ever will. No one has ever thought that my little fic is the actual Twilight story. I'm not trying to infringe on what belongs to her. I just need more Edward in my life. Like 24/7 or more if possible.

You can avoid what you are drawn to for only so long. And then you realize there's no reason to be avoiding what you want.

**Chapter 19: This Might be Working Out (Revised)**

**EPOV**

Things heated up a little bit on Sunday night, after I picked Bella up from the fitness center. I probably got a little carried away, holding her like I did. But what was I supposed to do? She was upset and needed to just be held. And fuck me, it just felt so wonderful. Sometimes that electric charge between us is just so palpable; I think we both probably feel that if we'd ever really give in and let go, we'd be absolutely shocked. Zapped. Literally and figuratively.

Bella and I had walked back up to the dorm, at least part way, hand in hand. I'd realized that I was probably pushing my luck, but I hated to lose the physical connection I had shared with her after the phone conversation she'd had in my car. I'd wanted to console her and soothe her when she'd come to stand before me, so I'd held her once I saw her tears and then kept holding her until she calmed. But as the time ticked by, I knew that the physical contact we were sharing was consoling and soothing me as well. It had been a very long time since I'd held a girl that way. And it wasn't just holding _a girl_, it was holding _her. _Holding her had given me a physical connection that I hadn't realized I had so desperately needed. And I craved that connection with her now.

But the connection of us holding hands had ended just like holding her in my arms had ended. That connection wasn't really mine to keep at this point. I knew that. I fucking knew that. She had another connection.

She hadn't told me anything about her conversation with him, and I hadn't really expected her to. She had to sort out for herself what she wanted and needed. If what she wanted and needed happened to be me, well, I knew she'd let me know when she was ready. Until then, I had to just gut it out and wait. The whole thing sucked big time.

I knew that he was coming up this weekend to see her. The thought made my stomach hurt, even though I tried to focus on it as little as possible. I'd probably wind up with a fucking ulcer before the weekend was over. She wasn't mine, but it was harder and harder to think of her as someone else's. I wanted her for myself. And all I really knew about her feelings for me was that she thought I was 'a great guy,' had 'wondered what it would have felt like if I'd kissed her' that first Saturday, and she'd 'liked the feeling of my body against hers' as I helped her down from her bunk that second Saturday, and 'maybe she had met someone else she wanted.'

_Maybe. _

But it was just so right and easy being together. She had to feel that.

I wondered if he was coming up on Friday or Saturday. I wondered if he had plans to stay for the weekend. I could have thrown up when it dawned on me that he might want to stay here, in our dorm, in her room, with her. That was when I realized that I probably couldn't stay here at school this weekend. I couldn't be around for his visit. It would drive me fucking nuts to see her with him.

I would be better off at home, in Port Angeles, for the weekend. I could mope around at home in peace, lock myself in my bedroom, play funeral dirges on the piano, swim laps in the pool non-stop. My parents would let me be. They were used to that kind of behavior with me. And if I went home I wouldn't have the constant reminder of his presence, or the possibility of seeing them with a renewed conviction in their relationship. At this point I knew I couldn't bear witnessing that. I would have to leave. I couldn't remain here. Even if he didn't stay the entire weekend, I didn't think I could stand being around Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose. It would be hard to watch them have what I didn't, but they would also look at me with pity and concern. It would be hard to make it through the day, just looking at them, looking at me. I knew they wouldn't ridicule me; hell, that would have been easier to take. They would be concerned and careful, watching and waiting. I couldn't take that shit from the four of them. No fucking way.

So I would leave on Thursday afternoon, after my last class. I had no classes on Fridays, so I could disappear long before his arrival and I could return after his departure. I couldn't stand to watch him be with her. That would be too painful and I wouldn't be able to take it.

This was pretty fucked up, when I thought about it. I had tried to protect myself for so long. I had remained aloof and apart. And now I was opening myself up to hurt and I didn't even have the girl. She wasn't even mine, she wasn't even available, and I was going to get hurt. I just had to make it to Thursday afternoon and then I could leave.

_That was four days away. Shit!_

I decided to throw myself into other things so keep my mind off the wait. I would do my schoolwork with a vengeance. I would work out and run to near-exhaustion. I would do what I could with Jasper and Emmett, like I always had in the past. I would just have to dwell a little less on her. I would begin to prepare myself for a bad outcome. Because you never know how these things are going to turn out.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Bella was pretty much missing in action around the dorm and dining hall. I knew she was trying to avoid me. I knew she was thinking about him coming to see her this weekend. I felt sick to my stomach every time I thought about it. Maybe they'd already patched things up over the phone and this weekend would be a happy reunion for the both of them.

I was going to lose my fucking mind just over thinking this.

**BPOV**

On Monday, I buried myself in my classes and my reading. I realized that I had to make it through Friday in one piece. It seemed like spending time with Edward was exactly the thing I wanted to be doing most these days. But I needed to be able to really focus on just Jake and how I felt about him and why. I needed to know what I wanted from him and from our relationship. I honestly couldn't decide how I truly felt about him anymore. That couldn't be a good thing.

I was also sure Edward was getting tired of my moodiness. I didn't want him to feel used, and I don't think he did; I imagine he just really wished that I would figure this all out quickly and be done with it, whatever the outcome. He knew Jake was coming this weekend and I'm sure it bothered him. He was probably wondering a lot about Jake. I think if I were in his place I would probably have felt physically ill. I actually did feel ill as I contemplated the weekend ahead. I had much less of an appetite than usual and found myself skipping meals without even realizing it.

I wondered what Alice had told him; probably everything. They were close. I had to assume he knew everything I had told her. Not that it really mattered. He probably deserved to know more than I had told him. It's just that it felt so awkward and painful.

On Tuesday, I worked on a paper that I had to write for one of my literature classes. It was probably the best paper that I'd ever written, because I'd spent the entire day on it along with several rewrites just to keep myself busy. I was not willing to let myself have any free time to do anything else. I didn't want to contemplate the next few days and the coming weekend. There was safety in homework, and hiding in your room, and avoiding Edward and his beautiful face, perfect body, wonderful personality, and warm soul. _Damn!_

By Wednesday evening my steel resolve had dwindled away to the consistency of oatmeal and I just couldn't take my self-imposed confinement anymore. I realized that I just really missed Edward. I was coming to terms with how important he was becoming to me. It had been nearly three days since I'd spent any real time with him. We'd seen each other in passing on our way to and from meals, and twice we were there at the same time, but I didn't sit next to him. I tried to maintain at least a physical distance. But I had watched him. And I had noticed him watching me. It had been so difficult.

By early in the evening on Wednesday, I had had enough of avoiding him. I missed him. I wanted to see him. I needed to talk with him. I picked up my phone and texted him.

_Do you want to go work out?_

A few minutes later my phone buzzed and I picked it up, flipping it open to read the response.

_With whom?_

I smiled as I texted him back.

_With me, silly boy. No one_

_uses ' whom' correctly._

_I'm impressed!_

The phone buzzed again and I read his message.

_I try to be impressive._

_Yes I'll go, willy-nilly._

I laughed out loud, then quickly texted back.

_Willy-nilly? I warned _

_you. Now you're in for_

_the beating of your life._

I hurriedly started changing into some sweatpants and a tank top. The phone buzzed and I quickly grabbed it up to read his response.

_Sounds provocative. _

_I'd like to see you that_

_worked up. See you in 10?_

I giggled to myself as I typed back,

_I'll be there in 5. Make _

_sure that you're ready for _

_your severe beating._

I had already pulled on my socks and now began tying my shoelaces as fast as I could. When the phone buzzed I read what he texted me.

_I might not be done _

_getting dressed._

To that I typed,

_Your problem, not mine._

I pressed 'send' and then I yanked on my sweatshirt, grabbed my key, a small towel, and a bottle of water, and quickly left the room, slamming the door and practically sprinting down the stairs to his room. I knocked only once and the door flew open. I squealed in surprise. He stood there, draped across the doorway, completely dressed and ready to go, with a huge grin on his face. I immediately laughed; completely surprised. He spoke before I could say a word.

"Bella, you had me at, 'do you want to go work out?'" Then he paused, looking carefully at my face, a smile dancing on his lips. "What?" His eyes crinkled at the corners. "Did you hurry, thinking you'd catch me in a state of semi-undress?" He had such a bad boy smile on his face.

I burst out laughing. "Obviously I wasn't fast enough!"

That made him laugh. "Actually, I was already dressed because I was thinking of going for a run anyway."

"So you texted me that you might not be done getting dressed, just to provoke me?"

"Look how it made you hurry." He was practically beaming. _And he looked so hot!_

I scowled at him. "You can be awfully naughty." I turned and took off, jogging down the hall to the back entrance. "Race you!" I called back over my shoulder, glancing back to where he stood, with a surprised look on his face.

I was out of the dorm and running down the hill. He must have had to get his key, because I definitely had a good lead on him. I heard him laughing and I heard his fast steps approaching behind me. Of course he caught up to me, with his long legs and big stride. I laughed as we ran, breathing hard and feeling so alive. I had really missed him and his sense of humor. _Why had I spent so much time avoiding him?_

"I'm going to win. You know that, don't you?" he asked, grinning his crooked grin, running alongside me at this point.

"Hey, this race isn't over, yet, buddy. You can't count me out." We ran along the walkways through the campus, dodging the occasional person, trashcan and tree. Finally we had gotten close to the fitness center.

"Ow!" I yelled, stopping abruptly, and hopping on one foot. Edward put the brakes on and came back to me quickly.

"What happened?" There was a look of concern on his face as he turned to me. "Did you twist your ankle?" He bent to look, reaching out for my injured foot.

"No, I won the race!" I laughed as I gathered myself and sprinted past him into the doorway of the fitness center. I was out of breath but exhilarated. I stood, just inside the entrance, bent over, with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath, giggling a little to myself because I had outwitted him, and because it felt so good to spend time with him again.

Suddenly his low, melodic voice was right at my ear, making my breath catch in my throat and sending a quick shiver down my spine. His warm breath played on a strand of hair that had escaped my ponytail and it was now tickling my neck. "_You_ are such a cheater." His velvety voice murmured in my ear seductively. "To think that I fell for the damsel in distress act. Sucha cheater. You're the one who deserves the beating."

My face was already flushed from the exertion of the run, so my blush probably blended right in, as I looked up at him to see his stern expression of mock-disappointment. And then his mouth swiftly curled up into a grin and he was laughing at my embarrassment.

We stayed there for nearly two hours, taking turns on the various machines. It wasn't a very serious workout. For the most part, it was a vehicle for us to hang out together and talk. And I think he must have missed me, like I had missed him. Our conversation was easy and sprinkled with laughter. It was probably the most cathartic workout I had ever experienced, considering the stress and self-imposed exile of the past few days.

On our way back to the dorm, walking slowly this time, Edward was quiet. I knew that what was on my mind was also on his. The weekend was looming. Jake was on the horizon.

He finally cleared his throat but didn't turn to look at me. "Bella," he said, as we walked along, "I was thinking I'd go home this weekend. You know, to Port Angeles, to see my parents. I could leave tomorrow after my last class. I don't have class on Friday. And then I'd come back on Sunday."

I had abruptly stopped walking. _I had avoided him for most of the past three days and now I wouldn't see him for four more days?_

"You're leaving tomorrow?" My voice came out in a whiny squeak and I knew I sounded anxious. I hadn't even thought that he might not be there during the weekend, but of course this wouldn't be easy for him. This was going to be terrible for him.

He had stopped walking and had turned to face me. He grimaced. "I think it might be best. I don't want to be in the way. And, uh, I don't know when he's getting here, but I don't think I want to see him. You know, with you. I don't want…" he paused, looking down and then he struggled to find the words he wanted. "I don't want to watch him be with you, or wonder what he's doing with you. And…" he stopped and looked back up at me for a moment, then ran a hand nervously through his hair and didn't continue.

"And what, Edward?" I stepped closer to him, looking up into his face, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. I put my hand on his arm, "and what?" I whispered.

He winced as though he were in pain. "And if I'm gone…" another nervous hand rake through his hair, "…Alice can stay with Jasper and you can have your room."

Saying _that_ had been so awkward for him that he now actually looked ill. I had a huge knot in my stomach, thinking of what he'd said, and how he had said it. I realized that he had no idea what to expect and of course, he only had his imagination for reference. His words also made me realize how _I_ truly felt too.

"Oh, Edward, no." I said, shaking my head. "I don't want that." I moved closer to him, wrapping my free hand around his other arm. "It's not _going_ to be like that. First of all, Jake isn't coming until Saturday. Second, I don't think he's going to be able to stay overnight. I'm not sure he would even want to. I think he'll go back later that evening. And third," I paused, but as soon as the thought came into my head, I knew it to be absolutely the truth, "I don't think I can be with Jacob anymore."

Edward's eyes widened. For a moment he said nothing. Then he quietly asked, "Why not?"

I threw my hands up into the air. "Complications."

"Complications?" he slowly repeated, his eyes still wide.

"Yes… just… complications. So, do you _have_ to leave tomorrow, Edward? I don't want you to go." _There, I said it. _"Can't you stay? At least until Friday? I mean, I understand if you don't want to be here on Saturday, when he's here, but…"

He moved his arm, pulling it away from my hand, I thought, at first. But then his fingertips reached out and found my hand and he curled his hand around mine. He looked carefully into my eyes, weighing what he saw there, I guess. His voice was a little husky when he answered me. "Bella, okay, I'll stay here if you want me to; I'll be here for you." His voice was sincere; it was a caress.

I nodded. "I think I need you to." My throat was tight.

**EPOV**

Wednesday night. She always manages to surprise me. To do the unexpected. She texts me, wanting to go for a workout. Wanting to know if I want to go. We have this silly, sort of sexy-texty conversation. And I knew, I just knew, that she was going to hustle down to my room to surprise me, but I beat her to the punch line and surprised her at the door. It was priceless. It was exactly what I needed. I felt like I could breathe again.

Then she goes flying out the door of the dorm, calling back that we're racing. Of course I can catch her; I'm bigger and taller and my legs are longer. But she's sneakier. She fakes an injury right at the end of the race so I'll stop and help her. And then I'm caught off-guard, so she wins. And she loved it. She was so damn proud of herself. I followed her in the door and she's all bent over, giggling and blushing and catching her breath. _And she looked so hot!_

I'm pretty sneaky myself. I get right up on her and talk low in her ear. I caught her shiver and that damn blush. Serves her right. Little cheater.

We weren't really working out very hard. It was just an excuse to be together. I was glad for it. I had really missed her, the past few days. Plus I was already figuring that I'd be going home the next day and not seeing her for another three days. That would have been screwed.

So I'm thinking about it on the way back, as we're walking, and I realize that I've got to tell her my plans. So I do. But she stops walking and I can hear the worry in her voice. It sounds like she's panicking.

I had to tell her why; that I couldn't stand to watch them together, or think of them together, or wonder what he's doing to her or with her. And then, like an idiot, I'm telling her that I'm leaving and Alice can stay with Jasper, so she and he can have her room to themselves. It made me sick, as soon as I said it, because what if she'd said, 'gee, thanks' or 'that'd be great'? And why _did _I say it? Sometimes I disgust myself because I can't just let things go. I have to over think, over analyze and over imagine. But I had to know; I wanted her to tell me, one way or the other.

But she tells me that it's not like that. Her voice is soft and she's shaking her head no. Her eyes are gentle and they're pleading with me. She reaches out to me, touching me as she tells me that he's not coming until Saturday. That he's not staying overnight. That she's not even sure if he would want to stay.

And then she drops the bomb: 'I don't think I can be with Jacob anymore.'

I can't believe my ears. I'm shell-shocked. And I'm breathing but I'm not getting any oxygen. So I ask her why and she says, 'Complications'. I'm still trying to figure this all out, but I just keep hearing, 'I don't think I can be with Jacob anymore.' It's running through my head, over and over again on a loop. Then she's saying that she doesn't want me to go. She wants me to stay. I take her hand in mine and tell her I'll stay if she wants me to. Turns out she thinks she _needs_ me to stay.

You'd better fucking believe I'll stay.

**BPOV**

When we returned to the dorm, we went in the back entrance, close to Edward's room.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella. Thanks for the invite to go work out."

"I'm glad you came with me. I had a lot of fun, Edward."

"I did too." He smiled down at me. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight."

I turned to walk away, but then thought of something. "Edward, wait…"

He turned back to me. I approached him to talk more quietly.

"You're sure you don't mind staying tomorrow? I guess maybe I'm being selfish. I should have told you how I was feeling. I wasn't thinking about how you would imagine things to be. And I guess I only recently figured it out for myself."

"No, you're not being selfish. And I guess I know better where you stand now that you told me. I won't go home this weekend. I'll stay here. I'll be here if you need me."

I nodded. "Thanks." There was more I wanted to tell him; he should know how I was feeling about him, but it didn't seem like the right time, I had to think things over. "Goodnight, Edward, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"What time are you going to breakfast?"

"I'm not sure. Should I call you?"

"Yeah, or just come get me on your way. I'll wait for you."

"You're not going to fling the door open to startle me and be standing there all ready to go, are you?"

He laughed. "No, that's already been done. I'll have to think of something new."

I grinned at him. "Okay, you've got all night to plan. Bye, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella," he said, his lips curling into a smile at the corners.

I got up to my room to find Alice and Jasper sitting in the swanky fort, cuddling and talking and listening to music. I was thankful that it was normal music and no one was wearing a kilt. The strand of lights that hung beneath the canopy of the beds was on and the other lights in the room were off. It was actually quite pretty for a dorm room.

"Hey, Bella. Where have you been?" Alice asked, smiling.

"Edward and I went to the fitness center for a couple of hours. We just got back."

"What the heck was going on with you two earlier?" Jasper asked. "Edward couldn't stop smiling when he was texting you, and then he just stood, posing in the doorway until you knocked. Then he just goes running down the hall chasing you and out the door. What _was _that?"

I laughed. "Edward was just being silly. He tried to startle me in the doorway, and then we raced all the way to the fitness center. I won the race, in fact. He's faster, but I'm more dishonest, so I tricked him," I proudly added.

"Wait, whoa, whoa, wait. Back up." Jasper's held his hands up, in a 'stop' gesture. "You used the words 'Edward' and 'silly' in the same sentence. That just isn't done. That goes against the conventions of standard acceptable English language usage. Edward doesn't _do_ silly."

I was confused. It must have shown on my face.

"Bella," Alice spoke up, "what Jasper's trying to say, is that you're waking up the happy in Edward. He's usually so serious and buttoned up. It's just really nice to see him having fun and enjoying life. We've been seeing bits and pieces of it, more and more, even when you're not around he's smiling more; like he carries a bit of you around with him."

I didn't quite know what to say.

"I guess that's a good thing, right? Everyone deserves to be happy. Edward is a really great guy and he's a lot of fun to be around." I smiled as I slipped off my shoes and began opening drawers, gathering clothes to change into after the shower I so desperately needed.

I padded off to the bathroom, turning on the hot water, waiting for it to heat up. As I slipped under the spray and felt the warmth of the water loosening up my muscles, I thought about what had happened and what had been said this evening.

I realized that I had been seeing a change in Edward. I didn't really know the Edward that was, only what I saw those first few days here in the dorm, but he must have been so closed off, for such a long time, after the experience with Tanya's death. I wondered how much of this change had to do with me, specifically, and how much had to do simply with the passage of time and wounds healing.

This evening he had shared his feelings with me; how he didn't want to see me with Jake. He had thought about going home, to avoid having to deal with that. He didn't actually put it into words, but in telling me all of this, he was telling me how much he cared for me. _And that he was… jealous. Oh my! _When he explained how Jake and I would have the room to ourselves, I could see how upset it made him, to even think about us being together and having a physical relationship. And I knew how long it had been since he had allowed anyone in, and now he had found himself caring about someone that belonged to another.

That was when I realized just how very much I cared about Edward Cullen.

It was suddenly more important to me to _not_ _hurt Edward_, than it was to be _with Jacob_. My feelings toward both of them had changed. I was glad I'd had the opportunity to explain a little to Edward, to tell him that it wouldn't be like the way he thought between me and Jake. And as I told him, I realized that I just couldn't be with Jake anymore. Not like that. I would always want him to be my friend. I would always love him, but I was no longer in love with him. He couldn't continue to be my boyfriend. I realized I no longer felt that way about him.

I saw the surprise on Edward's face when I told him that I couldn't be with Jake anymore. He had asked me why, and all I could say, for the time being, was that there were complications. He probably knew that he was one of the complications, but I'm sure it would have bothered him, at least a little, if he thought that he had come between us. He hadn't actually. This had been brewing long before this school year started. But I still felt like I needed to sort things out. I certainly wasn't sure that I could jump immediately into something new with someone new. Even if it was Edward Cullen. I was feeling rather wretched about the whole situation to come and my feelings about myself.

Edward was becoming my rock. We joked around, calling him my "guardian angel", and he had admitted feeling very protective of me. I think that was partly because he had a little family of siblings and friends here, and he knew I had no one here; and not even many people back in Forks. He was kind and caring and a good listener and he comforted me when I needed someone.

I realized that I'd been in the shower for quite some time. I had apparently washed my body and my hair, had put on conditioner and rinsed, and didn't recall doing any of that. I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts of Edward. I shut the water off, toweled dry, and stepped out of the shower. Once I'd dressed, and brushed and dried my hair a little, I went back to my room.

Jasper had left. Alice was still sitting in the swanky fort. The twinkle lights were still on. She patted the cushions next to her and I went to sit down.

"You know, Bella, after you left I was thinking about what you'd said; that 'everyone deserves to be happy'. How about you? I've been worried about you lately. Are you happy?"

"I am. More often than I thought I would be. When I left to come here, I was worried that I'd feel alone and lonely; that I'd miss home and Jake. But I haven't felt that way. I've felt completely at home here." I looked at her. "You all have made me feel so much a part of your group. The times that I've been unhappy here have been because of pressure from Jake."

She gave me a sad, little smile. I knew she really cared about me as a friend. "How are things going?" she asked.

"Well," I paused, wondering how she would react when I answered her, "I told Edward that I didn't think I could be with Jake anymore. Oh… Alice… I think I have to break up with Jake. This relationship isn't really doing either of us any good."

Alice looked at me with understanding. "That's not going to be easy. Is he still coming here to visit you this weekend?"

I nodded.

"Does he know you want to break up?" she asked quietly.

I shook my head, looking down, feeling miserable, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to me.

"Does he suspect?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I think so. He seems worried that I've been cheating on him, which I would never do. And I feel terrible that he's going to come all this way, but it's really not something I want to do over the phone. He's still going to be a part of my life…I hope…he's like family." I took a deep breath and exhaled feeling overwhelmed.

"Oh, Bella, you've got a couple difficult days ahead of you, don't you?" Alice reached out and patted my arm.

"Yeah, it looks like it."

"Did Edward tell you that he's going home this weekend?"

"Yes, well, actually he changed his mind. He's going to stay here."

"He is? Are you sure?"

"Yeah." I took a deep breath, staring at the pillow I was now holding and twisting in my hands. "He told me exactly why he wanted to leave: that it would make him uncomfortable to see me with Jake. But I told him what's going on, or more accurately, what's no longer going on." I was fiddling with the fringe on the pillow, unable to look up at Alice. "I told Edward that I didn't think I could be with Jake anymore. Then I asked him to stay. He said he would stay for me." I suddenly needed to confess, "Alice, I… I really care about Edward." I looked up at her intently.

She was smiling broadly, hugging her knees to her body. "I know you do."

**A/N: So that takes E and B to Wednesday. Two angsty days to get through before the shit hits the fan on Saturday, Bella's birthday. :( ** **What timing!**

**I'd love to know what you have to say to this little story you're reading.**

**And read on if the next chapter is ****revised.**


	20. The Movie Fades to Black

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: I love reading what you have to say and I promise, I'll respond!

The originals are not my characters or settings or plots. They are S.M.'s. I just have an overactive imagination and I would rather write this nonsense than do whatever else it is that I should be doing at my age. No copyright infringement is intended.

It's a longish chapter, but here he is: Edward - from one extreme to the other. Oh, and that boy Jake shows up too.

**Chapter 20: The Movie Fades to Black (Revised)**

**EPOV**

She sure knows how to keep me on pins and needles. She doesn't show her face for a few days. Then she calls me to ask if I want to go with her to work out. We walk back from working out and I tell her I'm leaving for the weekend, because I don't want to be thinking about him spending time with her. She tells me it's not like that. She shakes me to my very core when she tells me she doesn't think she can be with him anymore. Then she asks me to stay for the weekend; she needs me to stay. She tells Alice she's got to break up with him. She tells Alice she really cares about me and I know this because Alice tells me everything, or at least the things that she thinks I need to know_. _And I hate that Jake is coming, but armed with my new knowledge, I just can't stop smiling.

**BPOV**

The next morning, after working out, I called Edward as I was getting ready for breakfast. He said he'd be ready when I got downstairs. I got dressed, brushed my teeth and my hair and decided to pull it up into a messy bun for a change. Then I just had to put on my shoes and get my hoodie.

I got to Edward's door and knocked softly. I wasn't sure if Jasper was maybe still sleeping. I waited for a moment, but the door didn't open. I knocked again a little louder and suddenly I was grabbed from behind. Long fingers tickling my ribs. I shrieked because I was startled , then laughed and writhed because I am ticklish. I managed to escape and turned to see Edward, with an eyebrow cocked and a devilish smile on his lips.

"Oh, the secret's out, Bella. You're awfully ticklish. I'll definitely be remembering that."

"So that's what you meant when you said you'd be ready when I got downstairs? You'd be lurking in some doorway, stalking me, waiting to pounce and attack?"

"Sounds about right." His lip curled a little more. "You gave me the whole night to plan my greeting. This was what I came up with. Are you suitably impressed?"

"Yes, it was terrific. You really know how to show a girl a good time." I laughed. "Shall we go to breakfast?"

"Are you asking me out?" He raised his eyebrows and looked hopeful. He was in an awfully happy mood this morning. It was hard not to smile at him.

"Nope, Edward. Not asking you out; you're more trouble than you're worth." His smile faltered just the slightest. Could he not see that I was joking? "Tell you what, though, I'm going to breakfast. You can walk there with me, sit with me, talk with me and come back here with me. Does that fit into your plans?" His smile was back in full force.

"Sounds perfect."

We headed out of the suite close together, smiling, passing a surprised Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley on the way. They gaped at us like codfish.

At breakfast Edward told me that Jasper wanted to do a movie night in their room on Friday night. Jasper was going to rent the movie, Alice would make the popcorn, and Edward was in charge of getting soda. I thought it sounded like a great way to pass the evening, instead of focusing on Jake's arrival the next day. I told him I was in and asked what I should bring.

"You don't have to bring anything. If you want, you could get some candy, but it's not really necessary."

"Candy it is," I said, nodding. "What are we watching?"

"That's the thing," he said ominously, "with Jasper, you never really know. Last time it was a French film with subtitles, the time before it was a Disney feature-length cartoon. Maybe I should have told you that first."

I laughed. "I'm sure it'll be just fine."

We had finished eating and I piled our trash on one tray, sliding the extra tray underneath. Edward was about to grab the trays, but I beat him to it, picking them up and holding them out of his reach.

"My turn," I said, standing up and holding them away from him.

He looked a little surprised but smiled and then shook his head disbelievingly.

"What?" I asked as I dumped and stacked the trays. "I have manners too, you know."

He smirked. "Bella, you are the perfect gentleman. I've thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast date with you. And you were so suave…"

"Here, let me get the door for you, Edward," I said as I opened the door and gave him a gentle shove through the doorway.

He chuckled and spun around and looked at me as he walked backwards out into the sunshine. The sun only added to the happy expression that lit up his face. I swear, in his exuberance he very nearly sparkled.

**EPOV**

Somehow it gets decided that she's going to call me and come get me to go for breakfast. _Just the two of us! _ So I jump out and scare her, grabbing her from behind, because it's really hard to keep my hands to myself. I figured that out the night I held her in the parking lot. Anyway, we laugh and talk and it's easy to have a good time together. She's easy to be with. She's not putting on an act, she's just herself; she's a real girl.

At breakfast I tell her about movie night. I figure it would be a good way to keep her mind off of him coming to visit and her thinking about breaking up with him. I worry about her and I feel sad for her, because I know she doesn't hate the guy. He hasn't been a total ass to her; he hasn't really mistreated her. Things have gotten a little strained and she just doesn't have the same feelings for him that she used to. This is all according to Alice.

I'm just floating by the end of breakfast. I've had such a good time with her this morning. She's funny and fun and by the time we leave the dining hall, I think I could just about skip as we walk out into the sun. I manage to contain myself, however, because I see Emmett heading in my direction. Can't skip in front of Emmett. As he passes us, he says hello to us, and gives me a little cocked eyebrow. I wonder what he thinks is going on. Or knows. Alice.

**BPOV**

I saw him again at dinner, when the whole group went at once and I joined them. Emmett and Rosalie already had plans for Friday evening, so it would just be Alice, Jasper, Edward and me watching the movie. After dinner I had to get back to my room and work on several homework assignments that were piling up. I knew I couldn't count on getting much done this weekend; not with the kind of weekend I would be having.

On Friday afternoon Edward stopped by my room to see if I wanted to go to the store with him. He was going to buy sodas and I could pick out some candy. Still no word on the movie Jasper was planning on showing.

We got in his shiny silver Volvo and rolled the windows down. Edward started up the car and we flew out of the parking lot and down the road. No wonder it had been torture for him the day we took my truck. He was exactly like Alice in that regard. Both of them speed demons.

Edward picked up two six packs of sodas while I looked over the candy aisle. I decided on Skittles and M&M's. Edward had come to find me as I was making my selection.

"Hey, I want to get one more thing," he told me. "Come on."

We were in the aisle with the coffees and teas and instant hot cocoas.

"Pick out a hot cocoa," he said, gesturing with one of the soda six packs.

"For tonight?" I asked.

"Uh, no, but for some time in the future. I think it'll come in handy."

"Okay. How about double chocolate with mini marshmallows?"

"Perfect. Grab one."

I did. We headed up to the register. This time I wouldn't let him pay for my purchase.

"I can be a gentleman, too, Bella." His low voice was in my ear. He stood just behind me in line. His warm breath tickled my neck as he spoke. I shivered. _Why did he always have to do that? _Obviously he enjoyed it. _Well, hell, so did I._

"You're blushing," he observed smugly, quietly, in my ear. Another shiver.

I attempted to gather my wits. "I know, I can feel it. You don't need to tell me." I put my change back in my wallet and walked out the door, leaving him to get the bags, so I could get some fresh air. Somehow, it seemed Edward just had a knack for making me feel unsteady.

We zoomed back to the dorm, avoiding policemen and the speed limit.

When we got back, Edward put the sodas in the little refrigerator in his room and set the candy and hot cocoa mix on top.

"I think Alice wanted to bring down some of the pillows from the swanky fort. We usually make couches out of our beds, you know, turn them to face the TV a little more, but maybe we don't need to do that if Rose and Emmett aren't going to be here."

I nodded at him. "We could probably just sit on your beds and scoot back to the head of the bed, leaning back against the closets and the wall on the side. Maybe we'll need a few pillows, so we're not leaning on the wall. Well, we can bring some down later when we come to watch the movie."

That evening, Alice and I each grabbed two cushions from the swanky fort as we were leaving. When we got to their room, Jasper stood at the door, just inside the beaded entrance.

"Welcome, ladies, you're just in time for our double feature. Please make your seat selections. Our film will begin promptly."

Alice put her hand on his cheek and gave him a kiss on her way in the door.

The lava lamp was percolating and there were cups filled with Skittles and M&Ms on the nightstands. Edward had put the sodas on ice, in a little tub that now sat on top of the refrigerator.

"This is pretty amazing. I never noticed what a perfect set up you guys have here for movies. The TV is pretty huge for a dorm room."

"It's Edward's. He's into good technology. That's all you ever spend good money on, isn't it, Edward?"

"Yeah, I don't buy crap at the thrift store, like some people do."

"Are you ridiculing my kilt?" Jasper looked astonished. "You're not ridiculing my kilt, are you?"

"I would never do that, Jasper." Edward turned his head and rolled his eyes for me to see.

"You're welcome to borrow it sometime, Edward; you needn't covet it from afar."

"No thanks, Jasper, I'd prefer to keep 'afar' away from it as possible." He winked at me.

I giggled at him, although for a brief few seconds I contemplated Edward, dressed in full Scottish regalia, and I thought that would be pretty easy on the eyes. _Holy haggis!_

Edward gestured for me to sit down on his bed. I sat, moving up near the head of the bed, leaning back against a cushion which was propped against the closet. I could already tell that this was going to be a pretty entertaining way to spend the evening. Look at the company I keep.

Jasper announced this evening's showing. "We're going to start with a vampire movie, then move on to Romeo and Juliet. Any complaints and you're welcome to leave. Everybody likes a little vampire excitement and a little tortured romance, so we'll hit both in one evening."

Edward sat at the foot of his bed, perpendicular to me, leaning against the wall with his legs hanging off the side of the bed. My feet were pulled up to make room for him. We were both leaning against cushions that Alice and I had brought down from upstairs. Alice had made two bowls of popcorn that she had popped in the microwave. The bowl of popcorn was between us, where we could both reach it.

Alice and Jasper were cuddled together over on Jasper's bed, across from us. They were both sitting up at the head of the bed, like I was, leaning against two cushions that were propped behind them.

Halfway through the first movie I ate a handful of popcorn. Then I picked out a piece and threw it at Edward. It hit him in the face, just over the eye. He turned and looked, but I had turned away and feigned ignorance. A little while later, a piece bounced off my nose. I looked at him, but he was looking at the TV. I took another handful and he looked back at me, waiting, a very small smile tickling at his mouth. I never made eye contact with him as I ate all of the popcorn, save one piece, that I let drop down onto the bed, where he couldn't see it. Once he was focused back on the movie I picked up the piece and tossed it at him. It hit his cheek.

He turned and looked at me and I looked back at him, my best innocent expression on my face. He was smiling, but he didn't say anything; of course I didn't say a word. A little while later four pieces hit my face and head. I looked at him and he was stifling a smile, though he wouldn't make eye contact with me.

I picked up the cup of Skittles and threw a Skittle at him. An M&M was his response. I giggled, picking out one of each color of the Skittles.

"Taste the rainbow, Edward," I said to him as I threw a handful of candies at him.

All of a sudden he grabbed my legs, wrapping his arm tightly around both them and yanking me down towards him. My butt slid down toward the foot of the bed. I was suddenly flat on my back and Edward was on top of me. He had me pinned under him and he was sitting on my thighs, his legs pulled up and bent on either side of me. He grabbed my arms and brought them down alongside my legs, pinning them there with his thighs. He began tickling me furiously, a huge smile on his face, his eyes a little wild.

I could hardly breathe; I was writhing and giggling so hard. Edward's face was right above mine. His hair was the epitome of 'bed-head,' he was flushed and breathless and laughing, a sexy-dangerous look on his face, as he spoke to me.

"Food fight, huh? You really want to start a food fight in my bed, huh? I don't think you're thinking this through very carefully. Who's got the upper hand, now, Bella? Who's gonna win this fight? I don't think it's you. No, I'm certain it's not you."

I was laughing hard, gasping for air, twisting underneath him, pinned and unable to defend myself. He grabbed some M&Ms and, leaning down closer over me, resting his weight on his elbows, he pressed a handful of them to my cheek, holding them there as they melted somewhat against my flushed, overheated face.

"Melts on your face, not in your hand." His voice was a low, sexy growl. He was out of breath, his face hovering , his wild hair poking out in every direction. I was exhausted, lying there, looking up at his lovely, excited face as he completely dominated me as he tickled.

"Stop! I give up! You win, Edward. Uncle! Uncle!" I could barely get the words out.

He swung his leg back over to the side, allowing me to move. I just laid there, absolutely, completely out of breath and exhausted, smiling, trying to catch my breath. I felt like a limp rag doll. He put his hands around my waist and pulled me back up to where I had been sitting before. He flopped down on the bed, exhaling loudly and happily, leaning back against the closet door, like I was. He grabbed the cushion he had been using and moved it behind him, to his new location. Now he was sitting right next to me, both of our legs stretched out, his overheated body flush up against mine. We were both still sporadically giggling as we recuperated, his chest rising and falling in time with mine.

We realized simultaneously that the movie on the TV was paused and we looked over at Alice and Jasper, sitting on Jasper's bed. They looked to be in shock. Their mouths were hanging open, their cell phones were out and apparently they had taken pictures of the whole Skittles-M&M's-Tickling Extravaganza.

Jasper finally spoke. "Shit! That was pretty damn unbelievable. Alice, have you ever seen anything like that?" He was gesturing toward the two of us with his thumb.

"Holy hell, Jazz! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Thank goodness I managed to get photos, so I have proof. It's almost like spotting a yeti, isn't it?"

"Oh, I'd say it's equivalent to the Loch Ness Monster. What should we call it, Alice? 'Giggling Edward'? Damn! I thought that was a myth; an urban legend."

"'Giggling Edward' is the perfect name. So descriptive. And what exactly do you think those spots on Bella's face are?" Alice asked him.

Edward leaned forward, looking at the opposite side of my face. He tipped his head back and laughed, then wiped at the spots with his fingers, licking them afterward.

"Mmm, melted M&M spots." His low voice was smooth honey. He licked his lips and I died a little.

"You're going to have Skittle and M&M spots all over your body when you go to bed tonight." I warned him. In our frenzy, we had managed to kick the covers down. The sheets were totally exposed and there was candy ammunition everywhere.

"Definitely worth it," he smiled lazily at me as he relaxed back against the cushion.

Jasper resumed the movie. Edward pulled his legs up toward him a little, bending them at the knees. A moment later I felt his hand slide down to where my hand lay on the bed next to my hip. He took my hand in his, hidden from the view of Alice and Jasper, and held it during the rest of the movie.

We didn't make it the whole way through the second movie. Alice and Jasper began kissing and Edward and I snuck out. He walked me up to my room and we talked at the door for a few minutes.

"That was fun, Edward. Sorry about the food fight in your bed."

"Yeah, that was fun. You're pretty ornery." He grinned down at me. "Don't worry though about the food fight in my bed. How many people can claim that experience? I could tell Mike Newton about it and he'd be jealous for weeks. Definitely something to consider."

I laughed. "You know, I didn't think once about tomorrow." And then it dawned on me: It had been orchestrated by friends, precisely for that reason. "It was a great escape for me. You knew that, didn't you?"

"That was the general idea," he admitted a little shyly.

"Thank you, to all of you."

"Sure." He took a breath and sighed. "Call me tomorrow, when you can."

"I will. Goodnight, Edward."

He took a step closer to me and wrapped an arm around me. I felt a kiss on the top of my head, and then I heard his voice.

"I'll be here when you need me. Goodnight, Bella." He turned and took off down the hall, heading down the steps, disappearing from sight.

**EPOV **

So yesterday we go buy the stuff for movie night. She picks out Skittles and M&Ms and I think they'll always be my favorites now. She decides to have a food fight with me in my own bed, hitting me in the face with popcorn. I reciprocate, but I finally realize that she's not going to stop unless I do something drastic. So I pull her down and I'm straddling her and I've got her legs and her arms pinned. I'm tickling her and for the briefest of moments I think about the fact that she's writhing under me in my bed. I think about what that would be like if she were naked. And it's awfully hard to push that thought away and to will away the accompanying hard-on that follows. So then I'm talking to her about what a poor choice it was for her to pick a food fight with me in my bed. I smash some M&Ms into her cheek until they begin to melt, all the while still tickling, and she finally admits defeat, yelling 'Uncle'. _Who says 'Uncle' anymore?_

I climb off of her, praying away an erection that is still lingering. I pull her back up to sit where she had been before I attacked her. Only now I sit right next to her, pulling my flannel down and pulling my knees up a little, to further camouflage the residual tent I've got going. And then I get the very bright idea to reach down, where no one can see, and I take her hand and hold it for the rest of the movie. See again, I'm having a hard time keeping my hands off of her. But it's all good because she doesn't try to pull her hand away. I can't believe my good fortune, well, except for the whole trouser tent thing that refuses to be tamed.

Finally, at the end of the evening, I walk her upstairs and we're standing outside her door and I suddenly feel like I've brought a girl back home from a date. Only I haven't, because I don't think movie night counts. And now we're thinking about the next day, and I tell her to call me when she needs me. Not "if" she needs me, but "when". Because I know she will. She'll have stuff to deal with and I want to be there for her.

Then I move in and hug her to me and I kiss her. I could feel her tense up a little, but I just kiss her on the top of her head, so that doesn't really count and she doesn't have to feel uncomfortable. But she doesn't push me away. I don't know. It just seems right.

But now I'm on pins and needles again because of what Jasper said just a moment ago. It's Saturday morning. I'd been taking the sheets off my bed, still finding a Skittle or an M&M here and there. I've decided it's time to do some laundry, because now I can play a sticky game of connect-the-dots on my bedding, thanks to Bella Swan. I hear Jasper's voice as he's looking out the window and it snaps me right back to the sobering reality of the day.

"Shit, Edward, is that the guy?"

I go stand next to him at the window and I can immediately see who he's looking at. I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I don't say a word, so Jasper continues talking for the both of us.

"Fuck… he's big. You think that's him? I mean, that's got to be him, right, Edward?"

And then his questions are answered as we see Bella walking down the hill, waving, and then tucking her hands into the back pockets of her pants. The guy's a fucking stud. He must be about my height, with long black hair, kind of flowing in the breeze. His skin is a lot darker than hers. He's got dark eyes and his white teeth are flashing in his smile. He's wearing black jeans and a white T-shirt that's stretched tight across broad shoulders and well-defined abs, and the muscles in his biceps are bulging. His sleeves just might explode. _Fuck. Me._

And then, it's like when there's an accident, and you shouldn't look, but you do, because the curiosity is compelling. Well, I'm curious, and I can't fucking look away as I watch him walk up to her and give her a big, gleaming smile and wrap his arms around her and pick her up and kind of spin her around.

I know I have to move away from the window now, before she sees me, but I'm frozen on the spot. Jasper should be helping me deal with this. At the very least, he should be pulling me away from the window, but instead his mouth is hanging open and he's just standing there, his eyes shifting from me, back to them.

Then I watch as he sets her down, and I can't see her because his back is to me, and she's in front of him, but I can see that he's leaning down to her. He must be kissing her. At least I can't really see it happening. He straightens up and puts his arm around her shoulder and they start walking back. He's looking down at her and smiling and talking to her and she laughs at something he says. But then it seems like her eyes wander to our window and I see her smile falter. I can't be sure. Everything is suddenly so surreal.

I've got to keep busy or I'll go nuts. I finish getting the sheets off my bed, and stuff them into the laundry basket. I grab the box of laundry detergent and head out of the front entrance of the dorm to go to the laundry room. I would normally go out the back entrance, but that's where it looks like they're headed, and I don't want a run-in with The Hulk.

I'm just out the front door when I hear voices and I look up. _Fuck me sideways! _ It's her. With him. They'd come around to the front of our building. She probably figured she'd avoid my suite by coming in this way. So now I've got to see them up close and personal. He looks happy; his arm is around her shoulder still, but she looks kind of ambivalent, until she sees me. For a fraction of a second her face softens, but then her eyes get a little wild; I can see that she's sort of freaking out inside. I don't say a word. I just draw myself up to my full height, throwing my chest out and walk past them. I briefly wonder if I could take this guy in a fight. Probably not. Yet I might get in a few punches before being knocked unconscious.

**BPOV**

_Oh hell!_

I can't believe my timing. Jake just got here. He called to say he was in the parking lot and I rushed out and down the stairs to meet him. I didn't want him coming in the dorm and asking for me. I felt like I was trying to do damage control. As I walked down the hill toward the parking lot, I wondered if Edward could see from his room. But I decided, no, what are the chances that he's hanging out, looking out his window? He wouldn't have known what time Jake was going to arrive.

Jake looks so happy to see me, and he's driven a long way to come here, and before the end of the day I'm going to break his heart. I hope he'll still love me a little bit, because he'll always be a part of my life; if he'll allow that.

When he gets to me he's smiling and he just picks me up, swinging me around. I laugh and convince him to put me down and he does, bending down and leaning in to kiss me. I respond, but it just isn't the same as it used to be and I start to get that gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. But I'd better get used to that sensation; this is going to be a really gut-wrenching day before it's over.

We head up the hill, and he slings his arm around me. He wishes me 'Happy Birthday,' telling me that he hadn't forgotten, even though we didn't actually talk about it on the phone. He's looking down at me, smiling, telling me I look so different. I laugh and tell him it's only been two weeks since he saw me last. I don't look different. I don't tell him yet that I _feel_ different. I can't go there yet. I would like to just sink down into the ground and disappear, and not have to deal with today.

I steal a glimpse at Edward's window, wondering if he's in there. I'm certain that I see two figures, Edward and Jasper, looking out. Watching.

_Oh shit! _

I decide we'd better go inside through the front main entrance, so we don't go through Edward's suite. A confrontation would be awful. We walk up and around to the front. Jake's telling me about the drive up and I look up to see Edward coming out of the front door, headed to do his laundry. For a split second I wonder if he's got Skittle spots on his bedding and I almost smile, but then I am brought back to the reality of the moment and I am worried about a confrontation.

Edward doesn't say anything. He makes eye contact with me, but he is silent as he continues forward. He just stands up a little taller as he passes by; puffs his chest out. I'm not sure if that body language is meant for me or Jake. I wish I could go to him. I wish there were two of me; I'm needed in two places at once, I decide.

Jake and I go upstairs to my room. We walk in and Alice is inside, listening to music and reading. She looks up and smiles politely as we walk in.

"Jake, this is Alice, my roommate."

Alice stands and is dwarfed by Jacob. He's roughly Edward's height, but he's a total gym rat and it shows. I'm sure he's been spending even more time lately at the gym with his friends from the reservation. They're all into that. They're like big, brawny, wild animals.

"Hi Jake, nice to meet you. Welcome to our humble home." Alice smiles up at him and I'm impressed that she's so nice, because he's the opposing team as far as she's concerned. She's a good friend to me and I thank my lucky stars that she's not Victoria.

"Hey, Alice. It's nice to meet you. I hear you're taking good care of Bella." He flashes her a blinding smile.

I take Jake on a tour of the room, explaining how we built the swanky fort. He's polite, asking questions, but I'm sure he's not that interested. I had tried to tell him about it on the phone, but he didn't really get it. We explain the whole Victoria/Lauren move and again I feel our disconnect. It's one of those 'you-had-to-be-there' things. I had tried to tell him about that on the phone as well, but he wasn't really seeing my experience; he was more focused on his. It makes me sad that we've drifted.

Alice goes back to her music and reading, and I smile to myself, because I know that she's on Team Edward and won't leave the room to give us any privacy. She'd rather make this harder on Jacob. She's definitely playing favorites. I kind of don't want her to leave, anyway. I'm prolonging my agony. Our agony.

"Jake," I ask him, "do you want to go get something for lunch? Are you hungry yet? I know it's a little early."

"You know me, I could eat all day."

"The dorm food isn't so great, I'll take you out. Okay?"

"That's fine, Bella, whatever you'd like."

"Alice, I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure, Bella. Bye, Jake."

"Bye. It was nice to meet you, Alice."

We head out the door and Jacob's hand finds mine, pulling me back to him in the dimly lit hallway. He presses me against the wall and bends to kiss me, wrapping his arms around me. I return his kiss, but it's difficult and I know I'm being somewhat abrupt as I pull back from him.

"We should probably get going," I say, blushing, and feeling uncomfortable.

"Bella, what's wrong?" He puts one hand against the wall, next to my head, and the other one slides up to my shoulder, his fingers are brushing lightly along my neck.

"Nothing, we should just get going."

"We don't have to rush. I'm here to spend time with you."

"I just don't want to be out here like this." I look away; I'm having a hard time making eye contact.

"What's going on?" he asks, as I hear my door opening.

"Oops, sorry," Alice says as she pops out of the room, sees us and turns back into the room, shutting the door. I have abruptly pulled away from Jake.

Jake glances at Alice and then looks back at me, his eyes narrowing a little. But he doesn't say anything more. He backs off a little and I slip past him, pulling him by the hand towards the stairway.

He's quiet as we walk down the stairs and head out of the dorm. I look over and see Edward coming back from doing laundry; Jasper is with him. Edward's timing sucks. Why didn't he wait until tomorrow to do his laundry? Edward's eyes are dark, he's frowning. His mouth is set in a grimace. Jasper shoots me a little wave, and then looks like he instantly regrets it. I do too.

"Who's that?" Jake asks, staring in their direction.

I swallow and it seems ridiculously loud to me. "Um, that's Jasper, Alice's boyfriend. He's really nice. They've been together for the past two years…."

"And the other guy?" Jake interrupts. He's a good detective. Of course he would ask.

"Um, that's Alice's brother, Edward. He and Jasper are roommates. I think I told you that on the phone."

Jake just nods his head, but I can see him straighten up, standing taller, puffing his chest out like Edward._ This must be some sort of testosterone sparring dance. I've seen them both do these moves now._ Jake continues staring in Edward's direction. His eyes are only focused on Edward; Jasper is of no interest to him whatsoever.

We make it down to the parking lot. I'd told Jake we'd take my truck and I hand him the key. It used to be his dad's truck, after all. I thought he might like to drive it. We both go to the driver's side, where I can scoot in ahead of him, across to the passenger side. He opens the door, and before I can get in, he's reaching across me, onto the front seat. He picks up something and withdraws again.

"Here's your shirt," he says, as he holds out a plaid flannel. It unfolds open as he holds it toward me, and now it's hanging down from his hand, and it's obviously not _my _shirt. Way too big to be my shirt. It's a man's shirt. I recognize it as Edward's flannel, the one he'd worn the day he went with me to the grocery store. I'm completely caught off guard.

I look up the hill to see the Cullens and Hales leaving the dorm for the dining hall. I see Edward focused on us.

Jake turns around and looks to see where my eyes have traveled.

He whips back around and peers at me, his eyes narrowing, his lips in a tight line.

"Bella, whose shirt is this?"

"Jake, it's just a shirt."

His voice rises, "No, it's not just a shirt, is it?"

"Jake, calm down. Don't yell." I glance up the hill in embarrassment, to see if they are watching.

"It's _his, _isn't it?" His voice has gotten louder. "I guess I already know, but tell me anyway. Is it _his_?"

Jake's voice is louder, and it's carrying up the hill. He glares up toward the dorm.

The Cullens and Hales have stopped, and are watching us uncomfortably, uncertain.

He takes a step closer to me, towering over me, leaning over me. He begins waving the shirt, gesturing up the hill. "What the hell is going on? Is this his shirt or isn't this his shirt?"

His voice had gotten even louder and now he's waving the shirt in front of me. And I know we're not really talking about a shirt at this point.

"It's... his." My voice is nearly a whisper.

He throws the shirt down in disgust and turns to the truck, slamming both of his fists down hard on the roof of the truck cab.

"I knew it! I fucking knew it!" His voice sounds so angry. He turns back toward me and grabs me by the shoulder. "Bella, what the hell are you doing? You're sleeping with this guy?" He shakes me just a little.

"No, Jake! Don't say that. It isn't true. I wouldn't do that!"

Out of the corner of my eye I can see Edward, striding quickly toward us. _How did he get all the way down here so fast? He was just up at the top of the hill. _His fists are balled tightly at his sides, his jaw is set and his teeth are clenched, his eyes are black and angry and he looks so very threatening.

Jacob must have seen my eyes dart in Edward's direction. He's turning towards him as Edward shouts, "Get your hands off her! Let her go! Don't shake her like that!"

Edward is awfully fast, but Jake is faster; his fist shooting out as Edward is ducking, expecting it, but not quite fast enough. Jake's fist clips Edward high and hard on the cheekbone, near his left eye. Edward fires back a right hook, connecting with Jake's jaw, as Jake is turning away. The two of them are facing off, circling, waiting for their next opportunity.

I begin screaming at them both. "Stop, Jake! Edward, don't do this!"

Jake turns on Edward. "Stay out of this you fucking asshole," he yells at him, crouching, taking a swing at him, but missing as Edward jumps backwards. "This is your fault," Jake continues shouting, "but it sure as hell isn't any of your fucking business." He takes another swing at Edward, and this time connects with Edward's ribs. Edward fires off another blow, connecting with Jake's nose at almost the same time, and Jake staggers back a little.

I'm still yelling at both of them to stop, but they are oblivious to me.

"It's my business if you hurt her!" Edward snarls at Jake. His face is dark and menacing.

Suddenly Jasper has appeared and has grabbed Edward and Emmett has gotten a hold of Jake. They're pulling them backwards and apart.

"Edward, it's all right!" I plead with him, "Just go. It's okay."

"I'm not going to hurt her, you fucking idiot," Jake spits at Edward. "You're the one that should have the shit beaten out of you, for fucking around with someone else's girl."

Edward suddenly yanks himself away from Jasper and gets right up in Jake's face. "Don't do this to her!" he growls. "If you care about her, you won't do this. You think about what you're saying, because you know she's not like that. She hasn't done anything and you should know that. Don't. Hurt. Her." He is seething and he stabs his finger at Jake's chest with each word, to make his point.

"Edward!" Emmett yells, struggling to hold Jake back, "Get the hell out of here! Jasper! Get him the hell out of here!" Jasper and Alice struggle to pull Edward away, but he eventually leaves with them, looking back at me. His face is bleak. It's a mask of worry and sorrow.

I nod that I'll be okay, that he should just go.

Once they have moved away, Emmett gradually loosens his hold on Jake. "You going to maintain, dude?"

Jake scowls at Emmett, holding up his hands in surrender. "I've never hurt her. I _couldn't ever_ hurt her."

"Bella?" It was Rosalie. I hadn't even realized that she was there. "You going to be okay?"

I nod mutely at her. I can't believe they have all been witness to this; that it has involved them all.

"You sure?" Rose asks. "You don't want to come with us?"

"No," I say, barely audibly. "It's okay. I'll be all right."

Rose nods and she walks with Emmett, up the hill, following the direction Jasper and Alice have taken with Edward. They are glancing back once more to make sure I'm okay.

Jake has turned to the truck. His arms are folded, resting on the roof of the cab, and his face is pressed into his arms. I walk to his side to put my hand on his back. He flinches at my touch.

That's when my tears start.

**A/N: ****Hoo boy, a very angry, very feisty Edward taking a stand against the muscle man. **

**I just know I'm going to hear from some of you. At least I hope so. **

**Continue if the next one is ****revised.**


	21. A Black Day for All

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: WOW! Glggleward/Wrestleward/Fightward. And did you hate Jakeass/Jerkob?

No infringement intended, just good, clean, Funward.

Okay, you've dangled from that cliffie long enough. Time to make... that break ...with Jake. It's not going to feel as satisfying as you might think.

**Chapter 21: A Black Day For All (Revised)**

**EPOV**

I'm putting laundry in the machine when I get a text from Alice that she's holding down the fort. I take that to mean that she is not budging from the room. I guess that makes me feel a little better. Jasper comes in to hang out with me. Alice probably sent him to baby-sit. As soon as the wash cycle is done I stuff everything in the dryer. It'll take a while, so we head back to the dorm to hang out so I can wait out this shitty day.

I have phenomenally outstanding timing. We're coming back, just as Bella and Jake are leaving. Jasper waves and I can see Jake asking Bella questions. She looks a little on edge. I can see that he's glaring at me, so I wonder what she said to him. He's focused on me entirely, not at all on Jasper.

We meet up with Emmett, Rose and Alice. They're ready to go to lunch, so we head out the back where we can see Bella with Jake down in the parking lot. He's waving something around and he looks agitated. His voice gets louder and I can now see that the thing he's waving is one of my shirts. _Oh, no fucking way! _It's the one that I left in her truck. Now it's causing some big problem and he looks sort of threatening.

He's in her face, waving the shirt, then he throws the shirt down and he slams both of his fists down violently on the roof of the truck. That just seems a little too dangerous for me. I take off, sprinting down to the parking lot. I can hear Alice and Emmett calling me, but I'm on a mission and there's no stopping me. Fuck not getting involved.

I get closer and he's grabbing her by the shoulder, yelling at her, asking if she's sleeping with the guy. _He means me, I realize. _He shakes her a little and I'm ready to pound the fuck and I don't give a shit how big and pumped he is.

I start yelling for him to get his hand off of her, to let her go. I can see that he's pulled himself together and he's about to take a swing at me, so I duck, but he still lands it, high, near my eye. _Shit, he's powerful!_ But I was ready for it and I manage to get off a pretty solid blow that lands on his jaw as he's turning away.

All hell has broken loose. Bella's screaming at us to stop. Jake's swearing at me, taking another swing at me, but I bob back out of the way. I'm yelling at him not to hurt her. He manages to get off another punch and it lands hard against my ribs. But somehow I managed to punch him in the face; the nose, I think. Out of nowhere Jasper and Emmett appear and they're trying to break it up, grabbing us and splitting us apart.

I would have stopped right then too, if he hadn't said what he did. He accuses me of 'fucking around with someone else's girl.' If he had thought about what he was saying, he'd have realized that he's accusing _her_ of fucking around. He should know she's not like that. _I _know she's not like that and _I'm_ not even her boyfriend.

I get away from Jasper, but I'm not going to punch the guy. Emmett's got his arms, and that wouldn't have been a fair fight. But I get right up in his face and warn him to think about what he's saying, because she's not like that.

Emmett yells at me to get away and Jasper and Alice drag me back up to the dorm.

_What a fucking asshole! What the hell is she doing with a guy like him?_

Alice and Jasper have pulled me inside the dorm. Emmett and Rose are right behind them. Everybody follows me into my room and now they're all congregated here, looking at me, worried and not saying a fucking word because they don't know what to say.

Emmett scratches his head and turns to the rest of them. "I got this. You guys go to lunch." He shoos everyone else out and then he shuts the door quietly. He stays inside with me, watching me as I drop down onto my bed.

"Emmett, so help me, if you preface anything you're going to say with 'as your Resident Advisor and your brother,' I'm going to beat the fucking shit out of you."

He snorts quietly. "Nah, Edward, I'm just your brother right now." He pauses for a moment. I don't look up at him, but I can feel him watching me. "You okay, Edward?" His voice is quiet; there's not a trace of humor, which is unusual for Emmett.

"Yeah, I'm feeling fucking delightful. My cheekbone is throbbing, I can barely flex my damn hand, my ribs hurt like a mother, and Bella's hanging out with some lunatic with roid rage. So, yeah, Emmett, I'm pretty fanfuckingtastic."

He knows better than to respond to what I've said. "Let me get you some ice," he says gently.

I sigh. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine."

"Trust me, Edward, you want ice. At the very least we want to keep that pretty face of yours as pretty as possible." He smirks at me.

He's out the door before I can flip him off or say another word.

Emmett comes back with an ice pack, a little baggie with ice chips, and two beers.

"Sit over here and put this against your ribs and just hold it there." He pulls out my desk chair and hands me the ice pack. I sink down onto the chair and I lay the pack against my aching ribs, pulling my elbow down and resting it gingerly against the pack. He uncaps the beers and hands me one. "Drink some and then hold the bottle up against your eye and cheekbone for a bit."

"Kind of early to be drinking," I mutter as I take a swig of the beer.

"It's medicinal," Emmett says and cracks a smile. "It'll help take the edge off."

I watch him as he opens up one of my drawers and takes out a sock.

"Gimme your hand, Edward."

I extend my arm toward him, wondering what the hell he's doing. But Emmett played sports hard in high school and was injured often, so he's got major ice pack experience. He turns my hand over and looks at my knuckles.

"Can you make a fist?" he asks, watching my face and then my hand.

I make a fist, and wince as I do it, but it's not impossible and he seems satisfied nothing's broken.

"Yeah, you'll be okay." He puts the little baggie against my knuckles then wraps the sock around my hand and ties it carefully, so it will hold the baggie in place. "We don't want to leave this on too long, but it will help with the swelling and soreness. Now hold it up against your cheekbone and eye for a few minutes."

"Thanks, Nurse Nancy." I take a drink of my beer and do as he says.

Emmett chuckles. "Dad would be so proud of me. Unfortunately, we're not going to tell him about this. Hang on, I'll be right back." He disappears out the door and is back shortly.

"Here, take these." He hands me three tablets. "For the swelling and the pain."

I toss them in my mouth and chase them down with beer.

He pulls out Jasper's desk chair and sits down on it backwards, facing me. He doesn't say anything at first, but a slow little smile creeps across his face. The dimples just can't stay away. _Fuck! Now what?_

"What?" I ask him. "Just say it! What?" _Fucking idiot! _He can only contain himself for so long, then something inappropriate just has to bubble up to the surface.

"You know, Edward, you sit on your ass for three years, avoiding probably a couple hundred girls who have thrown themselves at you, and when you finally decide you're ready to get back in the game, you pick the girl that already has a boyfriend. And it's not just any old boyfriend. No, you gotta go all out and pick the girl that's dating a guy who looks like an MMA fighter. But I gotta say, I'm impressed. You're still conscious and I didn't have to call 911."

"You're a tool, Emmett."

"No, seriously. You're not the fighting type, but you did okay. And I'm sure he's sore right now too. And he probably does box and obviously works out…"

"No shit? You think? It looks like he fucking _lives_ at the gym."

"Yeah, but I saw his head snap back when you clocked him on the jaw. The punch in the face wasn't quite as hard as I would have hoped for," he pauses and smiles as he admits this, "but your hand was probably already hurting then; you could have broken something."

I look at Emmett for a moment. He's paying me a compliment. "His head snapped back?"

"Yeah, it did." Emmett reaches the neck of his bottle forward and I do the same. We clink beer bottles to celebrate my minor accomplishment, then drain them.

I sigh. "I just wish I could be sure Bella's okay."

"Well, she's a smart girl. She's known the guy for a long time, right?"

I nod.

"So she knows what he would and wouldn't do. She's going to be okay. It's just going to be a hell of a day for you both. I thought you were going home this weekend to avoid all this."

I never told him that, so when I look at him he just shrugs and says, "Alice."

I roll my eyes at the things that go on behind my back. "No. I changed my mind about going home. Bella asked me to stay. I'm pretty sure she's breaking up with him, unless things change during the course of the day."

Emmett smiles and shakes his head. "You know, if someone had told me what kinds of things I was going to see _you _doing these past two weeks, I would have said they were certifiably insane. But this girl's got you by the…"

"Shut the fuck up. I could say the same about Rose and your testicles."

Emmett laughs. "Come on, bro, let's go get some lunch."

"I'm really not feeling very hungry."

"Tough shit. As your Resident Advisor and your brother, I'm telling you, you need to keep your strength up. You don't know when you'll find yourself in another brawl. It could be today."

He's grinning because he managed to work it into the conversation finally. I scowl at him but realize he won't take no for an answer. So I stand and take a look out my window, but I can't see Bella and the thug. Her truck's gone, so they've taken off. I hope to God he doesn't hurt her. Maybe now that he's had the opportunity to unleash some anger on me, he won't do anything stupid to her. I can only hope I'm right, and that she knew what she was doing, leaving with him. I'd call her, but I'm sure he'd just get pissed off if he thought she was getting a call from me. I don't want to anger him now that he's alone with her.

I turn and follow Emmett out of the room, leaving my assortment of ice packs behind. I'll re-ice later; I've got nothing else to do with my damn day until Bella gets back.

**BPOV**

Tears are running down my face as I stand in the aftermath of the stupidest thing I've ever done. Instead of talking to Jake earlier today, or even on the phone, before this day, preparing him for what was to come, I've taken the coward's way out. I hesitated and didn't say anything. I waited. And now it's beyond too late. I've let everything erupt uncontrollably. And it has erupted in the worst possible way. Every single person I care about here was involved in my bad decision. And the two people I care about most are hurt, both physically and emotionally.

Edward has been dragged away by Jasper and Alice. Emmett and Rose finally left, too. I managed to convince them that I would be all right with Jake. He might have seemed dangerous to them, but he really isn't. They don't know him like I do. He's just been dealt the worst blow he's known since his mom died. And he reacted terribly, and part of that was because he figured it out for himself, watching me watch Edward.

He stands, his face buried in his arms against the roof of the truck. I've reached out to touch him and he's flinched away. He's angry and he's beyond hurt. What has happened breaks my heart. I try once more to put my hand on his back and this time he doesn't flinch, but I hear his breath hitch.

"Oh, Jake. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for how all of this happened. But it's really not what you think. I've never been with anyone but you. I've never even kissed anyone but you. You must know that I've only ever loved you. I'll always love you. But…I just…I don't…we can't be together anymore. And I don't want you to think it's because of him. Things were wrong even before I left for school. We can't keep going like this. Things have to be different; we both have to move on…separately."

He lifts his head, but doesn't turn and look at me. He looks out across the parking lot. His forefinger and thumb take a quick pinching swipe at his eyes. He drags a finger beneath his nose, where Edward punched him, and looks at it. There is some blood, but not much. He drags his finger on the leg of his black jeans, wiping off the small amount of blood. He inhales deeply and then exhales slowly, shaking his head a little. He turns to me, pulling me toward him, holding me and resting his head on top of mine.

"Bella… I've felt this coming for months. I've been expecting this. I was just hoping that it wasn't going to be today. I'm so sorry I've been such an idiot; such a jerk to you. I'm sorry for all the crap I've put you through lately. I was a complete ass to you just now. "

I hug him as my tears continue. We hold each other tightly for a long while, rocking a little. Then he quietly says, "Let's sit inside the truck."

I climb inside and he follows me in, pulling me to him and cradling me in his arms. "I didn't want this to happen," I tell him honestly.

"You and me both," he says quietly, holding my head to his chest, his fingers lightly stroking my cheek. "We've been heading in different directions, you know? I feel like you're growing up and I'm staying the same. It's the whole reason why I didn't want to see you going off to school away from home. I knew you'd move on and I'm still stuck in neutral. It's my own damn fault. I can't keep working at Sam's Garage forever. Maybe this will give me the kick in the butt I need to grow up and do something with myself."

We're quiet for a while, and then Jake turns to me and quietly says, "Bella, I'm always going to love you, you know that, don't you?"

"I know. I'm always going to love you too. I can't imagine not having you be part of my life. It just has to be different now. Like it was before."

Jake nods. "We'll just…we'll just…go back to being friends, okay?" His voice is thick. Then he clutches me to him in anguish and I start to cry all over again.

When he's able to talk, his voice is tight and I see unshed tears when he looks at me. "I'm never going to get to make love to you again. Never going to kiss you again, am I?"

My heart clenches at his words. I look at him with tears in my eyes and I can't say a thing; I can't even shake my head.

His soft voice continues as he gently strokes my hair. "I wish I'd known, you know, that the last time was the last. I would have made it more memorable. I would have known to savor it."

"Jake, don't… It was always perfect. I have so many happy memories of being with you. This…growing apart; I didn't want it to happen. I hope you'll always keep a place for me in your heart and in your life. We've been through too much together to ever give that up."

He sighs sadly, nodding."We went through some major milestones together: your parents' divorce, my mom's death; I guess it's only right that we help each other through the end of our first love."

I take his hand in mine and pull him in closer to me. "It was a really good first love," I whisper. He nods in silent agreement. After a long while he quietly asks the question I've been hoping he wouldn't ask.

"Are you in love with him?"

I'm silent. But I have to answer him. "This isn't because of him. But to answer your question, I don't know," I tell him truthfully; "I haven't let anything happen or develop and I honestly don't know him very well. I know he cares about me; he worries about me. And I do care about him. I actually think you two would like each other if you could be friends."

Jake barks a sharp laugh. "That would never happen. I'd much rather beat the shit out of him. And I'm sure he'd like to do the same to me. Forget that train of thought."

We sit together quietly for a bit. I look outside and realize that we've been in the cab of the truck for a long time. "Let's get out of here for a while, Jacob, let's just drive." He starts up the truck and we exit the parking lot.

Jake drives us for a while. I know it is soothing for him to drive. Anything at all about cars and engines and bodywork; it's all right up his alley. He eventually pulls off the road and stops at a little diner.

"I don't really feel like eating; I've kind of lost my appetite, but I suppose we should get something. Do you feel hungry, Bella?"

"Not really, but I guess we can't just drive around forever. Let's go on inside."

He parks the truck, turns off the engine and pulls the key from the ignition. Then he just sits there, lost in thought. After a bit, I put my hand on his thigh and pat it. He looks up suddenly, like he is surprised to see me there.

"Bella,"…he pauses, "I keep wondering, trying to think through things. What did I do wrong?"

I can feel my tears spring to life again. "You didn't do anything wrong. I don't think I did anything wrong either." I brush away my tears and try to clear my throat. "I was ready to jump out into the world; you wanted me to stay in Forks. I wanted a new challenge; the experience of living in a big city. I wanted the unknown. You like the comfort and stability of Forks; you like your hometown. Neither of us is _wrong_. We can't help how we feel. We're individuals. I wouldn't have been happy if I'd stayed, and if I had done it for you, I would have come to resent you. That would have grown. I would never want us to get to the point where we were resentful of each other."

"I wouldn't have become resentful," he says stubbornly.

"Jake, you were already worried that I was on some double date the first time I mentioned meeting a few guys that lived in my dorm."

He hangs his head sheepishly. "I know…that was just stupid. I've said some ridiculous things to you, and I can't tell you how sorry I am about that."

He turns his body to face me then, putting his arm along the back of the seat, his hand resting on my opposite shoulder. "I'm truly sorry about the way I yelled at you earlier, and about what I said before, when I was yelling at him in the parking lot. What I said came out crude and so disrespectful of you. I didn't mean it the way it sounded; I didn't intend to hurt you. He was right about that when he told me; so he's not a complete idiot, like me."

I shook my head, to stop him. "Don't. You're not an idiot. I know you didn't mean it. I know you were just angry and caught by surprise. You had a right to be angry. I wanted to tell you how I was feeling, but I didn't know how to start, and I wanted to just sit down and talk somewhere by ourselves.

"I'm sorry about the whole shirt thing. I'm sorry it all just blew up. He came with me last week one time to the grocery store, it was the only time he'd ever even been in the truck, and I was just having a bad day and invited him along, just because I saw him on the way to the parking lot. It was a warm day and he had on layers, so he just took it off and forgot it."

"Bella, it wasn't the shirt; it was just that I was trying to make sense of it all and things suddenly fell into place in my mind. You seemed a little hesitant; maybe even nervous earlier. I kept feeling like you were distant; not quite yourself. Then your roommate, Alice, when she came out into the hallway, you kind of just shrank away from me, and I remembered that she was his sister, it was like she was checking on us. And when we were outside the dorm, leaving, he and … what's the other guy's name…?"

"Jasper?"

"Yeah, Jasper. Jasper waved to you, I saw that the guy with him looked upset and angry, and when you told me who he was, I knew why. The group of them, as they were leaving the building, they stood there watching us. You were looking up the hill at them; you seemed apologetic. That's when it sank in and the pieces fell into place. You might not know how you feel about him, but it seems kind of obvious to me and I can tell you right now how he feels about you."

"No, Jake, stop it."

He is quiet for a moment, thinking.

"At least he cares enough about you to defend you. He thought I was going to hurt you; he came to your rescue." His voice cracks. "Jeez…Bella… I would never hurt you. You know I've got a temper, but you know I wouldn't ever hurt you, don't you?" He is miserable; horrified, that I might think he's a danger to me.

"Oh, Jake, I know you wouldn't. He didn't know. I'm sorry he came at you like that."

"It's okay; it gave me an opportunity to take a couple swings at him." Jacob smiles slightly. "I just wish I'd landed that punch to his face more squarely. But I think his ribs will remember me."

"Jacob…that's just mean." I smile a little at him, but shake my head reproachfully.

"Yeah, but he managed to get in a few shots, too. I'll be bruised tomorrow, so I guess we're even. Except he gets the girl in the end."

I didn't say anything to that, but it hurt me and I know I flinched at his words.

After a bit I ask, "Are you hurt? Your jaw or your nose, I mean?"

He looks in the rearview mirror, moving his jaw from side to side. "Not too badly," he says as he rubs at his jaw. "It's going to bruise, but no loose teeth. Could have been worse. My nose is a little swollen, but not bad. It stung, but didn't bleed very much. He didn't hit as hard the second time. I think I must have been moving backwards when he connected. It'll bruise a little." He shrugs. "I guess I've had worse at the gym, going a few rounds against the guys."

I reach up and gently feel along the edge of his jaw, I can feel the bump where it is swollen. Then I look at Jake's eyes and see the agony there. He closes his eyes as his big hand covers mine, pulling my hand gently away from his cheek. He turns his head away from me, toward his window, pulling his arm off the back of the seat, away from me and returning it to his side. It's not the pain from his jaw; it is the pain of reality. He is letting go of me; although unwillingly. I realize that every physical gesture on my part will be painful for him now, unless I am welcoming him back into my arms. I know I have to keep my hands to myself. It's the first step I can take to help him deal with our breakup.

"Come on, Jake, let's go inside. We can split a late lunch or early dinner." I get out of the passenger side and go around to his side. "Come on," I say, opening his door. He climbs out and we walk side by side into the diner.

I slide into a booth and he slides in across from me. Usually he sits next to me. But not anymore. We are learning new procedures. This will all take time. We are retracing our steps back to an earlier time in our relationship; back when we were just friends.

We wind up splitting a cheeseburger and fries and then a slice of apple pie a la mode. I'm not particularly hungry, but I know if I order something, he will probably eat.

"Do you think we'll still be able to do these kinds of things?" I ask him. I wonder if he can hear the pleading tone of my voice.

He smiles a little sadly. "I think so; it's just going to be difficult at first. But we've been doing this for about fifteen years; old habits die hard."

I think we'll also have to give each other some space, you know, until things settle down."

He looks glum. "Time heals all wounds, huh?"

"So they say. They just never say that it's easy."

We stay there for a long time. We talk and reminisce. We even manage to laugh every now and then. It's much later and already dark when we drive back into the parking lot near the dorms. We sit together for a little bit longer, not quite ready to make the final break, but he has a long drive home and I want to stay up until he calls to let me know that he has arrived home safely. I worry about him; about where his thoughts will take him when he is alone, driving all that way.

Finally, we climb out of the truck. I walk him back to his car and we stand there, uncertain. His eyes suddenly widen and it is apparent that he has just remembered something.

"Shoot, Bella, I almost forgot; I have something for you! It's your birthday today." He opens the driver's side door, sits down and reaches across to the glove compartment.

"Oh, no, Jake! You don't need to give me anything. Not after this dreadful day. Please…I can't."

"No, I still want you to have this, Bella. Besides, we've always celebrated birthdays. That's not going to change." He gets back out of the car with a small gift wrapped box and hands it to me. "And if you refuse to take it, I'm just going to throw it away, so you might as well keep it. Open it."

I unwillingly unwrap the small box. It's fairly heavy for its size. The light from Jake's open car door is bright enough for me to make out the words on the lid of the box. 'Emily Young Creations.'

"Sam's girlfriend has a shop now," he explains. "She makes these things. Native American inspired stuff. A percentage of the sales goes back to the reservation. She's doing pretty well for herself."

I lift the lid and look inside.

"Oh, Jake, this is beautiful." I pick up the charm bracelet and look at it carefully. It has a silver clasp and small silver charms along with highly polished stones.

Jake reaches out and touches it, showing me the animal shapes. There is a wolf, mountain lion, bear and deer. In between these silver charms hang small semi precious stones: highly polished black obsidian, green-blue turquoise, gold tiger's eye and dark brown agate. It is a lovely, earthy reminder of Jake, the reservation, Forks, the Pacific Northwest. So many things that I have come to cherish since moving away from Phoenix.

Jake takes it from my hand and fastens it around my wrist. He chuckles softly, remembering a moment from our distant past. "It's not nearly as good as the macaroni necklace I made you when I was in first grade, but I think it will last a little longer."

I had thought I was all cried out, but my tears start again. "Jake, it's so pretty. Thank you. I'll keep it and I _will_ wear it and it will always be very special to me. Just like you."

When I look up at him I see the glint of tears in his eyes. "Friends hug, don't they?" he finally asks me.

"Yeah, thank goodness, they do. So you're willing to keep me as a friend, Jacob?"

"Always, Bella." He moves in and wraps his arms around me, hugging me tightly to him one last time before leaving. He takes a deep shaky breath. "Always."

"Me too." I hold him tightly as my tears slide down my cheeks.

I remain in the lot, watching as his tail lights disappear down the road, hugging myself in the cold night air. I stand there for a while, thinking about him. He would always have a place in my heart, but I'm not the right girl for him anymore. I turn and make my way through the lot to the winding sidewalk that leads up to the dorms. Halfway there I spot something on the ground. Edward's shirt. Today's catalyst. I pick it up and shake it out and head home.

**EPOV**

I saw her truck come back into the parking lot. I was sitting on the roof, just wondering where things now stood. Had they made up? They'd been gone so long, anything could have happened. I didn't want to be inside the dorm. I couldn't stand being around Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose. I was too anxious for their small talk and nothing they could say would really take my mind off of the situation. My day had just fucking dragged.

I couldn't see where they parked the truck, but a little while later I saw her walking back up to the dorm alone, carrying something. _My. Fucking. Shirt._ The one that I would probably have to burn now, because I would always think of him yelling at her, grabbing her and waving that fucking shirt around angrily.

I wondered how she was doing. I hoped she'd let me know soon.

**BPOV**

I returned to my room and gave Alice a small smile and told her I was mostly okay. I didn't feel like talking, though. I just grabbed some sweats and headed to the shower. I needed to unwind and escape the pain and ugliness of the day. I stood under the spray, remembering glimpses of the experience. I knew I would carry those scenes around in my mind for a very long time. When I finally shut off the shower I wasn't much improved.

And I was thinking about Edward. I knew he was wondering about me, and I knew the day had been hard on him. He had stayed here this weekend for me and wound up in a fight because of it. That was so unfair to him.

I dressed and dried my hair and went back to my room to get my phone, but there was already a text from him waiting for me.

**EPOV**

My phone had buzzed earlier and I'd picked it up, flipping it open to see the screen. It was a text from Alice.

_She's back, mostly okay, taking a shower. Give her a little time._

I decided to just text Bella. She'd see it when she was ready, and she could text me when she wanted to.

_Hey. You okay?_

About fifteen minutes later I got a response.

: (

A frown face. That wasn't good. I wasn't sure what to do. I texted her back.

_Want to sit and talk on your patio?_

She answered fairly quickly.

: )

I couldn't help but smile. A girl after my own heart. I did some of my best brooding and thinking up on the roof. I texted her again.

_Give me a few minutes. I've got to get provisions. _

I grabbed a few things from around my room and made a quick stop in the dorm kitchen to use the microwave. Alice was coming down the stairs as I was going up. She ruffled up my hair and smiled at me as we passed.

"Don't worry, Edward. Things will be fine. She's just needs a little breathing room."

I knocked on Bella's door and she opened it. She looked pale and worn out. Her eyes were red-rimmed and I knew she'd spent a lot of time crying. _Shit. _I hoped I could put a little smile back on her face.

"Hi, Edward. Come on in. What's all this?" she asked, pointing at the stuff I was carrying.

"Well, it's pretty cold on the patio this time of night, so this is a down sleeping bag that we're going to unzip and wrap around us, my sweatshirt, that I'm going to put on when we get to the patio, and two thermos cups of hot cocoa with mini marshmallows."

She was taken by surprise and managed a little smile up at me. _Yes, there it is!_ She peered at me more closely, her smile suddenly disappearing and her look changing to dismay. "Edward, you've got a black eye!" Her hand went up to my cheek. I felt her cool fingertips along the edge of my jaw as she turned my head to look at my eye more closely.

I didn't mind the black eye too much if it meant she was going to touch me like that."Oh, it's just a little bruised underneath, from my cheekbone. It's not going to be too bad. My skin's just kind of pale, so a bruise is more noticeable. Don't worry about it, please. It's nothing."

She didn't look convinced, but she didn't say anything more. I wondered if I'd hurt him; if he was bruised, but I didn't think that would be good conversation material.

"What's in the backpack?" she asked when she notice it hanging from my shoulder.

I smiled. "All in good time."

I climbed carefully up onto her bed, trying to avoid putting any pressure against my sore side. When I got onto her bed I slid the window open and popped out the screen. She handed me my sweatshirt and I pulled it on quickly. Then she tossed up the sleeping bag and passed me the two thermos cups. I set everything down just outside the window. She climbed up to me and I helped her as she stepped outside, then I followed her, sliding the window nearly shut.

It was pretty damn cold outside and I was glad I'd thought to bring the sleeping bag. I unzipped it and set it down so we could sit next to each other on it, then wrap the rest of it around our backs and sides to keep the cold out. We leaned back against the building and she uncapped her cup, sipping at the cocoa and marshmallows.

"Thanks, Edward. This was really thoughtful of you. Hot cocoa is pretty comforting. You were thinking ahead that day in the market, weren't you?"

I shrugged. "Well, I don't know that I was planning _this _kind of a day, but, you know, it can get pretty cold out here. I don't think we could get away with building a bonfire up here; I'm pretty sure we'd be charged with arson, though it would be nice to sit in front of a bonfire. I figured this is the next best thing. Are you warm enough?" I asked her.

"I think I'll be okay. It's definitely colder than I thought. I'm glad you brought the sleeping bag though; it helps."

"Here, I brought you something else." I grabbed my backpack carefully and unzipped the top, pulling out two gifts I had gotten her. "I know it wasn't the best day to have a birthday, but I'm unwilling to let it go by unobserved. So…Happy Twenty-first Birthday, Bella."

She laughed. It was a welcome sound after today. "Do the others know?" she asked. "Did you tell them?"

I shook my head. "You asked me not to, so I didn't."

"Good." She looked relieved.

"Are you okay with me celebrating it with you?" I suddenly wondered if I had blown it. _How do you not celebrate the birthday of someone you care about?_ "I mean, it's really not much…" I waved at the gifts.

She smiled shyly. "It's okay. Thanks for remembering. Let's see what we've got here. What's this?" She picked up the first gift.

I smirked at her. "If it's shaped like a bottle and feels like a bottle, chances are…it's a bottle."

She unwrapped it.

"Pink champagne?" She giggled.

"Yeah, you're twenty-one. Alcohol is a required gift. But you don't have to drink it tonight. I'm not sure how well it goes with hot chocolate and mini marshmallows."

I handed her the other package. She unwrapped it.

"Oreos?" She was laughing now. "Edward, do you do all of your gift shopping at the grocery store?"

"No, I certainly don't! But someone once told me that 'junk food cures all kinds of problems' and in fact, I heard that 'Oreos have been scientifically proven to be mood altering.'" She began laughing harder, so she obviously remembered saying those things to me last weekend. "Anyway, Bella, I thought, maybe after a day like today you'd need some mood altering junk food."

She grinned up at me. "Oh, Edward, you've already altered my mood. Thank you for my gifts. They're perfect."

"Here's one more." I reached back into the backpack and pulled it out, handing it to her.

"What's this?" It was hard to read in the darkness where we sat.

"It's a gift card for a bookstore downtown. I know you like to read, but I don't know what you have and what you'd like, so I thought maybe we could go together sometime and you can pick out something."

She nodded, smiling. "I'd like that. Thank you. Thank you for all of this." She gestured at the stuff I'd brought up with us.

She looked up into the sky. It was too cloudy to see any stars. She turned and looked at me.

"I'm sorry about your eye. Is your side okay?" She reached out, but I caught her hand before she touched me. I didn't want to be a wuss, but it still hurt. And then…once I had her hand in mine, I just…kept her hand in mine.

"It'll be okay," I told her. "I'm sorry about that whole horrible scene; for you, I mean. I thought he was going to hurt you. He seemed to react pretty violently. I couldn't just stand there and watch. He was grabbing you and shaking you. I wanted to beat the living daylights out of him."

"Jake can get kind of emotional and edgy. He would never have hurt me, though. It was just the emotion of the moment. He saw your shirt in my truck and saw me looking up the hill at you, and just different things I've said to him, you know? Everything just sort of fell into place in his mind. He knew what was going on."

**BPOV**

"What _is_ going on?" Edward quietly asked. I pulled my hand away from him, laying it back in my lap

"I told him I had to end things with him, but that I hoped we could still be friends. We've known each other for so many years; it would feel strange to not be friends. Our families have always been close. He said he'd felt this coming for a while. Then he asked me how I felt about you." I bent forward, looking down so that my hair formed a curtain between us. I couldn't look at him.

"What did you tell him?" His hand rose to my shoulder, where his fingers gently swept my hair to the other side. I felt totally exposed to him. His hand rested on my opposite shoulder now.

"I told him that I cared about you and that I knew you cared about me." I indicated the sleeping bag and the cups of cocoa, "This, for example, I know how much you care."

His voice was low, "I already told you I feel very protective of you. And lately, when we're together, I have a hard time keeping my hands off of you, and it's really difficult to keep my distance and stay away from you."

I turned to him, looking up into his dark eyes. "Then don't." I saw his eyes widen. "But I need a little time. It's hard reconciling breaking up with Jake and starting something new right away. It makes me feel as though I was cheating on him; I don't like how I feel about myself right now. I just need some time."

I shivered as a gust of wind picked up.

"Cold?" He asked as a small furrow appeared between his brows..

"A little."

"Want to go inside?"

"No, not yet. I like being out here in the bubble with you." I shivered again against the wind.

**EPOV**

"Well, here," I said, setting my thermos cup down and turning toward her, "I just want to try something." I put my hands on her waist, and bent my leg up and out of the way as I pulled her over toward me, sliding her sideways and backwards on the slippery fabric of the sleeping bag, until she was positioned directly in front of me, between my legs. I pulled my legs up slightly, bending my knees, so that I could surround her with more of my body heat within the sleeping bag. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her back against my chest.

"Better?" I asked her, bending my head to her ear.

"Better." Her voice was almost a whisper.

I picked up the thread of the conversation we'd been having. "I don't think you should feel like you were cheating. Maybe you should focus on the fact that this wasn't planned. It sounds like you stayed in that relationship, even though things were already ending; maybe out of habit? And I certainly wasn't looking to find anyone to care about. I told you that. I was avoiding practically all human contact. So we started to become friends and in the course of that friendship developing, we found that we have some things in common and we enjoy hanging out with each other. Maybe this is just coincidence or fate, and you can't help the timing of coincidence or fate. It's not something either of us was searching for, but it definitely makes me happy. I don't want it to make you unhappy."

She turned her head to look up at me. "Being with you certainly doesn't make me unhappy, Edward. It'll just take me a little time to let go and move on."

She leaned her head back against me. She fit neatly just under my jaw line. I just held her there for a while. I wasn't going to try anything. It was warm and comfortable and I hoped it was soothing to her. She didn't seem anxious to leave any time soon.

"Bella?" I finally asked.

"Hmm?"

I tipped my head down toward her. My lips were right near her ear. I could feel the heat coming off of her skin, radiating out toward me. It was hard not to just lean in and kiss her.

"I'd like to take you out for your birthday next weekend. Just the two of us. I don't mean for it to be an actual date. It can be a 'non-date'. I just think you should celebrate turning twenty one and I want to spend some time together, away from here. Maybe we can go to that bookstore too."

She didn't answer immediately. I worried that I'd pushed things, but then she finally turned her head against my chest, looking up. There was a little smile threatening her lips.

"I think I could manage a non-date with you, Edward."

_ Yes! But how the hell do I make it until the weekend?_

**A/N: So, let me know what you thought about Jake. (And Edward, and Emmett and Bella!)**

**Don't continue unless it's ****revised.**


	22. Nondate? Nonsense!

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Not mine originally, just my variation. No infringement intended. God, her story is a goldmine of ideas!

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Call it a non-date if you want, it's a date, damn it! So, on with it...

**Chapter 22: Non-date? Nonsense! (Revised)**

**BPOV**

When Edward had texted me earlier, saying he would come up to sit on the patio with me, I expected just _him _to turn up at my door. But instead he arrived with "provisions." I had wondered what the heck he had meant by that when I'd read his text earlier.

He brought me hot cocoa, for goodness' sake! In a thermos! That really surprised me. The hot cocoa warmed my body and soothed my soul a little. What is it about hot cocoa that can do that? _Must be the chocolate._

The down sleeping bag was another smart idea, although I guess Edward had experience with sitting outside on the roof, after all. Actually, the down sleeping bag was a lovely idea, because I found myself cocooned together with him against the cold night air. I was much warmer and blushing thoroughly, once he had pulled me back against him and I felt myself surrounded by him, his body heat and his scent. His low, smooth, velvety voice was soothing, though his warm breath tickled at my ear and a few loose hairs as he talked. Once again I noticed that little charged zephyr, like static electricity, that seemed prevalent whenever he was near. I wondered if he felt that little humming vibration too.

I was thoroughly worn out from the emotions of the day, but my mind was still in overdrive and I knew that sleep wouldn't be an option for a while. I hoped Edward didn't feel used, but I just really needed his proximity. There was something about him that calmed me, in a way, and I think he understood this. He was my protector, my guardian angel, and he was protecting me from my own thoughts. I just didn't want to cry anymore tonight and I didn't want to be alone.

I know people think of Edward as being taciturn and grumpy. But he really is pretty darn wonderful. He's easy-going and fun and just so very thoughtful. He kept me company and kept my mind occupied for several hours Saturday night after Jake left. I was glad Edward stayed, because frankly, I was worried about Jake getting home safely. I know I couldn't have driven that distance with such a heavy heart and feeling so…bereft.

When I finally felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and read the message from Jake that he had arrived back in Forks safely, I was relieved. I knew he didn't feel like talking, so I just texted him back to take care of himself and that we would talk soon. I sighed, relieved.

Edward's voice murmured in my ear as I put my phone away. "He made it back okay?"

"Yeah, he got there safely," I answered, feeling a little surprised that he'd asked, since I hadn't mentioned anything to him about waiting for Jake to call. I also knew he hadn't seen the text as I'd read it. He just knew what the call would be. And I guess he didn't begrudge Jake calling me to let me know, or me worrying about his safety. Edward was a really good guy.

"That's good. One less thing for you to be worrying about on your birthday," Edward said softly, kindly. "You really haven't had the best of birthdays today."

I hadn't really thought much about my birthday today. It had come and gone and passed without too much fanfare, and that was fine with me. I really didn't like all the attention.

Renee, my mom, would probably send me a belated birthday card sometime within the next two weeks. That was how she operated. Always "a day late and a dollar short." I'd realized long ago that I had been the adult in our relationship; I was the responsible, level-headed one. She was the silly-goose adolescent. I'd come to expect it at this point.

My dad, Charlie, on the other hand, had mailed me a card earlier in the week, along with a check for two hundred dollars, and a note telling me to buy or do something wonderful for my twenty-first birthday. I think he felt bad that I was celebrating it away from home, and he was worried that the day would go by unnoticed. To remedy that situation he had called me earlier this morning, singing a rather off-key version of the "Happy Birthday" song, until I interrupted him, telling him I knew how the rest of the song went, the thought was most appreciated, although the actual singing of it…not so much. He laughed, telling me he was sorry to put me through it and should have known better.

I had been uncertain how to deal with Jake giving me a present for my birthday. Under normal circumstances, it would have been fine, but after breaking up with him, it felt wrong to accept a gift from him. How do you take a gift from someone you've just hurt so badly? He assured me, though, that we would still exchange gifts, just as we had done prior to our relationship. We would still be close, and I think I wanted to hold onto that idea, so I accepted the unusual and beautiful bracelet he had given me.

I looked down at it, fingering the little animal charms and noticing how much the obsidian stones reminded me of Jake's eyes, and then I realized the green-blue turquoise stones were very nearly the color of Edward's eyes. I suppose my own eyes were the brown agate. And the golden tiger's eye stones, well…I don't suppose anyone human would have eyes that light honey-gold color.

I hadn't thought anymore about my birthday after that. So tonight, when Edward pulled his backpack toward him and took out gifts for me, I was completely taken by surprise. I couldn't believe he had remembered, but more than that, it wasn't necessary for him to get me something. And we really didn't know each other that well yet. What could he possibly have thought to get for me?

Pink champagne, for one thing. It was the perfect gift to celebrate turning twenty one, especially for a girl. A gift card for a bookstore, because he remembered that I liked reading, but wasn't sure what I would want or need. But we would go there together and I was looking forward to that trip. But I think, deep down, my favorite gift was the Oreos. Not just because I love Oreos, which I do, but because of what they signified. Edward had paid attention last weekend when I told him I needed junk food because it solves all kinds of problems, and specifically Oreos, because they have been scientifically proven to be mood altering.

He knew beforehand how hard this day would be for me, and he had tried to alleviate that with this gesture. It reflected his sense of humor and gentle understanding. Looking back on that moment, much later, I think I would realize that that was the precise moment that I began to fall in love with Edward Cullen.

It finally became just too cold up on the roof, and it was also ridiculously late. When we looked back into my room, as we prepared to head back inside, we realized that all of the lights were out, and that Alice must now be sleeping in her bed, just inside the loft window.

Edward slowly and quietly slid the window open and I climbed into the darkened room, stepping down onto my bed. He silently handed me the things we had taken out onto the roof. I knelt up by the head of my bed and waited for him to climb back inside.

**EPOV**

We didn't make a sound as we climbed back inside Bella's loft window. I had handed all of the things we'd taken outside in to her. She waited for me to climb back in through the window. We were silent, not wanting to wake Alice, lying in her bed. But we weren't as lucky as we would have liked; she was probably never asleep in the first place.

Alice's voice came out of the darkness, from the direction of her bed, scaring the wits out of Bella and me. "You're just damn lucky I'm your sister, Edward Anthony Cullen. Any other woman in this dorm would be screaming her head off right about now if a man were climbing in through her window."

Bella and I both burst out laughing. Of course Alice would still be awake, waiting for the full report. Poor Bella, she would have to deal with that on her own. I couldn't very well spend the night in here with her._ Oh fuck, there's a thought!_

"Sorry, _'Malice'_," I said to my sister, "we're trying to be as quiet as possible. We know you need your beauty sleep."

"What the heck are you saying, Edward?" Alice asked in an offended tone, though she knew I was joking.

"Just that you're the ugly twin and you need all the help you can get!" I moved over to Alice's bed and grabbed her in a bear hug.

She shrieked, yelling, "Get off me, you big oaf! God…one Emmett in the family is enough! Not you too, now! What is with you lately, Edward?"

I honestly didn't know what was with me. I was just in a good mood. That seemed to happen a lot lately.

"Okay, okay," I told her as I pushed up off of her and moved from her bed back over to Bella's. "I'm going. I can take a hint. I can see there's no brotherly love here." I looked over at Bella and she was grinning; I could see her smile in the dim light coming in through the window. I climbed down and Bella followed me, walking me to the door. I had the sleeping bag, rolled up under my arm, and my backpack slung over my shoulder. Bella handed me the thermos cups and I grabbed them into that same arm, holding them against my chest with the sleeping bag.

"Edward…thanks so much…for everything this evening," she whispered at the door.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her outside the room to stand in the hall, so I could talk to her without nosy Alice's ears involved.

"Are you going to be able to sleep?" I asked quietly, tucking a strand of her hair back into place.

"I think so," she answered. She smiled weakly. "Sheer exhaustion of body and soul will do that to a person."

I nodded sympathetically. "Bella?" I wanted to ask her something but I was hesitant, unsure of how to say what I felt like I need to say.

"Yeah?"

I didn't want what I needed to say to sound critical; I honestly didn't intend it that way, and I hoped she would understand that. "Promise me you won't go into hiding for the next few days."

"What do you mean?" she asked. She seemed surprised at the request.

"Well, it just seems like you might run now that things got a little overwhelming. I don't want you to run. You haven't done anything wrong to anybody. You're a good person; a sweet girl. I'll back off. Just…please don't avoid me."

She was quiet for a moment and then she breathed a little laugh. "You're right, Edward; you've got me pegged." She hesitated, biting her lip, then continued, "I'm going to sleep in tomorrow, but I'll probably see you later in the day, at dinner in the evening for sure. I'm not going to avoid you. I really can't, at this point."

_That was a relief. _"In that case, I'll see you tomorrow. And we're still going to have a non-date next weekend?"

"Yes, I'm still planning on 'non-dating' you." She smiled up at me.

God, I wanted to kiss her right then. I settled for a one-armed hug. All in good time. I had to remind myself that I could be noble. Sometimes it was just harder to be noble. Like my plan to not get involved with her. That noble plan had jumped right out the not-so-noble-window.

**BPOV**

I slipped quietly back into the room after that, changing quickly into some pajamas and climbing up to my bed. I was just about to lay down when I heard Alice's voice.

"I have been thinking about you all day, Bella. Is everything okay? I mean, obviously it's not okay, but is it at least bearable?"

"Oh, Alice. I've been through the wringer, and I've pulled a few other people along with me. This was the day from hell and I hope I never have another day like this one for as long as I live."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry." I could hear Alice moving on her bed, turning over and moving closer to my bed.

"I know. It's a sorry situation." I turned around on my bed, flopping my pillow down at the end where my feet normally went, just so that my head was closer to Alice. I pulled the sheets out and draped the covers around me in the opposite direction than I normally slept. We were now almost head-to-head in our two perpendicular beds.

"You can unload if you want. I don't know what you told Edward, and there's probably some things you couldn't tell Edward, but if you want to talk to me, I'm a good listener."

"Alice…today absolutely sucked; apart from the time I spent with Edward just now." I proceeded to tell her just how the day had gone down. She was a sympathetic listener, and it didn't seem weird telling her these things, although she was Edward's sister. I just needed an outlet and someone who would listen, and who wasn't directly involved.

"Please, Alice, don't tell Edward any of what I've told you. He doesn't need to know specifically what happened."

"Oh, Bella, of course not! I know this is girl talk right now, and Edward's not a girl, so he doesn't get any of it! Besides, I'm sure he'd rather not know specifics. He gets the gist of it; the part that concerns him, and I think that's enough for him."

I smiled in the darkness, feeling just a little bit lighter now that I had shared my burden with a friend.

In the week that followed that terrible Saturday, all of the Cullens and Hales had been very gentle and kind to me. I think they felt bad for me; that they had witnessed the blow up and fight. I was glad they had been there, at least partly, so that the fight hadn't gotten out of hand. I would have hated for either of Jake or Edward to have gotten badly hurt.

Edward had given me some space, but I also didn't avoid him. We'd seen each other numerous times during the week, although we hadn't spent much time alone since the night that Jake left. I was concerned he might feel I was toying with him, but I had told him how I felt that night and he seemed to understand because he had backed off a little. I wondered how much room and time he would give me.

On Wednesday, I had to go to the library and I asked Edward if he wanted to go with me. He really didn't need to go to the library, but he had some reading and a paper to write, so he came along to keep me company. He seemed happy to have the opportunity to spend time together. We found a table tucked into a corner on the third floor. A few times I had to get up and go look for something, and once I made a detour to the restroom. Each time I returned to the table, I found myself slowing down, just so I could look at Edward. It was a rare opportunity to observe him without him really being aware of it.

Whenever we were together at the dorm or dining hall, I didn't want to be caught staring at him, but now, he was busy reading, writing, and concentrating. I watched him in profile, looking down at his book, running his fingers through his hair, sliding his long forefinger across his lip and hunching forward over his laptop as he contemplated what he was writing. It was hard to not just stand there and gawk at him. I forced myself to sit back down and I smiled up at him when he looked over at me. The black eye he'd gotten on Saturday had faded quite a bit, the mottled colors were barely visible. I would be glad when it was gone and I didn't need to see that constant reminder of the two of them fighting.

I finally made it to Friday afternoon and I was beginning to feel a little nervous. Tonight we had our non-date. Edward hadn't told me where we were going, specifically, or what we were doing, exactly. He did say that we would be outdoors part of the time, and that we would also have dinner and check out the bookstore. I was wondering what appropriate wear was for a non-date with an extraordinarily good-looking guy.

Alice was asking me questions that I wasn't able to answer, simply because I really didn't have any information. Obviously Edward hadn't told her anything about his plans. He probably figured that she would tell me, and he wanted to keep it a secret.

I was spending an inordinate amount of time trying to decide what to wear. I kept reminding myself that this wasn't even a date. It was a non-date. And living here in the same dorm, Edward had often seen me in sweats; and not just the sexy velour type. I didn't know why I was worrying so much about my appearance tonight.

I took a shower, dried my hair into loose curls, put on make-up and got dressed, finally deciding on a black, long-sleeved, skinny rib knit sweater, skinny jeans and black boots. I wrapped a little navy, black, and silver woven scarf around my neck, and took my black jacket.

It was nearly six thirty, and I was thinking that I should probably go on down to Edward's room, to see if he was ready to go. He had said we would leave at about six thirty. But, as I was picking up my jacket, there was a knock at the door, and when I opened the door, there he stood in all his amazingly good-looking glory. _Holy crap!_

His eyes went wide and he smiled his dazzling smile at me. His hair looked nearly orderly for a change, like he had thought about trying to tame it. I could smell his soap and his cologne or aftershave, I wasn't sure which. It was a masculine scent, but not over-the-top. He had on a black crew neck sweater, snug jeans, and he was carrying a black leather jacket.

"Are you ready?" He asked as his eyes traveled appreciatively over me.

"Yep," I held my arms out wide, "this is as good as it gets for me."

"I'd say it's pretty damn good," he smiled. Then he looked down at himself and laughed.

"What?" I asked.

"You didn't notice? We match."

I looked down realizing that we were both wearing black sweaters and shoes with dark jeans. We both had black jackets slung over our arms. "Where's your scarf with the navy, black and silver threads woven in?" I asked him with a smirk.

"I told Jasper he could borrow it tonight, it matches his new skirt," Edward said with a grin.

"I heard that!" Alice yelled from atop her bed. "Let me see you two. Are you cute?"

Edward came farther into the room and we stood next to each other for her.

"Aw, you two cute kids are a definite match!" Alice said, looking down at us and laughing her silvery little laugh. "I'll make sure Jasper takes good care of your scarf, Edward. I think he's going to use it to tie me up later."

Edward rolled his eyes. "In that case, I don't want the damn thing back. Come on, Bella, let's go, we don't want to stay for any more sordid details."

I smiled and waved a goodbye to Alice as we headed out of the room.

"Have a good time, you kids. And Edward, don't bring her back too early! And it may rain, so make sure you _use_ _protection_." Now she was giggling.

I looked up at him and he was shaking his head as he steered me out of the door, his fingertips ghosting at the small of my back, shutting the door behind himself. He looked down at me. "You know, being an only child probably has its perks. You don't have to put up with this kind of abuse every day of your life like I do."

"You and Emmett and Alice have such a wonderful relationship. I don't know any other people that are so close to their siblings. There's a lot of love behind all that silliness and ridicule."

"I sometimes think life would be easier if we all hated each other. Then we would just ignore each other and we could all go on about our own lives without all the meddling."

We walked to his car. He followed me around to the passenger side and opened the door for me, shutting it once I was inside. As he walked around the front of the car I admired how smoothly he moved; how graceful he looked. Edward Cullen was definitely thrilling to look at.

He looked especially handsome tonight. I thought once more about how singularly stunning he was. He didn't see it in himself. I don't know how anyone could miss it; I suppose he's the only one.

He climbed into his side of the car and looked over at me. He looked confused. "What?" he asked, when he saw me staring at him.

"Nothing," I quickly said, blinking and shaking my head. It was hard to keep my eyes off of him. Maybe part of that was because I had limited myself to the time I spent with him this week. I guess I was starting to really look at him in a new light, too. "Hey," I suddenly blurted, "your black eye is gone."

"Is it?" he asked, glancing into the rearview mirror. "That's good, we don't want people thinking you're dating a thug…or, non-dating a thug, I should say." He looked momentarily worried at his slip, but I just smiled reassuringly. It was just a slip, after all.

I knew that he had taken this evening, our non-date, seriously. His hair was nearly orderly, although that wouldn't last long, he was already running his hand through the side of it. I could see that he was freshly shaved and he smelled delicious. He was dressed nicely, although I loved the hobolicious look of the flannels, thermals and t-shirts that he usually wore. I wondered briefly if Alice had given him tips on proper attire; I wouldn't put it past her. If this was his approach to non-date preparation, I wondered what real-date preparation would look like. I'd probably swoon and faint dead away. He most certainly would be dangerous.

He drove us to a familiar-looking area downtown and I realized that we were going to the same little Italian restaurant that we had gone to with the others, the night after we'd moved me into Alice's room. He pulled up outside Bella Italia and parked, turning to look at me.

"I hope you don't mind that we're coming here again. We thought the food was really great and Italian food always hits the spot. This place is also kind of special to me."

"Oh, I love Italian food. Sometimes I think my name has influenced my food choices. And you're right, this place was really great, so this is perfect. But I didn't know you had been here before we came here that night."

"No, that was the first time."

By now we had walked in and had been seated in a little booth in the corner. The hostess had ogled Edward, and I wondered if she remembered seeing him here before. I would be willing to bet money on it. Edward would be hard to forget.

"If last time was the first time you had been here, then why is this place special to you?"

He wavered a bit; like he wasn't sure he wanted to tell me. I could see his jaw working. "Well," he finally began, "I guess that was the night that I thought, for the first time, that maybe I shouldn't fight back feelings that I thought were beginning to overwhelm me. It was kind of scary at first. I'd spent so much time avoiding people, and suddenly _you_ just couldn't be avoided, it seemed. That night I figured I'd just go with the flow and see what happened, although I didn't plan to do anything specific to try to move that forward. But that was the night," he smiled, remembering, "…what was it Emmett said? Oh, yeah …that was the night I decided that I was 'partial to the blush'."

Right on cue I felt myself blushing; but I was also smiling. _He was partial to me._

He leaned toward me with a smirk on his sculptured lips, an eyebrow cocked. He looked so darn smug and pleased with himself. "You're blushing," he murmured.

Luckily the waitress came, distracting us and took our orders. She directed most of her questions and attention to Edward. He was very nearly oblivious to her, answering her succinctly even as he remained focused on me. I was flattered and embarrassed.

He had once seemed so gruff and grumpy and distant. He was a completely different person now; and I think only part of it was that I knew him better. I remembered how I'd thought he was just a good-looking, stuck-up snob when I first saw him. He was _so_ not that.

"That night that we all came here was a fun evening," I agreed, "although you went a little overboard with your role-playing at Laurent and James' party."

He looked a little sheepish as he shrugged. "I was just trying to make James think you were unavailable. That guy's just all kinds of weird. I just wanted to be helpful and protect you."

"Bullshit."

He tipped his head back and laughed in surprise. _Oh my goodness, he looked delicious. _"Okay, you're right, you caught me! But what about you? You pretended we were together for the Jell-O Shot girl. The whole thing was your fault, Bella. You just helped to bring out my inner Pooh-Bear. Once Pooh-Bear gets going, there's no stopping him."

I giggled at him. He really was very good at keeping me smiling.

"Okay, well, so it was _partly _my fault. I guess you're off the hook, PB."

He chuckled, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. I heard him mumble, "PB?"

We continued talking and smiling and laughing our way through dinner. We didn't order dessert though; Edward said we would take care of that soon, somewhere else. Once we were done, we battled over payment of the bill. Edward wanted to pay for both of us, but I argued that that pushed the envelope beyond the non-date limits. He finally agreed to let me contribute when I threatened that I would never accept another non-date invitation.

We walked back to his car after that and drove off to another destination. We wound up at an area downtown that was having a street fair. It had not yet begun sprinkling, but you could feel it in the air. We were not to be deterred. Edward grabbed an umbrella from the back of his car and met me at my door as I was climbing out. He put some coins in the parking meter and we joined the throng of people wandering through the street.

There was a farmer's market and various booths and stands selling prepared foods and snacks. The smells were wonderful, but we had eaten so much we couldn't have possibly tried a bite of anything. We stopped and listened to several street musicians: guitarists, singers, a group playing various drums and odd percussion instruments. There were clowns and bounce houses and train rides for children. There were booths with various arts and craft items, jewelry and clothing. The rain was negligible; really never amounting to more than a sprinkle.

We stopped at a booth that had a wide assortment of baked goods. There were large cakes and cheesecakes, as well as mini-cakes and individual slices of cheesecake for sale.

"We're here for birthday cake," Edward said, as he steered me over to the booth. "We can get a whole cake, and then you have extra for the next few days, or we can get just a mini-cake or even just a slice. Which kind do you want?"

"What do you recommend?"

"Well, the Godiva chocolate cheesecake is probably the best cheesecake I've ever eaten. But I don't even know...do you like cheesecake?"

"I _love _cheesecake. And of course the Godiva chocolate one looks and sounds insanely good. You know my stance on chocolate, Edward. But I don't need a whole cake. I'm not sure I can even eat a whole slice, they're huge! Do you want to split one?"

"Sure," he said. "After that meal at Bella Italia I don't think I can eat a whole slice either."

Edward bought the slice of cheesecake, picked up two forks and napkins, and turned around, looking up and down the street. "Come on," he said, moving out of the street and up onto the sidewalk. He led me to a storefront that had a few steps up into the shop. It was closed this time of the evening, but the steps were sheltered from the wind, and there was a small overhang that protected the steps from the misting rain.

We sat down on the steps and Edward held the plastic container as he handed me my fork and a few napkins. I was just about to reach over with my fork and take a bite when he said, "Wait a sec…" He reached into his jacket pocket and fumbled around for a moment, finally withdrawing his hand. He stuck a small candle into the cake and reached back into his pocket, pulling out a lighter. "We're going to do this the right way, although I'm sorry it's a week late."

He lit the candle, shielding it from the wind. His face was aglow from the light of the candle. Mine was aglow as well, but probably not from the candle. He began singing "Happy Birthday" to me, softly and in tune. It was one of the loveliest things anyone had done for me in a long time.

I made a wish and blew out the candle.

"Did you wish for something wonderful?" he asked once the candle was out.

His question caught me by surprise, but I answered him as calmly as I could and was just glad he couldn't see my blush. "Yes, at least I think it will be." I couldn't tell him that my wish had centered around _him._

We polished off the rich, dark chocolate cheesecake. It was decorated with a little wafer of pure dark chocolate. I picked it up, took a bite and then realized that I should probably share it with Edward. I held it out toward him, offering it to him. He leaned toward me, opening his mouth to accept his half of the piece. Just as I was about to put it in his mouth, our eyes met and held, and I suddenly could barely breathe. I looked back down at his mouth, his parted lips, and I just stared for what seemed like forever. I finally managed to collect myself and put the candy into his mouth, grazing his lip with my fingertip as I did so. I immediately shifted back over to my side of the step, taking a deep breath and trying to calm my thudding heart.

"Not yet," I whispered, hardly even aware that escaped and that I had actually spoken and that it wasn't merely a thought.

Edward's dark eyes widened a little and his breathing seemed a little ragged as he moved back towards his half of the step, putting a little more space between us. He cleared his throat after a moment and began speaking, sounding a little flustered. "I, uh, I didn't think to get us anything to drink. I'm just, uh, I think I'll get a bottle of water. Would you…do you want one?"

I nodded as he got up and walked back over to the booth, leaving me to get myself under control. And probably himself too. When he returned, things had calmed back down. He handed me a water, drinking his own, and reached a hand down to pull me up.

"Do you want to go to that bookstore, or do you just want to walk around here a little more?" he asked as I stood. "We could always come back some other day or evening and hang out for a while. Um, you could also obviously go to the bookstore on your own, too." He suddenly seemed slightly embarrassed. "I mean, it's not like I have to come with you….I just meant if you wanted to."

I smiled at him. "No, I'd like to come back with you, another time. For now, let's just walk around, we can walk off some of that pasta and cheesecake."

As we walked along I looked up at Edward's happy, handsome face. I thought he was truly such a gentleman. I was glad that he was letting me take my time. I wondered how many guys would be as patient as he. I glanced down where his hand was shoved into his jacket pocket. I withdrew my hand from my own jacket pocket and tentatively tucked it into his, sliding it under his hand. He turned to me with a look of surprise on his face; then he folded my hand into his, inside his pocket. His smile went up another notch on the happy meter. Mine did too.

All too soon the street fair was beginning to close down and pack up. We headed back to Edward's car as the rain finally started to pick up. He took our joined hands out of his pocket and let go of my hand to put his arm around me, holding me closer to him in the rain, so we were both more protected by the umbrella. As the rain continued to come down harder we wound up running together the last block, giggling at how difficult it seemed to match our steps since his legs were so much longer than my own.

Edward quickly opened my door and shut it behind me once I'd climbed inside. Then he dashed to his side and slid in, closing the umbrella and pulling it inside, and shutting the door in one fluid motion. _How does someone move that smoothly and gracefully? It's inhuman._ He turned and looked at me, a little breathless, laughing, and said, "Well, the evening started out great; I'm not so sure about this ending, with the rain."

I smiled at him. "Beginning, middle, and end were all lovely. I'm not really a fan of the wet or the cold, but it didn't really matter much tonight; I had a great time, Edward."

He drove us back home in the rain, going more slowly than usual, thank goodness. We got back to the dorm parking lot and the rain had let up somewhat. He put his arm around me again as we hurried up from the parking lot under the umbrella.

When we got to the back entrance of our dorm, I think he sensed that I would feel uncomfortable about a display of affection here at the dorm, and he dropped his arm from my shoulder. We walked inside and he left the umbrella open to dry in his suite. He seemed unsure of what to do at that point.

"Aren't you going to walk me home?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

He grinned. "I suppose that would be the courteous thing to do. After you," he gestured grandly with his arm and I led the way upstairs.

We got to my door and I knocked as I went in, just in case Alice was indeed tied up with Edward's imaginary scarf. Alice and Jasper were sitting inside the lounge, listening to music and talking. There was no sign of an imaginary scarf anywhere, thank goodness.

"Hey, the 'non-daters' are back!" Alice greeted us, making little air quotes with her fingers as she spoke. "Come join us in the lounge."

"Wait," I said. "Who would like some pink champagne?"

"Oh, I saw that in our fridge," Alice said. "Where did that come from? What's it for? Why do you have it?"

"One question at a time, Alice," Edward said, as he looked over at me, silently communicating that he would handle this. "Here are your answers. One, it came from the liquor store. Two, it's to celebrate. Three, I gave it to her."

Alice looked shocked. "How heartless are you, Edward? Don't you think that's awfully cruel? You know Bella cared about Jake. You gave her champagne to celebrate breaking up with him? That's just mean!"

Edward looked back over at me, rolling his eyes and then pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked at me again, questioningly and I gave him a slight nod and a shrug. He took a deep breath. I did too. Alice wasn't going to like this.

"Once, again, Alice, one question at a time. One, I'm not heartless. Two, no, I don't think it's cruel to give her champagne. Three, I didn't give it to her to celebrate breaking up with him, it was to celebrate her birthday. Bella turned twenty-one last Saturday." He looked over at me to make sure I was okay with that. I smiled at him and gave him another little nod.

I looked at Alice. Her mouth was hanging open and she was staring at me. She finally pulled herself together. "What? Bella...really? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh, Alice, there was too much going on. I don't like the focus on me. It was just easier."

"He gets to know?" She stabbed a finger in Edward's direction and she looked very annoyed with him. "You told him but not me? What's up with that? I'm your roomie!"

"Alice," it was Edward's voice, "she kind of went through a lot last weekend. Cut her some slack. I sort of tricked her into telling me and she made me promise not to say anything. Besides, we only just celebrated tonight. You can celebrate with her this week. And you can celebrate with a glass of pink champagne right now, so you _are_ being included."

Alice finally looked appeased and she relented. "Okay, but I'm taking you out for lunch and a mani/pedi before this week is over! No complaints; no excuses!" Her look was slightly threatening, so I knew I had to give in.

I laughed. "Deal, roomie! Sorry about my roomie faux pas!"

"Don't let it happen again, bitch!" Alice smiled spectacularly and I knew she was teasing. "Now, pour that Pink!"

Edward popped the cork off the bottle and poured champagne into four cups. I handed a cup to Jasper and a cup to Alice. Edward held one out to me.

"To Bella," Alice spoke up, raising her glass, "Happy Birthday!"

"To Bella," Jasper and Edward agreed. We all touched our cups and sipped at our champagne.

"Now, come sit down in the swanky fort and tell us what we missed this evening," Jasper said and looked up at us expectantly. "Where'd you guys go on your 'non-date'? What kind of 'non-things' did you do?" He made air quotes with his fingers too. _What was it with these two? Did they think Edward and I had gone on a real date?_

We sat down on the cushions with them and described our evening, from dinner to rainstorm, and polished off the bottle of champagne. They seemed content with the information they received. We visited a while more before Jasper said he was going to head downstairs. Alice followed him out of the room and Edward and I were suddenly alone.

"I'd better get going, too," he said, standing up.

He extended his hands down toward me, and pulled me up to my feet. I stood in front of him, once he'd pulled me up. He still had my hands in his. I could feel my blush starting. He smiled, sensing my nervousness, and let go of my hands.

"Thanks for going out with me tonight, Bella. It was a nice evening, even though it rained."

"I had a really great time, Edward. Thanks for asking me on a 'non-date'."

"I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled and turned to go, but I couldn't let him go yet.

"Wait!"

He turned back to me and I moved closer to him, putting my hand on the side of his face, to the curve of his jaw, I stretched up on my toes and I kissed him on the cheek. I quickly backed away, not wanting more from him than I was willing to give. He looked so completely surprised, a little confused and then a slow little smile crept over his face.

"That was a 'non-kiss' to go with our 'non-date'." I explained. "Thanks for my celebration, Edward. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks for the 'non-kiss.' Goodnight, Bella." He smiled at me and left.

I shut the door and leaned back against it. It had only taken a few seconds, but I was aware of each and every sensation that I had experienced as I had given him the 'non-kiss'. His skin was smooth, soft, and warm against my fingertips and lips. His jawbone was much more defined than my own; it was much stronger and very masculine. I could feel that the skin where his beard grew was subtly thicker, although still very smooth from his shave earlier this evening. I smelled the scent of his cologne, but also a different scent that might have been the shampoo he had used.

But the sensation that I was most focused on at the moment, and would probably keep thinking about tonight, had been the sound I had heard. It had been a very quiet, very small sound, but I had heard it. It was the slightest, briefest, barely audible little groan that escaped from his throat, when he realized what I had been about to do.

Now, with that sound echoing in my mind, I slid down the face of the door until I was in a little heap, sitting on the floor, my arms looped around my knees. I had just realized how very difficult it was going to be to keep my distance from Edward Cullen. That sound made me want to kiss him again, only next time I wouldn't move away; I would hold on and I wouldn't let go.

**EPOV**

Somehow, after she'd reached up and kissed my cheek, I just pulled myself back, as she had done, and after saying goodnight I forced myself out the door and I left. I was halfway down the stairs when I realized that Alice and Jasper were calling my name from the sitting room out in the suite. They had called me a handful of times before it actually sunk in. My mind was elsewhere, obviously.

"What?" I called, somewhat irritated, once their summons had intruded into my thoughts. I looked up the stairwell and saw them now standing at the top. Alice had a quizzical expression on her face. Jasper stood behind her, wearing a similar look. His hand was in a thumbs-up, then a thumbs-down gesture. He repeated the gesture. Alice couldn't see what he was doing; what he was asking. I sighed and gave him a thumbs-sideways gesture and continued down the stairs. Let them ponder that for a while. I had my own pondering to do.

I got down to my room, but decided that I was too antsy to just hang out there. Besides, Jasper would probably be down soon, and I wasn't sure I wanted to share. I glanced out the back entrance and saw that there was still a light rain falling. I picked up the umbrella that I had left open to dry in the suite and left to go for a walk outside. It certainly wasn't rooftop weather.

I thought about how lovely Bella had looked tonight. Not that she wasn't always pretty, but she had put on make-up tonight, which I knew she didn't normally do. I smiled as I thought about what that meant: she wanted to look good for me; just me. She had seemed happy. It was nice to see her smiling again. I didn't think she was feeling as upset with herself as she had been, with the whole break-up with Jake.

We enjoyed our dinner and visit to the street fair, despite the threat of rain. It was nice to be away from school for a bit, away from the prying eyes of friends and siblings in the dorm. It was just us, getting to be us. I caught her watching me several times during the evening. I wondered what she was thinking. I knew it was something positive, still I wondered if she had the same kinds of thoughts about me that I had about her. Maybe.

But what was really making me smile like an idiot now, as I walked along in the dark, in the rain, was that she had put the move on me tonight. I wondered if she even knew; if she was even willing to admit it to herself. I recognized it for what it was, for I was already guilty of it. Each time that I put my arm around her, or managed some other physical contact, like a grab or a tickle or a hidden hand-hold, it was because I couldn't hold myself back, and because at some point I was hoping she would start to feel the same way. And tonight she had.

That intense little sparky moment in the doorway, as she fed me that little piece of chocolate candy almost made me come unglued. I was ready to pounce on her, and I think for a split second, in that moment, she would have accepted me. Her eyes, as she looked down at my mouth, were all dark and unfocused, and I heard her breath catch as she inadvertently touched my lip. I had to get up and leave, so I told her I was getting water for us. I really just had to get myself under control. It hadn't been easy.

I had been surprised later when I felt her hand burrowing into my jacket pocket, seeking my hand. I had already held her hand on the night we watched the movies, but I had instigated that. This was different, because it came solely from her. And I liked that.

But the real surprise had been the kiss. Granted it wasn't a kiss on the lips. She wasn't ready yet; or didn't think she was. God knows I was. I was thinking about it all the time. Obsessing on it, nearly. Reliving the moment, I could still feel the sensation of her hand on my face, the light touch of her fingertips on my jaw and cheek. Suddenly she was stretching up on her toes, pressing her soft lips to my cheek. I could feel the warm exhale of her breath on my skin. I saw that slightly unfocused look in her eyes again. Her whole expression had seemed _softer_ somehow.

It was all I could do to just pull back, like she did, say goodnight, and propel myself out the door like a gentleman. It sure as hell wasn't what I actually wanted to do right then.

Now I walked a big slow loop around the dorm complex in the rain and finally made my way back to my room. I quietly took off my jacket, shoes and socks, jeans and sweater and slid between the sheets in just my underwear.

Sleep didn't come easily for me. I laid there for a long, long while, thinking about her, sifting through a collection of moments from our evening together. I lay there imagining what it would feel like to have her here with me, to hold her in my arms and really kiss her the way I wanted to kiss her.

**A/N: ****As always, let me know what you think, if you would. ;)**

**Read on if the next one is ****revised.**


	23. Just Add Water and Stir

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Thanks for being so patient with these two. They certainly are taking their sweet time figuring out that they like each other. But they are just about there.

Variations on a theme that doesn't belong to me. It's all hers. No infringement intended. The squeees, now and then, however, are intended.

Fasten your seatbelts and hang on for the ride! Let me know what you think.

**Chapter 23: Just Add Water and Stir (Revised)**

**EPOV**

The next morning, Saturday, we all went to breakfast together. Bella was talking to Alice about our non-date, farther along in the line. I was at the back of our group, behind Jasper. I suddenly heard a familiar, annoying voice in my ear.

"Hey, Big E, how's it hangin'?"

I turned around to see Mike Newton right behind me in line. I thought briefly about telling him that it wasn't 'hangin''much these days. It was usually hard as a rock and in an upright vertical position because I was either watching Bella, with Bella, or thinking about watching or being with Bella. But then I decided that this dick didn't need that much information about my dick. So I was more subtle.

"It's straight as an arrow, Mike. How's it going?"

"Things are great. Hey, didn't I see you and Bella coming back into our suite late last night? Looked like you two had been out together. What's going on there? You two dating?"

I certainly didn't want him to know what might be developing between me and Bella. He'd just say something ridiculous or vulgar. I didn't want him to ruin anything before it really got started.

"Oh, we just went to get a bite to eat and then walked around downtown for a while. It wasn't an actual date, you know? She's been going through some problems with a boyfriend."

"Well, if that boyfriend thing she's got going on isn't working for her, you ought to try to ask her out. I bet she'd go out with you; you know, as a friend. I've tried to set you up before, but I know you weren't that into it. She might be a nice first date for you. And then you'd feel more comfortable. You wouldn't feel so shy and awkward around girls."

I wanted to smack him over the head with my tray, or stab him with my fork, maybe. He was such a fucking tool. And he obviously thought that I was a tool. I had to get away from him before I damaged him irreparably.

"Thanks for the tip, Mike; I'll keep it in mind. See you around."

I took my tray and made it over to our table, sitting down closely next to Bella.

"What's the matter?" she asked, looking at my face with concern.

My reaction to Mike must have still been written all over my face. "Newton! He just drives me crazy every time he talks to me. He's such a dolt!"

She was curious now; her lips curling up into a smile. "Why? What did he say to you?"

I squirmed a little. I wasn't going to tell her everything he'd said, of course. I decided to generalize. "He's trying to give me pointers with the opposite sex."

She burst out laughing loudly and everyone at the table turned to stare at her. She finally calmed back down, saying "sorry" to the others. Then she leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. "Oh, Edward, you don't need any pointers. You know exactly what to do. You're doing just fine. Do you want me to go have a talk with him?" She was smirking.

I laughed. "I appreciate that you're willing to do that for me. But don't go burst his bubble. He thinks he's got all the moves."

She giggled. "I saw his moves at the dance. His moves are frightening. Please, whatever you do, don't try to make any of his moves your own. I could never speak to you again. I'd probably have to switch into a different dorm. Stick with your own moves; they're lovely." She smiled beautifully at me.

"Hmm." I think I sighed a little. "And you stick with your own moves," I told her, enjoying the resulting blush.

"My moves?"

"Your recent moves. They're good moves; I've enjoyed them." I wanted to jump her.

"So you liked my moves," she said, looking away, embarrassed but pleased.

"Yes. I hope you have more."

"Time will tell." She was being evasive and awfully cute, continuing to blush and still avoiding my gaze.

I leaned closer to her, lowering my voice. "I've got time," I told her sincerely. "I'm not in a hurry."

"Are you guys done?" Alice asked, her voice suddenly intruding into our conversation. "We're ready to leave."

I think we had both forgotten where we were and that there was a world going on around us. I was surprised to see everyone standing, ready to go. I thought I saw the same look on Bella's face, though we were done and I guess we were ready to leave.

"Oh, yeah, I guess we're done," Bella said, standing up. She seemed a little off-balance as we all exited the dining hall.

I didn't see her again until that evening. I had just come back inside the dorm from a run, as she was coming through the suite on her way out the back door. She looked upset; agitated. She was wearing workout gear and running shoes. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even realize that I was there until I spoke.

"Bella, what's wrong? Where are you going?"

She looked up, surprised to see me there. Then her face fell again into a look of dismay. "Bad phone call, Edward; I've got to get out of here for a bit." She turned toward the door to go.

"Wait, what happened?"

She stopped, putting her hands on her hips, shaking her head a little, and turned back to face me. "Um, it's Jake; he called. He's unhappy. Well, actually, he had been drinking with his friends. He's drunk… Some friends! They're such idiots! He needs friendship and support, not six packs and shots. After I hung up with him I called his friend, Sam, and laid into him. It's just so frustrating and maddening. It's going to take time and I can't really do anything about it, you know?"

I nodded my head. "Are you worried that he's not safe right now?"

"No, that's not it. I know he'll be okay, they're just hanging out and he'll sleep it off at Sam's or his friend Quil's house. They're not going to drive or do anything more stupid than what they're already doing. This just isn't what he needs right now. And it wasn't the phone call that I needed." She sighed.

"So where are you going?" I asked her.

"Just for a quick run. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked her. It was already dark out.

"No, but thanks, Edward; I think I really just need to be by myself for a little bit."

"It's dark. It's probably not that safe." She was going to make me worry. _Shit!_

"I'll be okay. Don't worry, Edward. I can take care of myself. I need to go. I'll stop by when I get back."

**BPOV**

I had been so upset by Jake's phone call; wanting to believe that he was dealing with our split this past week and finding out that wasn't the case. I knew it would be hard on him, because he was the one that had wanted things to remain the way they were. But I didn't imagine that he would call me up, drunk, thanks to Sam, Embry, Quil and Paul. It really wasn't like Jake. I knew it had started with Sam. He was the rowdy one and of legal age; Jake was more of a follower, as were the others. But you'd think that they'd try to take better care of one of their own, not let him bask in self-pity. Or add to the problem with excessive drinking.

Jake hadn't been angry or mean. I would have hung up on him if he had been. He also didn't actually cry; that would have broken my heart. But I heard the anguish in his voice. He just wanted to go backward with me. And I couldn't do that. It wouldn't have been fair to him for me to pretend. What kind of relationship would that be? I tried to tell him that, but honestly, I didn't know how much he would actually remember tomorrow. I knew there would be times when he would be depressed about our situation. That saddened me when I thought about it, because I had instigated the breakup.

I'd called Sam then, laying into him for being so irresponsible. I even played my trump card. My dad. I threatened that I'd call Charlie and send the Chief of Police over to see who exactly was contributing to the delinquency of minors; serving alcohol to someone under the legal age. I don't think Sam had thought of that potential nightmare.

I had to get away after all that. I felt trapped, incapable of doing anything really helpful for someone that I cared about. I knew Jake had to take responsibility for himself, but I still felt responsible for bringing him to this point. _Damn this sucked!_

When I was leaving the dorm I hadn't even noticed Edward in his suite. I had been so focused and irritated. He was concerned about me going for a run in the dark and I guess I sort of brushed it off, but I just needed a bit of time to myself. I really wasn't thinking clearly at that point...

**EPOV**

She took off out the door and I stood there for a moment, indecisive, worrying about her. How could she take care of herself? She could be easily overpowered. I couldn't help myself. I pulled my sweatshirt back on and went out the back door, looking to see in which direction she'd gone. I couldn't let her go out running alone at this time of night, in the dark. I saw her running down the walkway, disappearing around a turn. I decided I could at least follow her; keep at a distance so she wouldn't know I was there and watch to make sure she was safe. So I took off running.

I saw her ahead in the distance, but I slowed and hung back. I didn't want to upset her, but this was safer; I'd be there if she needed me. I ran along quietly, watching her as she followed one pathway, and then turned onto another. Some areas were a little better lit than others. I fell into an easy pace; she ran more slowly than I normally did, because she was smaller than me and didn't have my long stride.

She would disappear around a corner and I would worry a little until I reached the corner and could see her up ahead. Then she'd be on a straight path and I'd worry that she would turn around and catch me. Maybe if she looked back she'd recognize me and I didn't want her to be angry with me for following her. I pulled my hood up.

She ran around the corner of another building. I caught up and turned the same corner, only now I didn't see her in the distance. I pulled up short, looking around, peering in different directions.

I turned around and… _Shit! What the fuck was that?_ I'd heard a spraying noise. And now my eyes were on fire, burning and stinging.

"Ow! Jesus! What the hell was that? Ow! Fuck! My eyes! What the hell?"

"Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Edward? Ohmygod, Edward! What are you doing here? Why were you following me? Oh shit!"

"Bella?" I couldn't see her. I couldn't open my eyes. Her hands were grabbing at my arms. "What the hell was that? Fuck that hurts! What did you do?" My eyes were tearing up and burning. I put my hands over them and began rubbing against the pain and wiping at tears. I stumbled off the uneven sidewalk and was suddenly somehow on the ground.

"Oh, Edward! Careful! Oh my God! I'm so sorry! It's pepper spray. I had no idea it was you following me! Don't rub your eyes, it'll make it worse."

I couldn't quite follow what she was saying. I was writhing, lying on my back now. The stinging pain was incredible, like needles poking into my eyes. She was trying to pull my hands away from my eyes. I felt her next to me, and then vaguely realized that she was moving on top of me. She was sitting on me, grabbing my hands and trying to pull them away from my eyes.

"Don't rub your eyes! Edward, it'll only make it worse! Just keep blinking and tearing."

She had managed to grab both of my wrists and was trying to pin them to the ground near my head. I couldn't see; I kept trying to blink to see her. I was trying to think about what she was saying. She was sitting on me. Suddenly I realized _she was_ _fucking_ _sitting_ _on me_! _She was_ _straddling_ _me_! Pinning my arms up by my head and _straddling_ _my fucking groin_! All of my blood rushed south immediately and I growled as I lurched forward, upward, grabbing her hips and pushing her up off of me, before it became too apparent how I had responded to her. I hoped she hadn't felt my erection. _Oh fuck, how could she not?_

"Get off, Bella! Get off! I've got to get up! I need some water! I've got to splash some water in my eyes! Fuck, this shit's bad stuff!" Once I'd gotten her up off of my throbbing dick, and was finally able to stand, I remained bent over with my hands on my knees for a few moments. I waited for Dick to settle back down and he wasn't being very cooperative. _Shit! For all I knew she was disgusted by me. _

I felt her hands on my shoulders as I stood there bent over.

**BPOV**

I truly had no idea that he had followed me. I never thought to turn around and look to see who was following me. I'm not sure I would have known that it was him, anyway. He had a sweatshirt on with the hood pulled up. Both his sweatshirt and pants were dark, so it would have been hard to distinguish anything more about his body or his gait. During the day I could have seen him from a distance, without seeing his face or tell-tale hair, and known it was him, simply by the way he moved. He was so fluid and graceful. But I never did turn around. I just ran on, becoming more fearful as I heard the footfalls following behind me.

And then I ambushed him and sprayed that nasty stuff right into his beautiful face and lovely green-blue eyes. Once I heard his voice as he started yelling and swearing in pain, I realized who it was and I was absolutely horrified at what I'd done to him. He'd been trying to take care of me, I'd realized, and I'd hurt him badly. I knew it would wear off after a few hours, but that didn't lessen my dismay and guilt.

I wasn't quite sure how it had happened; I think he tripped, unable to see where he was going. All of a sudden he was on the ground and rubbing at his eyes and I knew that would make things far worse. He didn't seem to hear me, or it didn't register, so I just jumped on him to grab his hands away. Once I had pinned his hands on the ground near his head, he seemed to hear me finally, and he quit writhing for a moment and stilled. That was when the situation suddenly went into slow motion for me. I looked down at his tear-stained perfect face, the stubble growing in along his jaw and chin, his Cupid's bow lips with more slight stubble above them, his lush brows and straight nose. He was just right there; below my own face, only inches away, under me. I was frozen momentarily, staring at his perfection.

The awkwardness of the moment seeped into my consciousness when I became aware of the fact that I was sitting astride a _very_ erect Edward Cullen. At least with all of his tearing and blinking he couldn't see my facial expression when that registered. Thank goodness. I felt the immediate heat of my vibrant blush, going up into my hairline at the same time that he began yelling for me to get off of him. His face contorted into a grimace as he began to sit upward, lifting me off of him as he arose. He managed to get to his feet and stood there bent over for a moment. He didn't notice how dazed and dizzy and weak in the knees I was when I had gotten to my own feet. I think he was still dealing with his own physical problems. I put my hands on his shoulders as he stood there bent at the waist.

**EPOV**

"Come on Edward, let's get you back to the dorm. Water won't do anything; it won't rinse it out. It'll keep stinging for maybe two hours."

"_Two hours_ of this shit?"

"Or longer. Come on, walk. I have baby shampoo. It'll wash it out." She wrapped her hand around my arm and pulled me along. "Water won't wash out the capsaicin from the peppers. That's the stuff that makes it sting; you know, the same stuff that makes peppers taste spicy and hot. You need to use soap, but that would hurt your eyes, but baby shampoo is gentle. It'll work; you know, 'no tears'?"

We were walking now; she was guiding me since I was still struggling to even open my eyes. "How come you know so much about pepper spray?" I asked through my clenched teeth.

"My dad's a cop. He's the one that makes sure I have pepper spray to protect myself. He also makes sure I know how to deal with it if I were to accidentally be sprayed with it. What were you doing following me?"

"I was worried about you. It's dark, it's late, and you're running alone. I was just going to hang back and give you your space, but make sure nothing happened to you. I had no idea you were armed and dangerous."

"Now you know not to mess with me."

"Very funny. Your eyes aren't swimming in Tabasco sauce."

"Oh, Edward," she groaned. She put her right arm around me and leaned against me, still holding onto my left arm with her other hand. "Edward, I'm so sorry. I had no idea it was you. I heard footsteps behind me, and it seemed like they kept following me, no matter which way I turned, I got scared. I thought you were an attacker. That was when I hid to ambush you."

"I think I'll worry a little less about you now."

"That might at least be safer for you." She laughed.

"Now you're laughing at me. I'm injured and you're laughing at me."

"Oh, Edward," she squeezed my arm and I could hear the smile in her voice, although I still couldn't see it properly on her face, "I'm not laughing at you. I feel so badly about this. But, we're here now. You wait here in the suite. Give me a minute. I'll be right back with baby shampoo. We'll take care of this."

She left me in my suite and went running upstairs.

**BPOV**

I ran up the stairs to my suite, to the bathroom where I had some baby shampoo. Could I possibly have done anything more stupid? Poor Edward! I felt so terrible. It wasn't the first time he had suffered at my hands. I was quite dangerous to his well-being.

I had been so upset about the phone call from Jake, and then the phone call I had made to Sam. I hadn't been thinking clearly when I talked to Edward. Of course he would worry about me. I should have told him he could come along. It might have been nice to have his company. At least I wouldn't have thought that he was some attacker as he ran along behind me. I was so stupid, and I had caused him a lot of pain. I quickly trotted back down the stairs.

He stood in the suite, his hands clasped on top of his head, long fingers laced together, his eyes still watering, his face wincing in pain.

"Come on," I grabbed him and pulled him into the bathroom, shutting the main door, pulling him to the shower stall just opposite, and turning on the water, waiting for it to warm up a little. "Take off your sweatshirt, just in case there's any pepper spray residue on it. We'll wash it later."

**EPOV**

I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and my t-shirt came off with it. I tossed them both into a corner of the bathroom. She was pushing me and pulling me toward the shower stall.

"Stand out here so you don't get your shoes and pants all wet. Tip your head back, let the water run into your eyes. It'll hurt a little bit more, because the heat from the water will make it feel hotter again."

She was right. It did hurt more. "Damn!" I yelled. I couldn't get my head back at a good angle for the shower spray. I slipped off my shoes and figured what the hell; I'd get into the shower with my sweatpants and socks. I backed in as she continued explaining, letting the water run through my hair and over my face. I felt the water running down my body and soaking my sweats. Whatever.

"Okay, now here's the hard part. You have to let the shampoo wash into your eyes. You should wash your hair really well, too, there's bound to be more spray in your hair, and if it drips into your eyes, same thing all over again."

She certainly was an expert when it came to pepper spray. I felt her hands, reaching up, trying to help me, and making sure I didn't miss a spot in my hair or on my face. It was hard to let the shampoo just wash into my eyes; you usually avoid that sort of thing, but it did feel slightly better afterwards. I was finally able to open my eyes a little, without being in pain and blinking and tearing up quite as much.

**BPOV**

Once we were back at the dorm I ran upstairs for my baby shampoo. It was the only thing that really helped to get pepper spray out, but was mild enough to get into eyes. I don't know that he really needed my help. I think I could probably have given him the shampoo and said, "Here, go take a shower and use this." But I felt so responsible and I just wanted to help him. I told him to take off his sweatshirt, because I was afraid there was residue from the spray on it. I didn't want it to be a problem for him if he waited to take it off later. So he took off his sweatshirt. And t-shirt. And I was now in close proximity to Edward's well-sculpted chest and abdominal muscles. Not to mention the smattering of hairs across his chest and the happy trail that traveled down over his chest and stomach and disappeared into his sweatpants. And his sweatpants…_Good Lord! …_they seemed to be barely hanging from his hips. I tried to collect myself and not focus on the physicality of the situation. It was almost manageable for a nanosecond.

Before I knew what was happening, I was washing his hair and face _with_ him. It gave me a reason to touch him. And I found that I really liked touching him. And things were going fine until he looked at me. He had been watching me and I hadn't realized it at first. The baby shampoo had done its work and he was able to open his eyes finally. However, the expression on his face made it very difficult for me to breathe. His eyes had become so dark. His pupils were dilated. His lips were parted and I could see his nostrils flare ever so slightly. But it was apparent that neither the pepper spray nor the shampoo had done that to him. I was doing that to him.

**EPOV**

I looked at the concerned expression on her face; her determination as she focused on what she was doing and raked her fingertips through my hair. Her touch felt really good. I didn't want her to stop touching me. She looked from my hair down to my face and saw that I'd been watching her. Hell, I wasn't just watching her, I was devouring her with my eyes.

She had been standing on the lip of the shower stall, to give herself a few more inches of height, so she had a better vantage point to see what she was doing. When she looked down at my face though, her foot suddenly slid off the lip and into the stall and she was falling forward into me. I reached forward and caught her by the hips. She was now standing under the shower spray with me, fully clothed.

I looked at her face, focusing first on her eyes, and then her lips. I heard her breath hitch and then I just pulled her hips forward roughly, toward me, against me, and my arms went up and around her back and pressed her into me as I bent my lips to hers.

She responded. _She responded! _

Her arms reached up and went around my neck, her fingers massaging into my back and shoulders. Her lips were moving against mine, placing small kisses there. I pulled her to me more tightly and her lips parted slightly and mine matched her movement. My hand went up to the nape of her neck, caressing her neck and cradling her head in my hand and pressing her to me. I tasted her lips with the tip of my tongue and suddenly I felt her tongue teasing mine. I opened my mouth a little wider, pausing for just a second, until I felt her mouth opening beneath mine. Our tongues slid together, danced, and in that moment I didn't give a fuck about pepper spray or the fact that we were standing under the shower together, mostly clothed and absolutely sopping wet. _This was fucking heaven!_

**BPOV**

I had stumbled abruptly in surprise, as my foot slid down off the edge of the shower stall. He caught me, both of his hands going to my hips. His eyes, nearly black, looked from my eyes down to my mouth and I struggled to take a breath. I think I might have gasped. His long fingers dug more tightly into my hips and suddenly he pulled me forward into him, crushing me against him; against his hips and his now-familiar erection.

His arms went around me and I nearly fainted as his lips dropped down to cover mine. He was not tentative. My own lips began moving with his. His arms pulled me more tightly to him and I felt the air leave my lungs as his fingers trailed up to the nape of my neck, stroking the skin there gently and pressing me up towards him. His lips parted against mine and I felt his tongue, lightly tickling my lip. I let my tongue do the same, tasting him. His lips parted and then waited for me; he wasn't demanding, he was inviting, waiting for my signal. I gave it to him as I opened to him. I felt his tongue on mine. I tasted him, tasting me; caressing my tongue with his.

**EPOV**

_I felt so fucking alive! _ I felt like I'd been brought back from the living dead. I groaned as I turned, holding her, leaning into her with my body, pressing her up against the wall of the shower. I tasted her and she tasted wonderful. I felt her hands running across my wet bare shoulders and up my neck and into my hair. The sensation made me shiver.

I pulled back slightly to look at her, to make certain this was all okay with her, because it was absolutely fine with me, but I didn't want it to be wrong for her. Her breathing was a little ragged. I guess mine was too. Her eyes were dilated looking at mine and then her focus shifted back to my mouth. Her hands pulled my face back down toward her mouth. So I knew this was perfectly okay with her. _Hallefuckinglujah! _I kissed her lips again and then moved my mouth to her jaw, kissing and tasting along her jaw line and up to the little hollow, just below her ear, then trailing kisses down her neck to her collarbone. She shivered and I smiled against her skin.

**BPOV**

Just when I felt that I would collapse in a dead faint, he turned us around, groaning slightly as he did so, and pressed me against the shower wall. Pressing himself into me. I brought my hands to his chest, thinking for a second to gently push him back; that maybe it wasn't right to do this yet. But it _felt _very right, and my hands changed their purpose and trailed up his slick, wet chest and shoulders to his neck and into that crazy hair of his, combing it back out of his eyes with my fingers and grabbing handfuls of it.

He pulled away for a moment and looked at me, his dark eyes wide, wondering how I felt about this, I think. I answered his unspoken question by pulling his mouth back to mine. He kissed me hard, but then his lips moved to my jaw, softly tracing his way to my ear and then down my neck to my collarbone. _Déjà vu!_ I suddenly had the feeling of having done this before, and I remembered my dream, and how I'd been surprised when I'd opened my eyes in that dream and had seen his deep sea-blue eyes looking at me. Only this was no dream, it was mind-numbingly real. The feeling and realization made me shiver and I swear I felt his lips curl into a smile against me.

**EPOV**

I reached back to shut off the damn water and only succeeded in shutting off the warm water. The water kept pouring out, only now we were drenched in ice water and she squealed in surprise, pulling swiftly back from me. I quickly grabbed the cold water handle and shut it off. Her face still wore an expression of shock when I looked back at her. She began laughing, hard. And I joined in. It _was_ pretty hilarious. _And damn cold! _Not my smoothest of moves. I hugged her to me and her arms went around my neck as we stood there laughing.

That was when the door to the bathroom banged open. Our arms remained around each other, but our heads turned toward the doorway in surprise.

"What the heck's going on in… Holy. Fucking. Shit." Jasper stood there with a look of utter disbelief on his face. He moved his mouth a few times and words finally came out. "Obviously I've interrupted something here, so I'm going to leave now and go find Alice. I apologize to you both, but I'm going to have to tell her what I saw, because I don't know how the hell else I'm going to wrap my mind around this… this …this event… this display I've walked in on. What _is _this? Never mind. I don't want to know." Jasper turned and walked out, muttering something about the youth of today.

**BPOV**

I felt dizzy and unfocused in Edward's arms and I was still having trouble getting enough air into my lungs. It hadn't even really registered in my mind that we'd been standing under the running water of the shower until the water turned ice cold and I screamed in surprise.

Edward turned to the faucet and shut it immediately, and I realized that he had tried to shut it off as we'd been kissing, but had forgotten how and had only succeeded in shutting the warm water. I don't suppose he had been able to think clearly about what he was doing. My own mind had been in a definite haze.

At that point, though, I began laughing and he joined in, hugging me to him. I put my arms around his neck just as Jasper barged into the room. He had probably heard my scream. He seemed surprised and confused as to what he had walked in on, and was probably a little embarrassed at what he'd seen. He babbled at us before leaving to go find Alice. I think he must have been secretly pleased for Edward, and I think for me as well. He cared about Edward as if he were his brother; he was important to him, too, because he was Alice's twin.

**EPOV**

Bella and I started laughing again. Her sweatshirt was like a giant sponge, sopping wet and stretched out huge on her little frame. She started to pull it up and I helped her to take it off over her head. I twisted it up, wringing it out, wringing at least a bucket of water out of it. She took off her dripping shoes and pulled off her socks. She stood there in her sports bra top and workout pants. I pulled off my socks and handed her my towel, which hung on a rack nearby. She dried her hair and body, trying to get as much water out of her clothing as possible.

Her eyes were sparkling as she handed the towel back to me. "This was different," she said, smiling.

I burst out laughing, taking the towel from her and drying myself off somewhat with the rather wet towel. "Yeah, I've never done this before. It's good to try something new every so often." I shrugged innocently and laughed.

**BPOV**

We'd laughed more after Jasper took off, and then we began to sort out the mess that we had created. My sweatshirt hung on me like a triple XL; completely sodden and weighing me down. I began trying to pull it off of me and Edward helped, wringing water from it once it was off of me. He gave me his towel and I tried to dry my hair, body and clothes as much as possible. As I dried off I thought about how fate had led us to devouring each other in the shower, only to douse our desire with cold water. Fickle fate. Yet I've always thought that things happen for a reason. I wouldn't have wanted to get more carried away than we had.

I handed Edward his soggy towel, smiling, telling him, "This was different."

He laughed, concurring and saying he'd never done that before, but that it was good to try new things.

**EPOV**

She giggled. Then she was more serious. "We're going to have to pretend that this didn't happen," she said. "What would people say? What would they think?"

I took her hand and started to lead her out of the bathroom to my room. That was the exact moment when Tyler Crowley and Mike Newton walked into the suite. They stopped dead in their tracks.

I'm not quite sure what Mike was thinking as his jaw crashed to the floor, but I know he was wondering why I was half naked and wringing wet, holding Bella's hand while she, too, stood there scantily clad and wringing wet. I just smiled sweetly at him as I led Bella into my room and closed the door.

"So much for pretending that didn't happen," I said to her as the door shut. I turned to look at her.

She was bent over in hysterics. "Their faces were priceless! Mike must wonder what the hell we were doing."

"Just you wait, now he's going to be asking _me_ for pointers with the ladies." I snickered at the thought.

"Oh, gosh Edward." She laughed again. "This is so embarrassing. I don't think I'll ever be able to leave this room and show my face in public again."

I looked at her suggestively, cocking an eyebrow. "Now, to _me_, that doesn't seem like such a _bad_ thing. You're welcome to stay here indefinitely."

She rolled her eyes at me.

**BPOV**

Just when I'd said that we'd have to pretend that this hadn't happened, we left the bathroom and ran into Tyler and Mike. They appeared to be in shock, looking at us with gaping fish mouths. Edward just pulled me along by my hand, smiling at them, and led me into his room, shutting the door. It was the most hilarious thing he could have done. He offered no explanation; acted like it was a completely normal situation, something he regularly did. By the time Edward shut the door, I was nearly in tears trying to hold in my laughter.

"So much for that idea," Edward said as he turned to look at me. His grin broadened when he saw how hard I was trying to muffle the noise as my laughter bubbled up.

I couldn't get over Mike's face. I knew it was going to drive him crazy, not knowing the story behind what he had just seen. And I knew that Mike's mind was creating something far more elaborate, off-color, and off-base than what had actually happened to us.

I told Edward that I didn't think I'd ever be able to leave his room and show my face in public again. He got that deliciously naughty look on his face and told me that he didn't see that as being a problem; that I could just stay indefinitely. My heart did a little flip at that, but I managed to just roll my eyes and refrain from blushing.

**EPOV**

There was a little knock at the door. I opened it and there stood Alice with a pile of clothing and some shoes. "Okay, you two, here's a change of clothes and an extra pair of shoes for Bella. I expect a full report by tomorrow from either one or both of you. This gives you the rest of the evening to get your story straight and plan strategy. Meanwhile, I've got to go take care of Jasper. He's completely traumatized, Edward." Then she smiled a knowing, little, triumphant smile and left. _Damn smug pixie mastermind! When she's right, she's right!_

I handed Bella her clothes. "You can change in here. Give me a minute and let me grab some stuff," I said as I pulled out a pair of jeans, some underwear, and a thermal shirt. "I'll change in the bathroom and gather up all of our wet clothes. I'll be right back." I picked up an empty laundry basket as I left the room.

I went out into the suite and back into the bathroom, where I quickly changed. Then I picked up all of our wet clothes and my towel, tossing them into the laundry basket. My shoes were dry, but hers were wet all the way through. They went into the laundry basket too. I picked up her baby shampoo and headed back to my room.

"Hey, Edward!"

_Oh no, not Newton. Not now!_

"Hey, Mike."

"I've got to hand it to you, Big E, you don't put the moves on any girl the whole two years I've known you. But then you finally decide to put the moves on Bella tonight, and the first thing that happens is you hook up with her in the communal shower, with the water on, right in our suite. I have got to hand it to you. You are the fucking Master! I've never seen anything quite like it. How do you go from zero to _that_ in one day? I'll probably work at it my whole life and never have that. Shit! That was amazing! You're a phenom, buddy! We need to talk later."

I nodded and edged away from him, unable to keep the smile off my face. "Um, thanks, Mike."

"Bella, you decent?" I asked, returning to my room and knocking quietly on the door, as it swung open.

I guess she had left the door ajar, once she had changed, so I was pretty sure she'd heard Mike's enthusiastic praise for me. I walked in the room and she stood there smiling, dressed in her dry clothes. "You and I both know that I'm decent, but Mike Newton, on the other hand, he's probably thinking I'm pretty indecent right about now."

"And it's the thought that counts." I smirked and she punched me.

**BPOV**

Alice had appeared at Edward's door with a change of clothes for me. I know that Jasper had probably told her what he'd seen, and he'd been thorough, because Alice even knew to bring me shoes. But sometimes it almost seemed uncanny that Alice knew what was going on, or what was about to happen. She had told us we had until the morning to get our story straight, so I knew she and Jasper were trying to figure this out as well.

Just before she left, she gave Edward a funny little smile. It was almost an "I-told-you-so" kind of smile. I wondered what that was all about.

Edward left to go change in the bathroom while I changed in his room. I looked around his room as I was changing. He was a neat and organized person. I could tell looking around that he liked to be in control. I had just seen him, well, _tasted him, felt him,_ a little out of control and that thought was exciting to me, especially given the self-imposed exile he'd been in for so long. I finished changing and opened the door, so he could come back inside his room.

I sat down on Edward's bed, smoothing out the comforter. Then I heard Mike's voice, talking to Edward. I listened to his congratulations on what he perceived as Edward's conquest of me. I heard him call Edward 'the Master', and a 'phenom'. I was happy that Mike wasn't going to be able to demoralize Edward in his silly way for a change. His voice sounded so reverential.

I stood up, hearing Edward approach. I smiled and told him that Mike probably thought I was pretty indecent now. Instead of trying to make me feel better about the whole comical situation Edward smugly answered, "It's the thought that counts." So I punched him in the shoulder.

**EPOV**

I smiled at her. She was cute when she was a little feisty. I indicated the laundry basket in my arms. "Hey, it's midnight. Want to go do a load of laundry?"

She grinned back at me. "Sounds lovely, Edward. This has been such a different kind of evening; laundry is the perfect way to top it off."

I held the laundry basket filled with our wet clothing. She held the detergent. We both held hands and strolled to the laundry room.

Pepper spray is definitely underrated. It can be life-altering.

**A/N: Well? Was that an acceptable first kiss? Let me know what you thought. ;)**

**Read on if it's ****revised.**


	24. A Jury of Our Peers

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Well you all sure love Slickwetkissward, that's for darn sure. Stay tuned now for some repercussions. ;)

I'm not S. M. She's not me. These are her characters, but this is my story. No infringement intended; just good, clean, post-shower fun.

Off we go...Let me know what you think. So many of you have favorited me, at least drop me a review and let me know what you are enjoying.

**Chapter 24: A Jury of Our Peers (Revised)**

**BPOV**

We were now on our way to do laundry at midnight. Edward was holding the laundry basket in one hand. I was in charge of carrying the detergent. As we exited the dorm and walked to the laundry room, Edward reached for my hand. His hand was warm as he curled his long fingers around mine.

Of course there was no one in the laundry room; it was empty except for Edward and me. Who does laundry at midnight on a Saturday? There are so many more fun things to be out doing. People were out with friends, hanging out, kicking back. Personally, however, I had a sneaking suspicion laundry with Edward was going to wind up pretty high on my own personal list of Saturday night activities.

I poured the detergent in the machine and started the water as Edward began stuffing our water-logged clothing into the washer. I hadn't thought before about the fact that my underwear was mixed in with the other clothes. I could feel myself suddenly getting hot as I noticed my thong lying on the top of the pile that was still in the basket. I wondered about Edward's reaction. I wondered if he'd be embarrassed. And of course that was when he paused in his actions and looked up at me, a lopsided little grin appearing.

"Bella, you know if Mike Newton knew that we were doing our laundry together and I was potentially touching your dirty underwear, he'd probably have an aneurysm."

I knew I was turning beet red. I reached past him, snatching up the offending scrap of fabric and tossed it into the washer. "That may be true, however Mike will never have knowledge of this, so he lives another day."

"How can you be sure I won't tell him just to impress him?" he smirked.

"Are you forgetting? I have pepper spray to keep you in line." I tapped the pocket of my jeans.

He laughed, pushing the final bit of soggy clothing into the washer and closing the lid. "Oh, I don't know. The whole pepper spray episode ended rather nicely." He had such a happy little smile on his face and seemed to be biting his tongue a little.

I smiled at him. "Next time, though, I may not let you use my baby shampoo."

"Oh, well, that changes things completely," he laughed. He set down the basket and took a seat on one of the handful of chairs along the wall, patting the seat next to him. I sat down, joining him.

"How are your eyes doing?" I asked, taking a moment to look carefully at his green-blue eyes. He opened them wide for my inspection. They were a little red, and the color of his irises was much lighter than when we'd been in the shower stall. I knew that dark color then had had nothing to do with the lighting in the room. Those had been hot-and-bothered eyes I'd been looking into earlier. Mine had probably looked much the same. I was a little bit embarrassed as I thought back to those moments, but Edward was answering my question and I had to pay attention and my embarrassment was forgotten.

"They're a little irritated still, but it doesn't sting or burn anymore. I know I'll never be able to turn to a life of crime if I have that to look forward to. Or I could use goggles; I could still be a criminal, but I'd have to wear goggles."

I smiled at him for a moment. "I'm so sorry." I shook my head; I was still in disbelief. "I can't believe I did that to you."

He hooked one of his fingers under my hand and pulled it toward him to rest in his hand on his leg. "I can't help but feel that you made it up to me in the shower stall," he said a little shyly, his lip quirking back up into that lopsided grin.

I blushed and looked away, unable to look at him any longer. _How could he look so…delicious?_

"Bella? Are you okay? I mean, was that okay, you know, what happened between us?" He suddenly sounded worried. I finally looked up at him again. He was leaning forward now, turned toward me, peering carefully at me. Concern was written all over his face. I didn't want him to worry that he'd done the wrong thing. It had been a surprise, but I wasn't upset; it had been…_lovely._

"It was more than okay, Edward; it was really nice. I just think we need to move slowly, for both of us, well, maybe for me more so than for you. I'm not ready to jump into something too fast, you know?"

He sighed, seeming relieved. "Okay. 'Slowly' is do-able." He was contemplative for a moment, then he continued, "It _was_ really nice, wasn't it?" He smiled, pleased at the compliment and returning it at the same time. He looked down at our clasped hands. His thumb was making small circles on the back of my hand.

I smiled and nodded, feeling the slight warmth in my cheeks. I looked down at our hands too. I suddenly felt butterflies in my stomach.

"So," he added, pausing slightly, "it's all right for me to kiss you?" He had been watching his thumb, but as he asked his question his eyes rose back up to mine. A second later his eyes dropped down to my mouth.

I blushed and felt the butterflies in my stomach take wing as I managed to squeak out a 'Yes.'

His arm went along the back of the chair, resting against my shoulders. I felt his hand on my shoulder and then his fingers wrapping around, cupping my shoulder as he turned and leaned over to me. His eyes were watchful as he leaned in slowly to kiss me. His lips came to rest on mine and he began kissing me slowly, gentler now than earlier, less insistent. It was more of an exploration. My hand went up to the side of his face, holding him to me as we kissed. I felt the soft stubble of his beard under my fingertips

He finally pulled back a little. "That's more than just nice," he breathed. His mouth came back for more and I obliged him. He was right. This was so far beyond nice it hardly seemed legal.

The washer buzzed, startling us so that we jumped apart and ended our kiss abruptly.

"If it's not a cold shower putting an end to things, it's a buzzer. Someone is watching over us," I told him as I got up to put the clothes into a dryer. I took out a handful of clothes and turned to stuff them in the dryer.

"Make sure you grab my boxer briefs; I don't want them left behind in the washer," his voice commanded from where he sat, watching me.

I turned and looked at him. He was grinning wickedly. "You'd like to tell Mike that I fondled your boxer briefs, wouldn't you?"

"Yes! That would kill him for sure and that would be the end of my problems with him," he laughed.

I shook my head at him. I put the coins in the slot and started up the dryer, and then I returned to my seat, next to him.

"So, Bella, your dad makes you carry pepper spray. What else should I know about you that might cause me harm?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, I took a self defense class."

"Oh, really? How was that?"

"By the end of the class I had dislocated my thumb and twisted my ankle rather severely."

He threw his head back, laughing. "So, what you really need, Bella, is a self-defense class to _defend_ _you_ from your own _self_?" His lovely green-blue eyes were blazing in merriment now; he was really pleased with himself.

"Okay, I see how it is, Edward." I said, getting up and moving to another chair, farther away from him and sitting back down, turned away from him, pretending to ignore him.

He laughed harder. Then he got up and came and sat down next to me, putting his hand on my back. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist, though. Somehow I fail to see you as being someone dangerous, except to your own self. I think I could just pick you up and cart you off, and there would be little you could do about it."

"Have you forgotten all the pain I've put you through? What about the cart that almost ran you over that first day? It also dragged you down, scraping your arm and injuring your knee. Or what about my well-trained attack-cactus, that stabbed you? I know you won't forget the pepper spray any time soon. Oh, and you suffered a black eye because of me."

"Okay, okay," he was chuckling again. "You're _very_ dangerous. Although the black eye I actually brought on myself, you know. I probably shouldn't have butted in."

"You were worried. I realize the situation looked bad. He realized it afterwards too. But it was a sweet gesture on your part and you meant well."

He made a little dismissive face. I realized that he didn't want to take our conversation in the Jake direction right now. "Tell me about Forks," he said, stretching out and putting his clasped hands behind his head.

"Well, let's see,…" I began telling him about living there as a small child, eventually moving away with my mom and then coming back for visits. I told him how the place never seemed to change. I told him about Renee and Charlie; I described things we'd done as a family when I was young, and then what life had been like living with just my dad the past few years.

Before we knew it, the dryer buzzed and our clothes were done. We stood, folding things into our two piles, and then he put both piles into the basket to carry them back up to the dorm. I grabbed the detergent. It was nearly one thirty in the morning now that we were done with our laundry.

"You know," I said to him once we'd gotten back to the dorm and divided up our clothing as we stood at the foot of the stairs, "we never figured out what we're going to tell Alice tomorrow morning."

He shook his head slowly. "I hate to break it to you, but it won't be just Alice. We're going to have to deal with all of them. But I guess we might as well just go with the truth; it's as unbelievable and entertaining as anything else we could ever dream up."

I smiled and we eventually said goodnight. He put his arm around me, juggling the laundry basket against his opposite hip, hugged me briefly, and kissed my forehead lightly. "I'll see you in the morning, before we go to trial." He chuckled to himself as he sauntered off.

I climbed the stairs to my room and quietly tiptoed into the darkness, changing into my pajamas, making as little noise as possible. I could hear that Alice was asleep, snoring quietly. I climbed up into my bed, pulling back the covers and snuggling down into my bed.

Out of the darkness I heard a silvery little voice, yet it had a distinctly Cuban accent for a change. "Ay, girlfrien'! You have got some 'splainin' to do!" Alice giggled and I joined her.

"Shit, Alice! You just lie there in the dark waiting to attack! How long have you been lying in wait, ready to ambush me?" I asked into the darkness.

She snickered. "About two hours. I can hardly wait until we're all assembled at breakfast tomorrow and you two have to spill the detes. It's going to be the most interesting breakfast ever! And now that you're here I can finally get some sleep. I just want to know one thing, Bella…"

"Yes…?" I asked into the darkness.

"Did you both have a good time with….whatever it was that happened?"

"Yes. A _really_ good time, I think."

I heard a muffled, high-pitched shriek into a pillow coming from the direction of Alice's bed. It was the exact same kind of muffled, high-pitched shriek I made into my own pillow a second later, because truly, reflecting on the events of the last few hours, that summed it up best. _Edward Cullen…holy shit! Aaaggghhhh!_

Alice's happy voice came from her bed once again. "I'm so glad! Goodnight, Bella."

I smiled to myself and turned over to get comfortable. "Goodnight, Alice."

Sunday morning I woke up rather late, and as I lay there, becoming fully conscious, the events of the night before flooded back into my mind. I remembered Edward Cullen kissing me, and I suddenly felt rather warm and happy as I lay there thinking about him and how that had felt. I had spent a good deal of time, once I'd gotten into bed earlier, doing the exact same thing. I looked over at Alice's bed. She was already awake and out the door.

I got up, stretched and climbed down from my bed, gathered myself together, and padded off to the shower. I had had a shower only hours earlier, but this one I'd be taking alone. I smiled to myself. I was thinking again about Edward, the pepper spray fiasco, the shower, the kissing, the most fun I'd ever had doing laundry, more kissing, and more Edward. I was beginning to wonder if I was maybe becoming a little obsessed with him. It wasn't difficult to do.

When I walked back into the room, Alice was inside. She said a cheerful, "Good morning, my favorite roomie!" and managed to slip out the door, humming to herself, before I could say anything to her. _That_ was different. Alice usually had a lot to say, and I would have thought that today, of all days, Alice would have _a whole heck of a lot_ to say. Hmm.

I slipped into a pair of jeans, a dark brown long sleeved t-shirt, and I was just putting on my shoes, when there was a knock at the door. I opened it and was surprised to find Edward standing there looking a little restless; a little disconcerted.

"Edward! Good morning!"

He smiled then peered into the room a little nervously, gripping the sides of the doorframe in his hands. "Hi. Hey, do you want to go out for breakfast?" He looked hopeful as he began running his fingers through his already tousled hair. This obviously wasn't the first finger-rake through his hair of the day. I could tell he was on edge.

"Go out for breakfast?" I asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, you know, we could go get some breakfast somewhere. I'll drive us; it would be my treat. There's a diner nearby, or the pancake house, if you'd prefer."

"With the others?" I asked.

"Um, no… just us. The others just left for breakfast in the dining hall." He looked a little uncomfortable.

"Is this so we won't have to face the Spanish Inquisition?" I giggled.

He sighed forlornly. "You don't know them. You don't know what they're capable of."

"Oh, Edward, they love you. Of course they're going to give you a hard time. It's their job; it's how you can tell they love you."

"I don't care about me. I've learned to put up with it, or ignore it, or in the case of Emmett, had fistfights resulting from it. It's _you_ that shouldn't have to be subjected to them and their comedy act. So I was thinking we could just go out for breakfast together and avoid them completely."

"No, let's not go out for breakfast. I think we should just go face them and their 'comedy act'. Besides, the longer we wait, the worse it'll be. And then, if they think we're running away from their little showdown, they'll have even more of a field day."

He looked at me and smiled a little ruefully. "You really don't know what you're setting yourself up for with them. They can be brutal, but you're probably right about getting it over with."

"It'll be okay. You'll be right there with me. We'll be fine. We'll take them on together." I smiled up at him encouragingly.

"Okay, suit yourself. But don't say I didn't try to warn you."

"Shall I bring my pepper spray?" I joked.

He laughed. "Actually, yes. We'll have a visual aide; exhibit A. And if things get too ugly, you could always use it on them."

I laughed as I grabbed my pepper spray and stuffed it into my pocket. We took off together, down the stairs headed for the dining hall. Edward seemed a little more confident.

When we got to the doors of the dining hall, Edward opened the door with one hand, and put his other hand to the small of my back, ushering me inside. Once we got in, he slid that hand up my back and under my hair, curling his fingers gently around the nape of my neck. He turned to me and in his musical, low voice said, "It's showtime."

I took a calming breath and looked up at his face as we walked inside. His arm was still around me, his fingertips rubbing the nape of my neck gently. He looked a little proud and proprietary. I could tell from the expression on his face that he was taking this situation, and me, seriously.

On the far side of the room, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper sat on the opposite side of our usual table; all in a row. _That_ was kind of unusual. I realized in that moment that we were supposed to sit on _this_ side of the table. This really was going to be an inquest. They looked across at us expectantly as we entered.

As we walked in, heading to the food lines, I realized that more than just the Cullens and Hales were staring at us. I saw other people from our dorm; people I knew, gawking at me and Edward, walking in together. The noise level in the entire dining hall quieted. I don't think I had ever heard the dining hall this still before.

I saw Mike and Tyler sitting together, watching. Mike immediately leaned forward and began whispering to Tyler; both of them still fixated on us. I saw Jessica nudge Angela at another table and when their eyes met, both raised their eyebrows. Ben was just turning around with his tray in hand when he noticed us and stood stock still. Eric almost ran into him with his tray, before noticing what had Ben's attention, and then he too, stood and stared. Victoria and Lauren were there, facing away from us, however both turned around simultaneously, gawked at us, rolled their eyes at each other simultaneously, then turned back around to their breakfasts simultaneously and proceeded to ignore us. _Creepy_. At that point I realized that there were people I didn't even know, whose eyes were on us, hunched together, whispering.

"Edward, what the heck is going on?" I nervously whispered to him, as I took my tray and started picking up food items.

"I warned you," he whispered back.

"No," I glanced swiftly back at the room, "I mean all the others. _Everyone _in here is staring. _Everyone_ is whispering."

He turned to look around, finally turning back and meeting my eyes and giving me his crooked little grin. "The food service workers aren't staring, and neither are the people at that one table over by the window."

"Okay, let me clarify, _nearly everyone_ is staring."

"I'm guessing that some of them have heard shower rumors. That kind of stuff spreads like wildfire."

"_This_ many people?" I was aghast. "I don't even know one-fourth of these people!"

He shrugged. "Maybe they're just surprised to see us together like this."

That was it! It sunk in instantly. The fact that Edward Cullen had his arm around me was totally out of character for him. This was the first time they'd seen him with someone; physically connected to someone, the way he was touching me now. And as I glanced back, I saw that many of the curious were female faces that looked dismayed, disbelieving, or downright disgusted. How many of these women had made a play for Edward in the last two years, only to be rebuffed? _Holy crow!_ What had he seen in me that he hadn't seen in any of them?

Once he'd picked out his food, his arm dropped from my shoulder so he could carry his tray to the table. I swear I heard a collective sigh of relief from the female contingent inside the dining hall. I looked ahead at our table, unwilling to look at anyone else at the moment. The inquisitors at our table were all smirking. Except maybe Alice; she was just beaming like a little sunshine.

We approached, set our trays down, and took our seats. _Let the official investigation begin!_

Emmett turned to Jasper, "Jazz, would you say that, when Edward walked in here just now with Bella, he walked with a 'swagger', or more of a 'strut'?"

"Well, Emmett," Jasper picked up a piece of toast and pointed it at Emmett, "if I had to pick one, I think I'd go with 'swagger'. Definitely more 'swagger' than 'strut'. More boastful than pompous, you know?" He was gesticulating with the toast as he spoke. "Edward is boasting right now, but he's not a pompous ass." Jasper took a bite out of the piece of toast he had been waving around.

Edward turned to me, resting his arm along the back of my chair. "You can't really interrupt them." He was speaking loudly enough for them to hear. "You just have to let them get this out of their systems. Don't forget, I was willing to take you out for breakfast." He turned back to stare defiantly at them as he waited for the next comment.

I was beginning to understand how this worked. I smiled sweetly at Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper.

It was Rosalie's turn. "What do you boys think has made him swagger so boastfully?"

Emmett high-fived her. "Oh, nice touch, Rosie! Way to segue into the real conversation." Then he answered her question, looking back at Edward, grinning, before glancing over at me. "Apparently he was found semi-naked in the shower stall, accosting some sweet young thing."

I could feel myself beginning to blush.

Jasper raised his hand. "I was the first actual eyewitness, although Newton and Crowley will corroborate my testimony regarding the events of last night."

I decided to jump in with both feet. I raised my hand. "I was the victim in this and I'm willing to take the stand." My blush was fading.

Edward turned to look at me in surprise, and I saw the corners of his lips curl upwards a little. He realized that we were going to be a united front. He didn't have to deal with their ribbing alone. I had his back.

The others snickered. I think I surprised them, too.

Alice looked like she was proud of me. "So, Bella, were you actually accosted in said shower?"

"No, the truth be told, I was a willing accomplice." Edward grabbed the side of my chair and slid me over closer to his chair. He sat up a little straighter, resting his arm on the chair back, and wrapping his hand around my shoulder. I felt his hand pat me reassuringly.

"I'm just wondering if there was lip-lockage involved?" Rosalie asked.

Edward groaned and squirmed a little in his chair, wincing, but before he could do or say anything, I plowed ahead. 'Lip-lockage,' I contemplated her term, and then nodded, "yes, there was lip-lockage." I felt Edward give my shoulder a little squeeze.

Emmett couldn't contain himself, he began giggling. "Did Edward even know what he was doing? Did he have any kind of 'technique'? You know, it's been a while; maybe he was rusty?"

Edward wasn't amused. "Emmett, I swear, you can be such a jackass sometimes."

"It's okay Edward, I'd like to address his questions." _Oh, Emmett was so going to regret doing this to his brother. _I leaned forward, looking levelly at Emmett. I wasn't about to blush or flinch. I was channeling Marilyn Monroe as I used my breathiest voice and widest eyes.

"Well Emmett, keep in mind that it was the first time Edward kissed me. So I'm sure he'll do better in the future, but when he kissed me…I immediately got all weak in the knees. He definitely knew what he was doing, because I felt like I was going to pass out. Luckily Edward pressed me hard up against the cold, tile wall of the shower stall. He pinned me there with his body, grinding into me while we continued kissing. I didn't even realize that we were in the shower at first. I think I lost track of reality for a while because I was so focused on our mouths; our lips and tongues. So I certainly have no complaints about technique. I vaguely remember the water running down our over-heated, nearly naked bodies, the few clothes we were wearing clinging to our every soft curve and hard plane, until the water turned ice cold. And that was probably a good thing. I'm not quite sure how that all happened, but I'm quite sure I'll never forget it." I looked at him, all wide-eyed and innocent. "So I don't think Edward was 'rusty'; I think he was actually…" I sighed dreamily for effect, "…Edward was…slick; 'well-oiled'"

_I know I was too_.

Emmett was stunned, his giggle had disappeared, his mouth was in a little "o" formation and he didn't say a word or blink. Rosalie's eyes were wide and her brows were arched. She was licking her lip. Jasper's mouth hung open and his eyes were glazed, he was making a very faint groaning noise. Alice had a huge grin spread across her face and she was hugging herself.

Edward turned to me, his crooked grin flickering on his lips. "Bella, I'll do better next time; I wasn't even thinking in terms of technique, it being the first time and all."

"Practice makes perfect, Edward." I winked at him and he smiled appreciatively.

With that, Edward and I dug into our breakfasts, ignoring the rest of them.

They all sat there, still and stunned.

"Edward", Jasper finally said, reverently, "is there a specific type of cologne you were wearing? Um, I mean if Newton asks me if you were using a particular variety of 'Axe' or something, I'd want to be able to give him the correct information, you know."

"Let Newton know that I had just come back from running a couple of miles when the shower incident occurred."

"So scent wasn't a factor, in your view?"

I spoke up, as I stabbed a forkful of pancakes. "I had just run about a mile and a half, too, so scent _could_ have been a factor. You know, we were both kind of sweaty."

Rose's eyes sparkled. "Oh, this is so animalistic, so primal."

"No _shit_!" said Emmett in a high, tight voice.

Edward squeezed my knee under the table. I looked at him and we both started laughing.

"Okay, you two," Alice spoke up, "I've had just about enough of this crap. Tell us what the hell happened. We're your family, your friends; we deserve to know. Stop toying with us."

I took out my pepper spray and set it on the table.

"Pepper spray?" Alice asked.

"Yes, pepper spray. We owe it all to pepper spray."

Edward nodded solemnly.

"Is this like an aphrodisiac?" Emmett asked, fingering the little canister.

Rose slapped his fingers away. "Emmett, don't even _think_ that we're trying pepper spray."

"Let's just hear what they have to say first, and then we can make an informed decision, Rosie."

Edward stretched his long legs out, leaning back in his chair, taking a deep breath and then exhaling, ready to begin the tale. "Well, last night Bella decided to go for a run, alone in the dark."

"And Edward was worried about me, so he decided to follow me."

"So I followed her, hanging back, so she wouldn't know I was there."

Jasper turned to Alice, "This is cute already, isn't it Sugar Pop? They're completing each other's thoughts."

Alice nodded at him, "Shh, Jazz, let them continue."

"Well, I knew someone was following me and I got worried. So when I turned a corner, I hid behind some bushes."

"And when I came around the corner, I couldn't see where she had gone, and I started to panic."

"That's when I jumped out and sprayed him in the face with pepper spray."

Emmett turned to Edward. "Holy shit! She sprayed you with pepper spray?"

I jumped to my own defense, I already felt bad enough as it was. "I had no idea it was him! His hood was pulled up and I couldn't see his face, until after I sprayed him. I would never have sprayed Edward if I'd known it was him."

Rose was shaking her head in dismay. "How awful. What was it like, Edward?"

"It wasn't good. That's for damn sure. It felt like my eyes were on fire. It was a stinging, stabbing sensation. It made me want to rub the hell out of my eyes…"

"…but that just would have made it worse," I continued, explaining. "It spreads the capsaicin; that's the ingredient from peppers that is so painful. And the only way to get it out of your eyes…"

"…is to wash it out with baby shampoo. It's mild so it doesn't hurt your eyes—although you'd probably never even notice more pain, because the spray is already so painful, but the shampoo dissolves the spray."

"Oh, I get it," Jasper nodded, thoughtfully.

"I don't get it," Alice persisted. "How the heck did you both wind up taking a shower together? Let's get to the important stuff."

"Bella had to lead me back here, because I really couldn't see where I was going. And she got baby shampoo from upstairs and brought it back down to me."

"And you can't take a shower by yourself, because…?" Emmett was smirking.

I began to blush. "He could have taken the shower by himself, but I wanted to help. I felt responsible."

Edward tried to rescue me. "We didn't actually start out in the shower, I eventually stepped in there, and then she stumbled and fell toward me…"

Emmett's laugh boomed across the room. "I've used the same trick before! Oh, pardon me, Miss, I seem to have fallen," he said while starting to stand up and then practically draping himself across into Rose's lap, pawing her as he settled into place.

"Oh, Emmett, really…" she said as she smacked his butt and pushed him up off of herself, shaking her head.

I was blushing at that point. Rosalie and Alice were both grinning, looking at me doubtfully. Edward turned and looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

"It was an _accident_." I enunciated clearly for all of them to hear. "You _know_ how clumsy I am."

"She is pretty clumsy", Edward agreed, as he looked at the other faces and rubbed my back lightly.

"So continue! We're getting to the good part." Alice was insistent.

"So we were standing under the shower and we just kissed. Then I tried to shut the water off and only managed to turn off the warm water, so the shower got cold suddenly and that was when Bella yelped, and Jasper showed up."

"Wait, wait, wait," Alice interjected. "Let's go back to the kiss in the shower scene. You kind of glossed over that."

"I already told you the shower scene earlier," I reminded her.

"That was really _real_? That was what _really_ happened?" She asked quietly, looking pleased; impressed even.

I nodded, somewhat embarrassed.

"Go Edward!" she said loudly. "Good job!"

Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper were all chuckling.

Edward pulled himself together, scrunching his body up in embarrassment. He ran his hands through his hair, as he turned to me. "Why don't you at least spray Alice?"

We all left the dining hall together then, but went our separate ways as we got to the dorm. Edward hung back with me as the others went inside. He turned to me before we went inside. "That was incredible, Bella. You totally shut them down."

"Someone had to come to your rescue. You were right, they were brutal."

"I told you we should have just gone out for breakfast."

"Yeah, but this was more fun."

"Yeah it was. You were awesome." He reached out and took my hand. "I uh, I guess I'll see you sometime later?"

"Yeah, I guess. I have to do some work for my classes. What are you going to do?"

"I've got something to read and a paper to work on for psychology."

"Do you want to come up to the swanky fort? You could come up and we could study. We should just…you know," I shrugged, "…hang out."

He looked toward the others as they drifted out of the room and then he smiled at me. "I'd like that. Okay, I'll be up in a few minutes. Save me a spot."

**EPOV**

Fuck, this girl was going to be the death of me. I hadn't been able to stop thinking of her and her mouth since we kissed last night in the shower. The whole time we were in the laundry room I just wanted to find some reason to kiss her again. And I'd managed it.

This morning, though, I was worried about how she'd deal with the idiots in my life. I'd grown accustomed to their banter and ridicule. And of course, when the shoe was on the other foot, I'd certainly dished out my share of crap to make them squirm, too. It was really how we showed that we cared about each other. Show your love by making each other miserable.

But Bella had been up to the task of dealing with them. She hadn't shown a vulnerable side. In fact, she'd surprised me. Surprised the heck out of all of us! She'd boldly taken on Emmett, without so much as a blush, and made our kiss seem as torrid as possible. I reflected back on the kiss. It _was_ pretty damn torrid. At least for me. I think for her, too. If what she said was the truth, and I was dying to know that.

And just now she had asked if I wanted to just hang out, while we worked on stuff for school. It would be the first time we were together, just because we liked being together. For no other reason. It was kind of a momentous occasion in its own little way. It had taken me a while to be open to the idea that I liked this girl. And it had taken her a while to decide that she wanted to like me. But wanting to hang out together, just to hang out, that was an admission of something. Of maybe something more. I wondered where this journey would take us.

I got my laptop and book and left my room to go up to hers.

**BPOV**

A short while after that we were seated next to each other in the damn fine swanky fort. I was reading. Edward was using his laptop, working on a paper. He would write for a while, then his hand would come over to mine and hold my hand for a bit as he read back over what he'd written. I read a few chapters for one of my literature classes, highlighting things I thought were important. Mostly I was just aware that he and his body heat were just sitting right _there_ next to me, occasionally holding my hand, his fingers rubbing mine lightly.

When Jake and I had begun dating, we had just sort of flowed from one typed of relationship gradually into the next, until we were a couple. With Edward, there was no prior relationship. We were building something out of nothing. It was building quickly; it was very different and exciting and somehow seemed just a little _dangerous_. I didn't know him completely, but as the layers peeled away, and I got to know him more and more, I found that I really liked what I was seeing and experiencing. It was like a treasure hunt, and he was the buried treasure. Bit by bit I was discovering buried Edward. And he was discovering me.

At one point he turned to me, closing his laptop. "Okay, I can admit it. I can't really concentrate on this assignment; I give up. So, I made you weak in the knees?" He had that wonderful little crooked grin on his lips, and his eyes twinkled at me.

I blushed. Why had I said what I'd said? I'd wanted to shock Emmett, and it had worked. Both he and Jasper had been silenced, and filled with some odd sort of male awe for Edward. Now, Edward was reflecting on what I'd said, and I felt silly that I had bared my soul, just to get a rise out of Emmett. I wondered how long Edward had been thinking of it before he'd said anything aloud. Probably ever since I'd said it in the first place.

"Yes, you made me weak in the knees. I thought I was going to pass out." I smiled, a little embarrassed. "Honestly? I think I forgot to breathe."

"That sounds like it would be a good thing." He looked smug and proud of himself.

My blush and smile deepened. "It was a very good thing."

He raised his hand and his fingers trailed along the side of my cheek, along my jawbone and down my neck. His hand came to rest on my shoulder. "I think I was in danger of passing out, too. That's why I had to squash you up against the wall. It was so I wouldn't collapse and pull you down with me." He smiled his crooked little smile at me.

I tossed my book to the side. I swiveled myself around, so that he and I were facing each other, although our bodies were still right next to one and other.

His hand went up into my hair, finding the back of my neck and he began stroking it lightly with his thumb. "Thank goodness we're sitting down now. We don't have to concentrate on standing," he said, his eyes darkening.

"Yeah, that's probably a good thing that we're sitting down; we can focus on other things." My eyes were on his mouth, watching his lips, waiting.

With that he pulled me toward him and we were kissing again. I wrapped my arms around his neck and I just gave myself over to the sensations of him holding me in his arms, pressing me tightly into him, his lips and tongue doing wonderful things to mine. I kissed him, running my hand through his hair, my fingers tugging gently at that wonderfully tousled mess.

This was what studying together was all about!

**A/N: Your thoughts? Go ahead, don't be shy, you can tell me... and then read on if the next chapter has been ****revised.**


	25. Everybody and His Brother

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: This chapter is a little on the...different side. It's a behind the scenes look at last evening, after Edward and Bella were spotted in the shower by Jasper and afterwards, exiting the shower, by Mike and Tyler. Rumors spread like wildfire. This is the wildfire. ;)

I don't own much. Certainly not the original Twilight Saga. The goofiness that follows, however, is pure me.

This chapter is dedicated to Sandra and Rory1984. You both asked about Mike and that set a bomb off in my imagination...and the ideas spread like...well, they spread like...wildfire. ;) Enjoy!

**Chapter 25: Everybody and His Brother (Revised)**

**Jasper's POV**

_Holy. Fucking. Shit!_

It was the third time in as many minutes that I'd had that thought. I was on my way back up to Alice's room now. I had just returned to my room a short while ago, having told Alice goodnight, when I heard a shriek coming from the shower, just around the corner from our dorm room. At first I thought it was Newton, but then I realized, no, that was a girl's scream. It was a little higher pitched than Newton's scream. I wondered why the hell a girl would shriek in our bathroom and I felt compelled to check things out.

I banged the door open and started to demand to know what was going on in there when I stopped abruptly because…_Holy. Fucking. Shit. _It was Edward…_and Bella!_ In each other's arms. In the shower! Completely drenched and laughing hysterically and just absolutely happily wrapped around each other.

I was irritated with myself. I hated that I'd interrupted them because what I saw was definitely a good thing. For both of them. I babbled at them, saying that I had to go find Alice and tell her what I'd seen. I said I wouldn't otherwise be able to wrap my mind around what I'd seen; and then I continued babbling before I finally extricated myself and left them to continue their exploration of whatever the hell they had been exploring.

I had shut the door quickly after that, and stood in the hall for a moment, trying to collect my wits. Edward had become like a brother to me. I had probably seen every other expression Edward's face had to offer in the two years that we'd roomed together and become close friends. But in that moment, as I saw the two of them laughing and holding each other, and they glanced toward the door to look at me, I saw a soft expression that I had never seen before. _Holy. Fucking. Shit. Edward Cullen…in love! And he probably doesn't even know it yet!_

I fairly sprinted up the stairs. Alice would have my ass if I hesitated to tell her what I'd seen. It was the kind of thing she would want reported to her immediately. My little semi-psychic had been right. I swear to God, Alice sees things. I'm not sure if she really sees things or is just so in tune with what she observes happening around her. Maybe she's just hyper-observant. But I had to tell her she'd been right about Bella. She was _the one_.

I didn't even bother to knock at the door. I knew it would just be her in the room, reading a little bit before getting ready for bed. I opened her door and she was draped in the cushions of the swanky fort, reading. She looked up in surprise.

"Jazzy? What's up, baby? You just left… What are you smiling about?"

I strode across the room to the swanky fort and scooped Alice up into my arms. "It's happening, baby! Just like you said it would! And it's happening in a very big and over the top kind of way."

"What are you talking about, Jazz? What's happening?"

"Edward and Bella! Sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Actually, baby doll, they were in the shower and I only saw them hugging, but judging from the expressions on their faces and the arms they had wrapped around each other's bodies, they _had_ been kissing."

"Wait…what? Just now? They were _together_-together?"

"They were TOGETHER-_together-_together!"

She just began shrieking. I quickly handed her a pillow to hold in front of her mouth to muffle the sound. I didn't want someone to think Alice was in trouble, although, to tell the truth, her suitemates were probably used to the phenomenon of her shrieks.

"Wait! What the hell did you just say? They were in the _shower!_? Like… _taking _a shower? Together? In the nude?"

"One question at a time, baby. I can't answer five at once. Yes, they were in the shower, but the water was off. They were together; his arms were around her waist and hers were around his neck. They had clothes on, well, most of their clothes. Oh and they were laughing hysterically."

"Elaborate on 'most of their clothes,' please." Alice cut right to the heart of the matter.

"Well, let me see…Edward had on his socks and his sweatpants; no shirt or shoes. I can't vouch for underwear. And Bella…she had on pants like your yoga pants and a little sports bra top but no shirt or sweatshirt, and her shoes and socks. And again, I can't vouch in the panty department. Oh, and they were both completely soaked. Like two drowned rats. Or two happily drowning rats."

"I don't get what they were doing. Do you?"

"Nope. They were clothed. But they were wet. They were still standing in the shower. But the shower was off. But they both sure seemed happy about their situation, whatever the heck was happening. They're kind of odd, aren't they? But they do seem kind of perfect for each other, you know? Anyway, I think I can safely say they're TOGETHER-_together-_together."

Alice just sat there for a moment, hugging herself, beaming at me.

"Shit!" she said suddenly, jumping up quickly. "Bella needs dry clothes. I'll be right back; stay here."

She quickly gathered up an acceptable outfit, underwear and dry shoes for Bella. Then she paused at the door and blew me a kiss, before flitting out the door and down the stairs.

I kicked back in the swanky fort, happy for Edward. _It's about fucking time!_

**Meanwhile…..Mike Newton's POV**

_Holy craparooni! _

Edward Freakazoid Cullen's got skills! Major skills! With the lovely ladies!

Edward Cullen with a chick. Not just any chick… Edward Cullen with Blushing Bella Swan for God's sake! Who'd a thunk it? Dang! Give that boy an idea that he finally likes and he's all over it like white on rice!

Seriously, I had just spoken with the the dude earlier today in the line at the dining hall. I had gone to breakfast with On-the-Prowley-Crowley and Angela's Ball-and-Cheney, when I suddenly find myself in line behind Big E Cullen. Well, I know the dude's kind of lonely and doesn't have too many friends. And girls? Forget it! He doesn't touch the stuff. Must be allergic to vagina. So I always try to be nice to him, because maybe he's envious of popular guys like me, and I like to spread the wealth around, you know? If I can pass on some helpful tips and help some poor loner be a little bit more 'Newtonesque,' that's fine with me. My motto is: "There are plenty of girls to go around and I'll get around to them all eventually."

So I chat him up a little as we wait in the breakfast line. I ask him how it's hanging. The dude's hung like a horse but he doesn't partake. What a waste! I'd put that anaconda to good use, believe me. He just tells me 'it's straight as an arrow.' I don't mention it, of course, because I don't want to hurt his feelings, but in my mind I'm thinking, 'if you'd just find a target for that arrow, you'd be a happier dude with a happier dipstick.'

I mention to him the fact that I saw him and Miss Bella Swan coming back into the dorm the previous evening. And I know she hangs out with his little group, but I also know, from firsthand experience mind you, that she's nice and sweet. She's probably hanging out with Big E to keep him company and because she feels sorry for him, and because he's totally safe to be with. He's not going to make an inappropriate move on a chick, because, face it, the guy doesn't make _any_ moves on a chick.

Seriously, I have watched practically every single girl in the whole dorm complex try to hit that stud with zero success. And I've got to give those chicks credit; many of them have tried on more than one occasion, and in varying degrees of inebriation, to get into his Fruit of the Looms and let his anaconda slither right into their Victoria's Secrets. I can't fault those girls. I give them props for their perseverance. Seriously? If I'd been born a girl, I'd probably be after that guy too. And I'd probably be sexually frustrated like the rest of them.

It's just too bad the guy is wasting the total package he's been God-given. If he would just wake up he'd realize he's got all the major assets: he's tall, lean, muscular, and athletic; he's got the right amount of chest hair that girls like—not too shaggy, not too sparse; he's got the kind of face girls drool over, total movie star, and that hair of his… I have tried every product known to man to try to get that same look. I'm not quite sure what he does to style it…I wish I could watch him fix it one day, so I'd know how he gets it to look so naturally messed up.

So I asked him, "Hey, didn't I see you and Bella coming back into our suite late last night? Looked like you two had been out together. What's going on there? You two dating?" Although I really didn't need to ask because I know they aren't. Edward Freakazoid Cullen wouldn't have any idea what to do on a date! The guy is totally inept when it comes to chicks. He's a flippin' Adonis and he runs from the attention of the goddesses around him.

But he tells me that it wasn't really a date. _Like I didn't already know that._ They just went to get a bite to eat and then walked around after that. Totally innocuous and platonic; I'm surprised he can even manage that, the dude is just so shy. He tells me that she's got some boyfriend issues going on. So I gave him a little heads up. I told him if that boyfriend thing didn't work out for her, he should think about trying to ask her out. I figured, she's friends with him, she'd probably say yes, you know, just to be kind. She wouldn't hurt his feelings. And then he could take her out on, you know, a "starter-date." I told him that would be a good way to ease into the dating thing, and then he wouldn't feel so shy and awkward around girls.

At the time he gave me kind of a strange look. Like he thought I wasn't playing with a full deck and he was irritated. But now I realize that he was probably irritated with himself and running that idea through his brain, holding it up to the light and checking it for holes. And he must have followed through and decided to pursue Bella, because it suddenly looks like they're together in the most enviable way and Edward Freakazoid Cullen must finally be getting his groove on.

Crowley and I were coming back from the Delta Zeta house, where we'd hung out with a couple of cute, little sorority sisters he'd recently met. We had engaged them in a Monopoly Marathon, using Tyler's Extreme Edition of the game. They'd played until they'd both lost the shirts off their backs. Not literally, though that certainly would have been cool with us, but figuratively; they'd both gone bankrupt and decided they'd had enough of the game, although the night was still relatively young. Oddly enough, they'd both said they were tired at about the same time, so Tyler and I cut out.

So we're returning to the dorm, coming through the back door that leads to our suite, when we look up, and lo and behold, here comes Cullen out of the bathroom. He's shirtless and barefoot and his sweats are completely wringing wet and clinging to his legs and body. And then everything's happening in slow motion, because I see Bella right behind him, and she's not wearing a t-shirt, just one of those little sports bra tops, and, well…_Shit! _I can see that she's…_cold,_ if you get my drift. Her high beams are on, you know? And she's wringing wet as well.

And then the real "Holy Fuck!" moment happens.

I can see that Cullen is holding her goddamn hand! And he's smiling sweetly as he looks at me! And the smile on his face says that he's confident, content and comfortable, and that this is natural, and as it should be. _Where the hell did this suddenly come from? _Hell's bells! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own baby blues.

Crowley and I just stood there unable to move. We were dazed and confused, watching them as they strolled past, holding hands, smiling. And then they just went into Cullen's room and closed the damn door. Well, Crowley and I both turned and looked at each other. He looked just as shell-shocked as I felt. I saw his lips moving, and finally he got the sound coordinated with the lips and he finally says, "Cullen scored." And I nod, and we head feebly into our room to sit down and hash this out.

Tyler sits down on his bed and looks across at me and says one word. "Cullen…"

"I know!" I answer. "And Bella!"

"What _was_ that?" he asks. He is reeling like I am.

"Hell if I know!"

"Do you think they're _together_, together?" Tyler's insinuation is clear.

"Sure looked like it. They were holding hands. And the smiles, you know?"

Tyler nods. "They were all wet, Mike. Both of them."

"Yeah, what _was_ that? Who does that?"

Tyler shrugs.

"I'll be right back," I tell him, "I'm going to go check out the bathroom; scout for clues."

I head down the hall and duck quickly into the bathroom, shutting the door, looking around at the scene before me.

**Meanwhile…Alice's POV**

Jasper had just come back upstairs to tell me the news about Edward and Bella. Once he finished the story I realized that she would need clothes, so I had gathered them and was on my way down to Edward's room.

I flew down the stairs, anxious to get to Bella before she was forced to change into some of Edward's oversized clothing and end up looking like a hobo. On him that stuff looked good, but it would swallow her whole and I just didn't want her to end up looking like a "before" picture in a fashion magazine. I pictured her with a black rectangle across her eyes, wearing a flannel built-for-two and jeans nine sizes too big, rolled up a foot at the ankles and belted, with excess belt hanging down her thigh. It made me shudder and I took the stairs a little faster because of it.

I knocked quietly at Edward's door and he opened it. He didn't seem at all surprised to see me. In fact, he smiled his signature lopsided grin, looking like he'd been expecting me. I handed him the pile of clothes and shoes for Bella and told them both that I expected a full report in the morning and that they had the rest of the evening to get their story straight and plan their strategy. I smiled and excused myself, telling them that I had to go see to Jasper; that he had been traumatized.

"_I'm just so happy for you!_" I thought, as I smiled up at Edward. _"I knew this was the girl! I told you so!" _I didn't have to say those things out loud. Edward knew. We had that twin bond thing.

He rolled his eyes at me but then grinned and nodded slightly as he shut the door.

I ran back upstairs to Jasper. He was still in the swanky fort, lying down now, looking up at the twinkle lights. He turned and looked at me expectantly as I entered.

"So, no new information. Bella was there in the room and I couldn't just barge in and start interrogating Edward. I'll save that for tomorrow. I told them they'd better be prepared with the details tomorrow and they had the rest of the night to plan."

"And they looked…_content_, no?" Jasper asked dreamily. _My little empath_.

"Yes, definitely. Very. I've got to call Emmett and fill him in. He hates to be left out. This is going to blow his mind. I think he's just about given up on Edward. And I know he's sick of people asking him in hushed tones if Edward is gay."

Jasper chuckled. "Yeah, but we've sure gotten plenty of mileage out of that."

I giggled, thinking about the two of them, on numerous occasions, pretending to be together, just for the look on girls' faces. You could read the thoughts in those girls' expressions every time: 'Oh nooooo! What a waste!'

"Where's my phone?" I asked, looking around, and finally spotting it on my desk. I picked it up and hit the speed dial for Emmett. Three times. The third time it went to voicemail I just gave up and left a message. Actually I left a farting noise that I made with my tongue and lips and yelled into the phone that I was NOT 'a pain in the ass mini-mom', and that he should pick up once in a while when I call him. _He_ was the pain in the ass!

Then I just called Rose instead.

**And back to…Mike's POV**

So I had left Tyler in the room and had just come back to the bathroom to look for clues in the Cullen/Swan Case. I shut the door behind me so no one would be the wiser.

There's a lot of condensation on the mirror, so the shower was on and it looks like the water must have been running for quite a while. On the floor are two pairs of shoes and socks, one pair much smaller than the other. The men's running shoes are dry, but the socks near them are sopping wet. The women's running shoes are completely wet as are the socks next to them. Over in the far corner is a sweatshirt that I recognize as Edward's, with a t-shirt poking out of the inside. They are both dry and it looks like they were peeled off quickly and thrown over there, judging from how bunched in the corner they appear. Closer, near the shoes is another sweatshirt that I don't recognize. It is wet, but it looks like someone attempted to wring it out, because I can see the twisted wrinkles. A completely soaked towel is also lying on the floor in a pile.

I begin piecing the clues together in my head. It appears that Edward and Bella must have gone to work out together, probably got good and sweaty, came back all hot and bothered and wound up taking a shower together. They were obviously careful with some of the clothing items; those must have been the ones that came off first, before things heated up between them and they were just ripping clothes off of each other and dropping them wherever they happened to fall. That means they must not have been able to restrain themselves any longer and they just tore off each other's pants right in the shower only to put them back on afterwards.

It's another "Holy Fuck!" moment for me.

Edward Cullen finally asked a girl out, took her on some sort of workout-inspired date, and got laid afterwards in the communal shower right under our noses in our own suite! He's certainly not socially inept. He's got a freaking gift! Edward Freakazoid Cullen just turned into Edward Get-Your-Freak-On Cullen! He's a pick-up genius!

_Jeez-Louise! I gotta go tell Crowley! This is fucking major! This is major fucking!_

I had just left the bathroom, headed down the hall back to my room when I heard Edward's door open and then shut back behind me. I turned around and went back, but the bathroom door was now closed. I decided to take a seat in the sitting room and wait this out. It paid off. Edward came out of the bathroom, with his back to me as he headed to his room once again. He had changed into dry clothes. He's carrying a laundry basket filled with all of the wet clothes. I wondered if he'd changed clothes in the bathroom, but, no…if he and Bella had already had shower sex, then he must have changed in his room. I wondered what she was now wearing…_if anything!_

"Hey, Edward!" Edward turned around, hearing me, as I stood up and went to him.

"Hey Mike," he replied.

He seemed kind of antsy to get back to his room. _Well, du-uh! Naked girl much? No, not until now!_

"I've got to hand it to you, Big E, you don't put the moves on any girl the whole two years I've known you. But then you finally decide to put the moves on Bella tonight, and the first thing that happens is you hook up with her in the communal shower, with the water on, right in our suite. I have got to hand it to you. You are the fucking Master! I've never seen anything quite like it. How do you go from zero to _that_ in one day? I'll probably work at it my whole life and never have that. Shit. That was amazing! You're a phenom, buddy."

He grinned and edged away from me, obviously anxious to get back to the lovely lady in his dorm room.

"Um, thanks, Mike."

I had turned around to head back to my room.

"Bella, you decent?" I heard him ask, as he returned to his room and knocked on the door.

I nearly suffered whiplash, swinging my head back around, trying to get a glimpse inside his door, but it was already closing. Totally Edward! He's just had lusty shower sex with the dorm sex-kitten and he's wondering if she's decent and if he should go back inside his room!

I sprint back to my room to fill in Crowley with my findings.

**Meanwhile…Rose's POV**

Emmett and I take turns planning dates every other weekend. Last weekend he took me out to lunch and to a car show. Tonight had been my turn. We went out to dinner earlier this evening and then came back to play video games in his room for a while. Emmett's into video games and he's got quite the collection. I've got a competitive streak, and I'll play anything. He's a big child and loves nothing more than to play games. So it's always fun. Half the time I win, the other half I let him win.

After that we were headed over to my room to just cuddle and watch a movie. I had some beers for him in my refrigerator, but I'm all out of cranberry juice and running low on vodka to make Cosmopolitans for me. And I'm just really in the mood for a Cosmopolitan. So my big boy comes to my rescue. Emmett's shooting me his killer dimples and jogging out the door, telling me to change into something a little naughtier, while he runs to the liquor store for replenishments.

He's so good to me. And I am such a bitch and a half sometimes. But I think we actually complement each other and balance each other. He puts a smile on my face and I keep him socially acceptable.

So I'm looking at the collection of…_outfits_... I own, when my phone rings.

"Hey girlfriend!" I say to Alice after seeing her name on the screen.

"OhmyGodRoseisEmmettthere?"

"No, he just left a short while ago to go to the liquor store. What's up?"

"OhmyGodRose! Edward! And Bella!

"Edward and Bella what? Slow down a little. And calm down, Alice. Your voice is doing that high-pitched thing. Take a deep breath and tell me about Edward and Bella."

I heard Alice take a deep breath. "Oh, Rose, Jasper heard a scream and went to investigate and Edward and Bella were hardly wearing any clothes and they were completely wet standing in the shower with their arms wrapped around each other and they were laughing and had probably been kissing and Jasper came and told me and I took Bella dry clothes but couldn't find anything out because it was inappropriate for me to stay but Jasper and I both agree they're TOGETHER-_together-_together. Edward and Bella are _TOGETHER_, Rose!"

"Holy hell, Alice! It happened? When?"

"Just now; well, a short while ago."

"Shit, Alice, I knew it was coming; I just knew it! That night we went out to Bella Italia he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. That was two weeks ago. And since then, you know, he almost always sits next to her in the dining hall and they're kind of in their own little world. And that whole break-up and fight scene with Bella's ex. I'd never seen Edward so crazed; he was bloodthirsty. Oh, Alice, it was a matter of time! I'm so glad for him. You must be so happy for him. It's been so long. Three years, right?"

"Three years. Three long, depressing, depressed-Edward years."

"Well, sounds like that whole thing is finally behind him and he's moving on."

"I wanted to tell Emmett, but he won't answer my calls. I know he thinks I'm a pain in the ass mini-mom, but would you please tell him I called when he gets in?"

"Shoot, Alice, his phone is right here. He must have left without it. It's on vibrate, but I wasn't paying any attention. I should have looked to see who was calling; I could have answered your call to him. He should be back soon. I'll have him call you right away when he gets in."

"Okay, thanks Rose. And tell him to ignore my rude voicemail. It was the stress of the moment."

"Will do, babe. I'll see you at breakfast. That should be fun!" I laughed as I thought of us sitting down to breakfast with Edward and Bella, now that they were TOGETHER-_together-_together.

"Oh yes, breakfast will be _most_ interesting! See you tomorrow, Rose."

**Meanwhile…Tyler Crowley's POV**

Mike left to go scout the bathroom. I stayed in the room waiting to hear his findings. He doesn't disappoint me. In a few minutes he is back, telling me about the scene of the crime in the shower stall and bathroom. He tells me about the shoes and workout clothing strewn haphazardly about; some of it dry, some of it sopping wet.

He explains how he figures it all played out, and I'm certain he must be right. I can't believe this is Freakazoid he's talking about. Cullen saw some major action in the shower. I've only ever seen that kind of action in my imagination, my dreams, and the occasional porno. I am still so completely surprised and baffled with this totally unexpected turn of events.

This piece of news is just not going to go away. But I just know that if we tell anyone about this they are not going to believe it. They are going to think Newton and I are pranking them. Edward and Bella. Gee. How'd Freakazoid finally manage that?

Now Mike, he's got the moves. He's always giving me pointers, sharing his expertise with me. Not that every idea always works, of course, but that's to be expected in life. Like tonight. I'm not sure just how much those girls wanted to play Monopoly. Mike thought it seemed like a good idea, but they seemed a little reluctant and then they both lost everything fairly quickly and both happened to be tired. But who knows? Maybe they'd had a busy night the night before.

I'm heading out the door of our room, to go take a leak, and as I'm leaving, I see Cullen and Bella exiting his room. They've got the laundry basket and detergent and they're holding hands. "Psst! Mike!" I wave him over to the door quickly so he can peer out and see what I'm seeing. He catches them just as they head out the door and turn the corner.

"Nothing like shower sex to make you all domestic," I tell Mike.

We hear a voice behind us. "Who's all domestic as a result of shower sex?"

Mike and I turn and look. Eric Dorkie-Yorkie is coming out of his room, headed to the bathroom with what looks like a new tube of plaque-fighting toothpaste. He's intrigued with our statement.

I look at Mike. We'll see just how far-fetched this whole thing sounds right now.

"Cullen had shower sex with Bella in our suite."

Eric drops the toothpaste tube and looks at us, speechless. Then a slow grin spreads across his face. "Yeah, who the hell told you that work of fiction?"

"No one. We saw it with our own eyes!"

**Eric Yorkie's POV**

_What are they trying to pull? _"You saw Cullen and Bella having sex in the shower?"

They nod at me in unison. Mike and Tyler don't seem drunk; perhaps they're high, but I don't see any tell-tale signs. This must just be a prank they're trying to pull.

"Okay, so like, is there a punchline or something to this joke?" I ask.

"Seriously, Eric," Tyler says. "We saw Cullen and Bella leaving from the shower in our suite. He was practically naked, and she wasn't wearing much either. And they were both completely soaked. I mean, even the little bit of clothing they had on was wet all the way through."

"And," Mike butts in to give me additional information, "they were holding hands, smiling, looking all relaxed and…uh, _sated_…you know?"

"They looked _'sated'_ to you?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes to see if he wasn't still maybe trying to pull my leg. Nope. He was totally serious, although 'sated' is kind of an odd word to use. Then again, Newt is kind of an odd one. I reached behind me and banged on my door, dropping my hand down to the doorknob and shoving the door open. "Shit, Ben! You gotta come hear this. Get your ass out here! Quick!

**Ben Cheney's POV**

"Hey, Newton, Crowley." I nodded my head in greeting at the little cluster that was standing outside my door. What's up Yorkie?"

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Apparently Edward Cullen has finally found his dick. Or maybe I should say; Bella has found his dick."

I felt my mouth drop open. I stood there looking from face to face and each head nodded in the affirmative. I finally closed my mouth and opened the door to my room and leaned back inside.

"Hey, Angela, come listen to this!"

She scooted off my bed and joined us in the hallway, greeting my friends. Crowley took off for the john while Mike proceeded to tell us what he and Crowley had seen with their own eyes, and what evidence he had seen in the bathroom afterwards. Angela, Eric and I were shocked and amazed.

I watched as Angela whipped out her phone and fired off a text message.

**Angela Weber's POV**

I have to admit, I was surprised like the guys, but I also knew Bella's side of things a little bit. I knew she'd been having problems with her boyfriend back at home and I knew she'd been upset since school started. She didn't really have anybody here at school because she was new. It was a great thing that she had been rescued from Victoria and was now rooming with Alice. I knew that Alice had really taken Bella under her wing and included her in things their little group did. I also knew how nice Bella was. And I knew she'd never had her eyes set on Edward; never had her claws out like so many other girls here; she just got to know him as a friend. I guessed now that was the way you got to Edward Cullen. And all along everyone had only tried the direct approach with claws and fangs bared.

_Wait until Jess hears this!_ I whipped out my phone and texted her.

_Got some news 4 u._

I got her response quickly.

_What?_

I smiled as I texted the next line. I was still listening to the guys' conversation.

_R u sitting down?_

Her response was fast. News equals gossip to Jess. She loved good gossip.

_Yessss. What?_

I smiled up at Ben. He probably knew I was texting Jess. She'd had a major crush on Edward since day one, although now she and Mike are starting to heat up.

_Edward and Bella. Fact not fiction._

I could just imagine her face.

_WTF? Where are you?_

I couldn't help giggling as I texted her that I was in Ben's room. This piece of news regarding Edward and Bella was going to break so many girls' hearts and dash their dreams to bits. I didn't care. I had Ben and I liked Bella. Bella was cool. I admired her for unwittingly clinching the deal with the school's most unattainable, available bachelor. _You go, girl!_

A minute or two later Jessica showed up in the hallway with a look of utter disbelief on her face.

**Jessica Stanley's POV**

I greeted Mike, Tyler, Eric, Ben and Angela. Then I turned to face Angela. "Okay, Ang, that sure got my attention! I'm here, spill! What's been going on tonight?"

"Mike and Tyler are the ones who saw it firsthand. I'll let them tell you," Angela said to me.

I listened to the whole story, secretly hugging myself. Bella had no idea what she was in for in the next few days, maybe even weeks, heck, this could be of interest months-long. I had to go make some phone calls right away. But I wondered…what could Edward Cullen possibly have seen in Bella? I mean, she wasn't ugly, she was nice-looking enough; but there were many more attractive girls that Edward could have chosen. It just didn't make a whole lot of sense.

**Emmett's POV**

I came back to campus from the liquor store and took a shortcut through our dorm to get back to Rosie's. I had just come in the back door, through my suite, when I saw a whole gaggle of geeks in the opposite hallway: Newton, Crowley, Stanley, Weber, Cheney and Yorkie. Newton and Crowley were talking. The others just kind of listened, with their mouths hanging open.

"Hey gang, what's up? Everything okay? Anybody need a Resident Advisor to the rescue?"

Newton spoke up for the group. "Uh, hey Emmett. How's it going? We're fine, thanks, just hanging out, talking about…uh…stuff…and things."

Jessica took a step forward. "Yeah, we're talking about the fact that…"

Mike clamped his hand over her mouth, silencing her. Probably just as well; I didn't need to know whatever that gossip whore wanted to spill. Obviously it was something big for the six of them to be crowded around in the hallway at this hour of the night, er, morning.

I just waved as I headed out to the front door, back over to Rose's.

When I got there, Rose was in the suite talking to a few girls. She was still wearing the same outfit she'd had on earlier. She hadn't changed into anything naughty. But with Rose, pretty much anything she wore was naughty. It didn't matter what she had on, because what she had_ in_ what she had _on_, was naturally naughty.

I looked at the girls she was talking with. Their mouths were gaping open as they listened to whatever she was saying. I wondered if this was standard practice at this time of the night, er, morning. It seemed everyone was doing it.

"Oh! Here he is now! See you, girls." Rose jumped up, looking _waaaay_ excited to see me.

"Emmett, come on, quick. In my room! Now!"

_Oh, yeah! Bow-chick-a-bow-wow! Well, me too, my blond bombshell!_

I had just gotten in the door when Rose grabbed the bag from my arm, set it on the dresser, slammed the door and shoved me down onto the bed.

_Yes, Baby! Do me! And I'll give you all I got, cuz you know I got a lot!_

"Emmett, snap out of it. Alice called. You have to call her immediately. Here's your phone, you left it behind and she called you three times. She finally called me and I told her you'd call her right back when you returned."

Rose held the phone out to me. Then she waggled it because I wasn't reacting.

_Wait…what? What the fuck? Damn, Alice! What a frickin' pain in the ass, mini-mom!_

"Wait, what? I've got to call Alice? But I thought…I thought you… Shit, Rosie, you looked so excited. I could have sworn you were all turned on to see me."

"Oh, Em, you know I'm always turned on to see you. Call Alice and after you've talked to her we'll drink our beers and Cosmos, cuddle and maybe watch our movie…or maybe not, and I'll do that thing to you that you like so much."

"The thing with the satin ribbon?"

"Oh, well, we could do that. I was thinking about the thing with the feather."

"Oh, oh yeah. That's good too!"

"Maybe we'll do both. Call Alice."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Alice picked up halfway through the first ring.

"!"

"Whoa, Al, you're not chugging Red Bulls again, are you?"

"Emmett, just shut up and listen to me….."

She went to speaker phone, telling me that Jasper was there too. I told him 'howdy,' then I went to speaker phone too and Rose said 'hey'.

Alice and Jasper began telling me about my little Bro, Edward. With Bella Actually. Getting his kink on in the suite shower. Shit, I am so fucking proud of him my heart is going to burst. I knew he had it in him. He just had to get it out of him and get it into some cute girl. And maybe now he had, or would soon, or would at some point, at least. Oh, and I just really liked Bella for him. She was great. A little on the shy side, but she'd relax over time.

And I could finally relax. I had my brother back. As of this evening, this was going to be an interesting year. I could hardly wait to tell my parents. I looked at the time. After one o'clock. Nope; it was ridiculously late. If I called now they'd think someone had died. This had to wait until morning. This would be a great pre-birthday gift for my mom.

We talked with Alice and Jasper for quite a while. Made plans for breakfast. Couldn't wait for that funny shit. I could hardly wait to see how Edward dealt with this. Oh….that must have been the hubbub in my dorm earlier. They must have known what happened too.

Breakfast with Edward and Bella was going to be colossal!

_Now, about that satin ribbon…and the feather. Hellz yeah!_

**A/N: Alice wants to know what made you giggle. Emmett wants to know what made you guffaw. I just want you to review me. In Emmett's words, '**_**Hellz yeah! Do me!'**_

_**Read on as long as it's **__**revised**__**! And for heaven's sake, shoot me a review!**_


	26. Points of View

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: This time around, a little more smoochiness, the wonder that is Alice, more of Edward's backstory, Esme and Carlisle get into the picture, bonding with the boys. (Settle DOWN! I said bonding, not bondage with the boys!)

I'm BD. The author of Twilight is SM. If she and I melded into one person, we'd be BDSM. Sit and think about that for a moment. No infringement or spankings intended.

Now, back to Damn Fine Edward in the Damn Fine Swanky Fort and the beauty of ineffectual study sessions.

**Chapter 26: Points of View (Revised)**

**EPOV**

I had no idea how long we'd been sitting here in the swanky fort, having given up completely on homework and reading. Instead we were focused on each other; I was still holding her, still kissing her. I cupped her jaw in my hand and I could feel her mouth moving as she kissed me. I pulled back, looking at her, then settled my forehead against hers, touching her lips with my fingertips.

"This can get addicting," I told her, struggling to breathe normally.

Her laugh was shaky. "You think there's a twelve-step program?"

"I sure as hell hope not." I hugged her tightly for a moment, kissing her cheek.

"So you're not joining?" she asked, smiling.

"No, you're definitely my drug of choice; my own personal brand of heroin and I choose to just say 'yes' to you."

She laughed, leaning back, resting against my knees. I thought she just looked so lovely. Her pale, creamy skin a contrast to the thick, dark hair that framed her face. I could smell the scent that was uniquely Bella. Her liquid, chocolate brown eyes seemed darker than usual. So much depth. So easy to get lost in those eyes. And her soft, full lips were curling up into a smile. She had turned herself around when she had tossed her book aside. So she was still sitting next to me, but she was facing me. My legs were drawn up, bent, and she was leaning back on them, looking at me with a lazy little smile on her lips.

"What?" I asked, unable to keep from smiling at her and her lazy smile.

"You're not at all like the guy I met that first day I moved in to the dorm."

I tipped my head back and laughed, remembering that first day.

"I'd better not be. You called that guy a 'Jerkoff!' I've got to admit, I've been called some names in my life, but no girl has ever called me that before. That took me by surprise." She blushed instantly and I thought it was terribly cute.

"Oh my gosh, that's right! I'm so sorry. At first I thought you were awfully hot, but then you were so angry at me, I decided you were a hothead; a 'Hot Jerk'. And that's how I found myself think of you during the events of the day, until I decided you must be stuck on yourself and stuck up; that's when I began thinking of you as 'Jerkoff'. It was mean of me to say it to you. I was just so upset. You really got my temper going."

"No, I _was_ a 'Jerkoff.' I felt really bad afterwards about yelling at you. I realized that my yelling at a complete stranger was completely uncalled for. I was already in a bad mood because I'd gotten that speeding ticket earlier in the day, then my dad raked me over the coals about it when I called him. For some reason, when it got around to you, I felt so provoked. Somehow you pushed me out of my comfort zone. I felt really awful later on that afternoon when I found out you'd paid to get my car unlocked." I reached forward and rubbed my thumb across her cheekbone. "Wait, so you thought I was hot?"

She blushed deeply. "Well, of course. Look at you."

I shook my head, embarrassed; wondering why I'd even asked. "I just don't see it. I'm just some guy; nothing special. So, is that why you paid to have my car unlocked, because you thought I was hot? That's an expensive pick-up ploy." I smirked at her, knowing that was not at all the case.

She giggled and then reached up and took my hand, lacing her fingers through mine.

"No, silly boy. I wouldn't do something like that to get someone's attention and I certainly wasn't trying to get _your_ attention. I didn't want your attention. I thought you were irritating. I wanted to avoid you. I wasn't very understanding. But then I realized that you were mostly an innocent bystander that first day, and I put you through hell with the cart, the cactus, your phone and your keys."

I smiled back at her. It was really kind of funny when I thought about it.

"Well," I shrugged, "we'll always have a great story to tell about how we first met. I couldn't avoid you. And you didn't come into my life gently, did you? You came hurtling into my life; you and you…_our_…damn cart. Whether I thought I wanted you or not, you were on a collision course with my whole world." I smiled at the look of dismay on her face.

"You make me sound like an evil meteoroid or asteroid, hurtling at you through space." She bit her lip and her brows had that little pucker between them.

I chuckled, gathering her in my arms and pulling her down against my chest. "Okay, so no meteoroids or asteroids. How about we think of you as my falling star? It sounds less aggressive. You tripped, fell on me in the shower and now here we are." I trailed my fingers through her hair.

"I can admit I'm not always graceful, but you don't seem too disappointed," she murmured against my chest.

I smiled. _Understatement. _"No, I'm not disappointed at all. No complaints here. I'm really happy. I found something I didn't even know I was looking for. I think I've just been going through the motions these past few years. You've come along and woken me back up from some kind of static trance. It's a nice feeling to wake up in the morning and feel happy instantly."

She pulled back, sitting up straighter, looking at me for a moment, then her hands came up to my face, softly cradling my cheeks. She held me as she leaned in to kiss me again. My arms went back around her as our lips met.

And that's where we both were when the damn mastermind pixie came into the room.

"Oh, you're both here. I'm not interrupting, am I?" she asked sweetly.

I glared at her, but she just ignored me. _Can't you see that you are indeed interrupting? _I loosened my grip on Bella and she sat up, blushing a little and smoothing her hair back. She looked over her shoulder at Alice.

"Alice, this is your room, too. Of course you're entitled to come in when you want. Besides," she cleared her throat, "Edward and I weren't really doing anything."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that shit, Bella. I can see that you were just playing a round of 'Find My Tonsils' with Edward. By the way, he had his tonsils out when he was nine, but I don't want that to stop you from trying to find them. Edward probably doesn't want you to stop trying to find them either."

"Alice," I glared at her a little more intently, "was there something that you needed?" _What the hell is she doing here?_ It's her room and she has a right to come in here, but couldn't she see that now wasn't a good time? She hadn't even had the common decency to knock. And she could have come in, seen what was transpiring, and left, like anyone with common sense would do.

"I wanted to speak to Bella. I didn't realize that you'd be here too, monopolizing my roomie, Mr. Crankypants."

I rolled my eyes at her. "What did you need to speak to her about?" I asked. But I didn't really need to ask. I knew. She wanted the complete rundown. The all-girl version. Breakfast had just piqued her interest. I knew she had specific questions she wanted answered. I knew she'd turn up at my door too, before the day was over. To get my version. She was such a damn snoop.

Alice just stared me down. "Edward, don't you have something you need to go do?" she asked pointedly, her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot.

I shook my head at her, smiling smugly.

"No homework?" she asked.

"Just finished it," I answered, pointing to my closed laptop. I shot her another smile.

"No reading?" she demanded.

"Nope." I smiled sweetly just to piss her off.

"Well shit, just go play with Jasper for a while, will you?"

I sighed. I wasn't going to win this battle of wills. Alice may be tiny, but she's not to be trifled with. She's a force to be reckoned with. I stood up, picked up my laptop and book and bent to squeeze Bella's shoulder.

"I guess I'll see you later. It seems I have little choice in the matter. Text me an S.O.S. if it gets to be too much up here." I glared one last time at Alice, but she just stuck her tongue out at me. I did the same in return.

I looked back at Bella once more as I got to the door; I was shaking my head; a sad expression on my face. "Bella, I'm so sorry it has to be like this," I said gravely. I jerked my thumb toward my sister.

Alice picked up a pillow and threw it at my head as I ducked. I left the room and shut the door. I could hear them giggling in their room as I laughed, heading down the hall.

Being a twin is great and it's a bitch. Especially if your twin is great and she's a bitch. Alice was definitely both. Sometimes it was hard to tell which, at any given moment. Like now, for example. She had just kicked me out of her room, because she was going to grill Bella. That was great, because she'd have some insight for me later, and I could use all the insight I could get with Bella. But it was a bitch because I was just loving being with her and could have stayed there in the swanky fort kissing her until I was absolutely beside-myself-delirious. But it wasn't meant to be; not with Alice in charge. And Alice was definitely in charge. No one could tell her differently.

I loved Alice dearly. She could certainly be a pain in the ass mini-mom, as Emmett liked to call her, but she really cared about the people she cared about. She'd been my sidekick for years. Ever since we were conceived. She was intuitive and sure whereas I was awkward and uncertain. She'd helped me through the hurdles of childhood and adolescence, giving me secret advice and smoothing the way. I was indebted to her; I always would be. We would always be closer to each other than either of us were to Emmett.

Not that Emmett was bad. He was a great guy in his own way, but he was so much more brash and wild and reckless than either Alice or me. Nothing ever got him down, either. He was destined to be happy from day one, no matter what disaster struck. He would plow right through the bad stuff in life and it never seemed to affect him badly. It all rolled right off of him and he laughed at it; guffawed at it actually, with abandon.

Alice somehow managed to gracefully sidestep the bad stuff. She always seemed to see it coming, long before it got there, she prepared for it and she weathered it well when it arrived. She was always positive; looking for the positive, and finding it, of course.

I, on the other hand, would dwell on the bad, tormenting myself with the 'what ifs' and the 'whys'. And I hated to relinquish my hold on the bad. I let it drag me down, feeling somehow that I deserved it if it found me.

That was precisely why I was so close to Alice. She was always there to throw me a lifeline. She always managed to buoy me back up during the storm; to do the serious repair work and rebuild me.

Like with Tanya. I knew that Alice never really liked her that much. Not that she would ever have actually come out and said it, but I knew she thought it. I knew she thought that Tanya used me to some extent; that she clung too tightly to me. I just didn't see it at the time. I felt important; _really_ important to someone. It had been the first time I'd experienced that. I felt needed. I just didn't realize that she was _needy_ and that her needs went far beyond what a seventeen year old boy could manage. I didn't realize that I couldn't be everything she needed. I tried and I tried. And I just wasn't enough. She had too many problems that she couldn't work out. She needed a family that cared and supported her and she needed professional help. I could never have been enough. I just didn't know that at the time.

When she took her life, I thought I would die too. So much of my being 'me' revolved around what I did with her and for her, and as 'us'. Suddenly she was gone. I felt like I was gone too. It was like I'd been sucked into a vacuum. It was a long time before I started to find myself in the ashes. Alice had been really supportive. Emmett was too, obviously, but Alice and I had that special bond.

I had pretty much renounced any kind of tie to people around me for the rest of my senior year in Alaska as I wallowed in sorrow and guilt. I was finally able to start to go through the motions toward the end of that year, managing to graduate with grades still high enough for college. My parents thought a change of scenery would help, and well, my mom just missed Emmett, being at school so far away in Seattle while we lived in Alaska. So the decision to move down to Port Angeles had been a relatively easy one. I tried to get my own life back on track even more after we moved.

My mom had found the house of her dreams on a trip down to Port Angeles with my father, when he was going through interviews at the hospital. That first summer we helped with demolition and the beginnings of renovations and remodeling on the house. I threw myself into the physical labor, because it soothed me mentally and gave me a physical outlet for my anguish and emotions. Smashing shit to smithereens will do that for you. I'd gone through counseling and therapy up in Alaska and that continued down in Port Angeles through the summer.

In the fall I started school at UW when Alice did, the both of us living in the same dorm as Emmett. We got to know his girlfriend Rosalie, whom he had met the previous year. Her brother, Jasper, it was decided, would become my roommate. Alice hung out with us and before long, developed a strong relationship with Jasper. I approved of him and liked him for her. I didn't really develop any new friends apart from Jasper, and Rosalie. They were simply an extension of my family, of my support system. And I hadn't felt the need or desire for anyone else. A girlfriend was the farthest thing from my mind and the last thing I wanted. I was done with that.

I made it through my first two years of college just fine. My grades were good, I was feeling more human, and I had fun with my little support group of Alice, Emmett, Jasper and Rose. I just avoided everyone else like the plague. Especially girls. Didn't want that shit pulling me under again; I didn't want to care that much for someone who could just disappear.

This past summer, however, Alice had said to me at one point that she got the feeling that things were going to be different for me this year. She thought that I was finally ready to move on. She had a good feeling about this year; she said she saw an approaching turning point coming my way.

Of course I didn't have the heart to tell her that was probably complete horseshit and wishful thinking on her part. She was just trying to be positive. She didn't want to hear that I thought it was just optimistic nonsense. So I just shut up and listened and nodded, like a good twin.

But she'd been right.

Bella had been my turning point.

When I'd left Bella's room earlier, after Alice's inopportune intrusion, I'd been headed down the stairs and back to my room. My phone vibrated and I took it out looking at the screen. _Carlisle. _

"Hey Dad," I said as I flipped it open and answered it.

"No, dear it's Mom."

"Oh. You're on Dad's phone."

"Oh, we must have mixed our phones up earlier when we were talking to Emmett and Alice. They both called and your father and I wound up passing phones back and forth to hear everything they had to say."

_Oh shit. _I headed out the door at the back of the dorm and sat down on a bench outside, looking around me to make sure I had a little privacy.

"Uh-huh."

"So how's it going, dear?"

"Fine, Mom."

"Just fine? What's new?"

_Oh for fuck's sake! What did they say?_

"Nothing, really. Things are fine. School's fine. I'm fine."

There was a pause before she continued speaking.

"Have you made any new friends?"

_Oh for fuck's sake! _This wasn't going to go away. I picked at a piece of lint on my shirt and watched as it floated away in the breeze.

"Why? What have Emmett and Alice told you that wasn't really their business to tell you?"

"Oh, Edward, don't be like that. You know your brother and sister love you and care about you and are happy for you when you're happy. We already knew about Bella being Alice's new roommate, they just told us a little bit about Bella and you. And some recent developments between you two, you know?"

_Oh fuck it all!_

"So…what?" I huffed, disgusted with Emmett and Alice. "They told you about the pepper spray incident?"

"What? Pepper spray? Who said anything about pepper spray? Wait just a moment, Edward, let me get your father. Don't hang up."

_Oh shit! Why didn't I ask first? _ I heard shifting around and muffled voices before the phone went to speaker.

"Edward? What's this about a girl and pepper spray?"

"Hi, Dad."

"Oh…uh, hello, Son. Now what's this about the 'pepper spray incident'? Did this girl, Bella, spray you with pepper spray? What were you trying to do to her that she would do that to you?"

_Oh for fuck's sake!_

I sighed. "It's not what you're thinking. Yes, she sprayed me with pepper spray but it was an accident. She went for a run last night and I thought I'd follow her, to make sure she was okay. But she thought I was an attacker, so she hid and sprayed me in the face when I got close enough."

"Oh, Edward!"

"No, it's okay Mom. I'm okay." I pinched the bridge of my nose, pissed off at Emmett, Alice and now myself as well.

"Well, you know, if it ever happens again, there's an easy way to wash it out. Believe it or not, you just…"

"…use baby shampoo. Yeah, I know that, Dad."

"Oh… well. You knew that?"

"Well, I didn't, but Bella did and she had baby shampoo so she let me use it. And it does really work, just in case you've ever wondered. No need for you to try to ascertain that for yourself."

I heard them both laugh. I smiled, imagining my mom spraying my dad with pepper spray, just so he could be sure. A little personal experimentation on his part.

"So you just followed her to make sure she'd be safe?" my mom asked.

"Yeah, she was upset and wanted to go for a run, but she didn't want company. I wasn't going to go, but then I figured, you know…better safe than sorry. So I followed her at a distance, not letting her know I was there.

"Why was she upset with you?" my dad asked.

"No…she wasn't upset with me…she was upset with her ex-boyfriend. She had spoken to him on the phone and, I don't know, she just wanted to go for a run afterward because she was kind of angry."

"So she has an _ex-boyfriend_." My mom's voice paused and I knew instantly where she was headed. "Does she have a _new_ boyfriendnow?"

_And…there it is! Could she possibly sound any more hopeful? But...huh...does Bella have a new boyfriend? Maybe. Definitely maybe. I think she has one if she wants one._

"Edward? Are you there?"

"Huh? Oh, uh yeah, sorry, still here. Uh…I don't really know yet."

"But you like her? You must if you're spending time with her and worried about her safety."

_Fuck! Don't they have something else they need to be doing?_

I sighed. _Let's get this shit over with._ "Yeah, I like her. I'm pretty sure she likes me. We have fun together. She's nice and she's smart and she's got a good sense of humor. She gets along well with Alice, Emmett, Jasper and Rose and it's fun to do stuff together. You'd both like her."

"Maybe you'd like to invite her to come next weekend, when you come for Mom's birthday?"

"Oh, yeah, I'll see what she says. I'll ask her later today."

"Now Edward, I know you're twenty-one and that makes you a legal adult, but I'm still your father and I just want to make sure you're thinking about…

_No! Please no! Don't say it!_

"…taking the necessary precautions…

_Fuck, no! Just please don't even go there!_

"… if, or when, you and this girl decide you're ready for…

_Fuck! Mom, just get off the phone now! Run!_

…a physical relationship."

_Oh… thank God… that could have been so much worse!_

"Oh Carlisle, for goodness' sake! You can talk to him like he's an adult. Edward, your father and I just want to make sure you use a condom if you and Bella decide to have sexual intercourse. We don't want you taking chances with any sexually transmittable diseases or problems like V.D. or crabs or an unwanted pregnancy."

_Oh fuuuuuuuuucckkk! _I hung my head in my hand, rubbing at my temples, wishing that I'd thought to come up with some excuse for getting myself off the phone about two minutes earlier.

"Edward, did you hear me?"

"Yes, Mom. Loud and clear. You really didn't need to elaborate. We're uh…we're not…doing anything…uh…yet, and if we decide to…I'm not stupid."

"Well, all right, sweetie. We just wanted to make sure you were thinking about it. Like you said before, 'better safe than sorry'."

"Yep, you're right. Well, listen, I've got a pile of homework and a ton of reading that I have to get to, so I'm going to have to get going."

"Okay, Son. We don't want to keep you from your schoolwork. We're glad to hear things are going well and that you're happy. And hopefully we'll get to meet this girlfriend of yours next weekend when you come for Mom's birthday."

"She's not technically my girlfriend, Dad."

"Well, she's a girl and she's a friend. Right?" _Again with the hopeful voice._

"Uh, well yes, Mom." I sighed. "We'll talk soon, okay? Bye."

"Goodbye Edward. Take care, dear."

_Well I think that went exceptionally well. I'm glad we got to chat about me and whether or not I'm attacking girls and having unprotected sex. I just have to go find Emmett and Alice and strangle them both. Fuck!_

I stood up, looking around; hoping my side of the conversation hadn't given anything away to anyone that might have passed by. But the area was still empty and I hadn't been on speakerphone and that was good because I'd have to drop out of school and move to a different state if anyone had overheard that noise._ Fuck!_

I headed to my room where Jasper was working at his desk. I gave him the nod and sat down on my bed, and then I just decided to lie down for a little. The conversation with my parents had put me through hell and I needed to relax.

It didn't take long before I started thinking about what I'd told them about Bella. It was an awfully condensed version of what I'd actually been thinking regarding her. 

From that very first day, Isabella Swan had absolutely, positively gotten to me. Initially she'd pissed me off. Then she confused the hell out of me. I thought about her and it drove me crazy. And then I'd begun to worry about her. And then I smiled about her. Often. To the point where I just couldn't stop thinking about her just about every single minute of every single day. It was getting ridiculous, really. I'd go to class and miss the entire lecture, because I'd be thinking about something she'd done, or something we'd done, or something I'd like to do with her or…to her, but didn't think we were ready. I even had pages of class notes where I'd written her name several times in the margin, like I was some crushing high school girl.

At least I hadn't drawn flowers and hearts. That would have been cause for alarm.

But she was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

There was no artifice about her. She was simply real. She didn't try to disguise or hide her real self. She accepted herself, faults and all, and put herself out there for the rest of the world to take her or leave her. She was sweet and smart and engaging. She was funny and lighthearted. And I so needed lighthearted after what I'd experienced as the alternative. And the icing on the cake was that she was just lovely, and she didn't even know it. She didn't see herself very clearly; didn't see herself for the beauty that she was. But I saw. It was hard to miss. And I wanted to keep her all to myself. I didn't want her to belong to someone else. She was going to be mine. I just had to give her time. We would take our time.

"Are you just going to lie there on your bed with that goofy expression on your face?"

_Shit! I'd forgotten that Jasper was even in the room!_

"Yeah I am…if you're just going to _sit _there with that goofy expression on _your face_. Oh, excuse me, that's just your normal appearance."

"You needn't be a dick, Edward." He acted all huffy as he said that.

"Sometimes you bring out the best in me, Jazz."

Jasper was quiet a moment. He was sitting at his desk, working on something or other for one of his classes. He looked over at me and tried another tack.

"Bella was pretty funny this morning."

"Yeah, she held her own against Emmett. I didn't see that coming. That was pretty awesome. Did you hear how high-pitched his voice got?"

"No shit!" mimicked Jasper, sounding exactly like Emmett at the breakfast table. "What do you want to bet that he and Rose wind up in the shower over in her dorm? You know they won't dare try it in our dorm because they'd have to be right here in our suite and they know we'd catch them being all porno."

I laughed. "Yeah, that's a little too close for comfort. What do you want to bet he wears the assless chaps?"

Jasper doubled over, laughing. "Ooh! That's so animalistic; so primal." His voice sounded a lot like Rose's. "He's probably spraying pepper spray all over poor Rose right now." He was laughing so hard he was nearly choking.

I was laughing at Jasper. He did the best impressions of Emmett and Rosalie. But this was his sister he was talking about, for God's sake!

He finally calmed down and looked over at me, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Seriously, Edward, Bella is great. Alice just loves her to death, and you know how picky our Alice is. She doesn't just latch on to people. And Bella just goes along with whatever crazy thing Alice says or does. They're awfully cute friends. I really like her."

"Yeah, I, tend to agree with you. Bella is great and she's great with Alice." I smiled at him. "It's not always very easy to be great with Alice."

He just rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying a word because I wouldn't want anything to get back to my little darlin'."

I laughed. He didn't need to elaborate.

"It's good to see you happy, Edward. At first I thought there was something wrong with your face, and then I realized that it was just you smiling all the time for a change."

"I'd say 'Fuck you,' but you'd probably take me seriously and I'm not into that. But thanks; it's nice to feel happy."

"It's been three years, right? It's about fucking time, dude!" He reached over, punching me hard in the shoulder.

There was a heavy knock at the door.

"Entrée," Jasper yelled.

Emmett strode into the room. "Hey Bro, Jazz," he nodded at each of us.

Jasper couldn't resist. "Do I smell Irish Spring? Emmett, did you just take a shower?" Jasper was waggling his eyebrows at me.

"What? No." Emmett pulled his shirt away from his body, sniffing at it with a confused expression on his face. "What the hell are you talking about? How come I can never understand what the hell you're talking about? What's wrong with him, Edward?"

"Isn't your hair wet, Emmett?" I asked him, curious, my brows knitted.

Jasper cackled. Emmett shook his head and turned to leave. He looked disgusted with us.

"Wait, Emmett, come back. We're sorry. Jasper's crazy and he just gets out of hand and you know I'm such a follower. Come on back, Emmett, seriously."

Emmett turned back to us, a little uncertainly.

"Come on. Come in and sit down."

He shut the door and came back over to us a little hesitantly, finally pulling out the chair at my desk and sitting down. "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Miss Isabella Swan and all her glory," Jasper drawled, with a smug smile on his face.

Emmett brightened, looking at me as I rolled my eyes. _Thanks, Jasper. Let's everyone ridicule and point at me now._

"Baby Bro' is finally gonna' get lucky!"

_Who the hell let Emmett in here, anyway? _"I take exception to the "finally" in that sentence. It's not like I've never been 'lucky', you know."

"Well, there's an expiration date on 'lucky'. After three years have passed, you're a born-again-virgin, Edward." He guffawed and Jasper, damn it, joined him.

I turned away from them, lying face down now, pulling my pillow over my head, raising my fist in the air and extending my middle finger in salute to them both.

They laughed harder. Emmett's foot gave my ass a shove.

"Oh, get over yourself, pretty boy! You've met a really nice girl and she seems to really like you. You're lucky right there, but maybe you'll get even luckier. We like to make your life miserable, but you know we're happy for you. It's our way of letting you know we think you're special. She is too. She's a cool girl, and apparently she's got a wicked streak in her. We all got to see that this morning. Bella'z got ballz!"

I turned back to look at him, smirking now. "I wish you could have seen your face when she got done with you."

Emmett smirked right back at me. "Edward, I am so looking forward to seeing your face when she gets done with you, if and when that happens."

_Okay, so that was a really great line. I have absolutely no snappy comeback for that one. I'm looking forward to that point in time, too, if and when it's going to happen; hopefully when, not if._

"Okay, so now, why are you actually here, Emmett? You didn't just come over to ridicule me with Jasper, did you?"

"Actually, no. I was on the phone earlier with Dad. He wanted me to remind you and Alice that it's Mom's birthday this next weekend. He wanted to make sure we were all still planning on coming home for her birthday dinner on Saturday."

I had already begun shaking my head as he spoke.

"That reminds me, Emmett… I want to thank you for running your mouth off to Mom and Dad about me and Bella earlier today. I don't know what all you and Alice told them, but I wound up accidentally spilling the pepper spray story, minus the shower details of course, and wound up getting an earful of the benefits of condom usage."

Emmett's dimples fired up and he started in, "Well, Edward, as your Resident Advisor and your brother, you can see me for any questions or concerns you have regarding sex with the opposite sex."

"Thanks, Emmett, as your Resident Advisee and brother, somehow I think I'll manage just fine without your assistance." It was time to change the topic of conversation. "I've still got to get a gift for Mom. I completely forgot about this weekend."

"Can't imagine where your mind's been." He raised his eyebrows and looked knowingly at Jasper. Jasper nodded back in unspoken agreement, eyebrows raised as well.

I rolled my eyes at them both. "Did you tell Dad we were all going?"

"Yeah. I told him I was bringing Rose and that Alice was bringing Jasper. I told him you would maybe ask Bella. You know how happy it would make them to have the chance to meet her; to see you this happy again. Alice has probably filled them in, being her roommate and all."

I had no idea if Bella had anything going on this weekend, and I hadn't remembered the party, let alone thought to ask her. I didn't even know if she'd want to come with us for the weekend. I honestly didn't know what kind of can of worms it might be opening up if she did come. "Yeah, I'll ask her today if she becomes available." I grimaced at Jasper.

"What? Where is she?" Emmett asked.

I sighed and admitted my defeat to him. "Alice has her sequestered in their room so she can get all the details about last night. I was forced to leave."

"And you just let her do that? You've got to get Bella out of there. Send Jasper as a decoy so Bella can escape that shit."

I looked at Jasper. He stood up slowly, smiling and waggling his eyebrows, prepared to run interference.

I looked at him critically. "No, Jasper, you're not quite ready; you've got to go in fully loaded. This calls for the kilt."

Emmett and Jasper burst out laughing. Jasper removed the skirt from his closet, dropped his jeans, and pulled on his kilt. Now he was ready. Alice couldn't resist the kilt.

He and Emmett left at the same time. I kind of wished that I'd gone upstairs with Jasper, just to see or hear Alice's reaction. I'm pretty sure she must have shrieked.

But in no time at all, probably less than two minutes, there was a little knock on my door. I opened it to see Bella standing there, a little breathless, with a big smile on her face. I started laughing then I reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into my room and into my arms. I think I was almost growling when I asked, "What took you so damn long to get here?" And then I kicked the door shut with my foot.

She was smiling as she looked up at me, lifting her arms and putting them around my neck. She raised an eyebrow. "What took you so damn long to send Jasper?"

**A/N: Choose one of the following topics and write a brief essay: ;)**

**"Studying" in The Damn Fine Swanky Fort**

**Alice: Twin on a Mission**

**Edward Past and Present**

**Esme and Carlisle Tie the Gossip Thread into a Bow**

**Edward and His Homeboys**

**Read on if the next chapter has been ****revised****! And review, review, review!**


	27. Comparing Notes

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Thanks to all of you reading this silly little fanfic. I hope more of you will leave your footprint on this and leave a review. You must be enjoying it if you've made it to chapter 27. Please, please, don't make me beg.

Shit. I just begged.

Not mine originally. Totally belongs to SM. This, however is my little slice of it. Like you were confused and thought this was hers...pffft! No infringing, certainly no cringing, intended.

So, meanwhile...back at the swanky fort. Bella's been held hostage by a wild pixie, hell bent on a scoop gathering expedition. This is their chapter.

**Chapter 27: Comparing Notes (Revised)**

**BPOV**

Edward and I had gone to breakfast together earlier this morning to face Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose as a united front. We'd known they were going to give us a hard time. Jasper had caught Edward and me in the shower last night, and reported the incident to Alice. She had advised us to get our story straight for this morning.

I think I surprised them with my willingness to come to Edward's rescue at breakfast, and more importantly, I had decided I would beat them at their own game. Edward had warned me about what was to come, and I'd been prepared. I think it's safe to say I shut Emmett right down, and the rest of them had some pretty stunned expressions on their faces as well. Well, except for Alice; she had just looked delighted beyond words.

What I hadn't been prepared for was the reaction of all of the other people that I saw in the dining hall this morning. The minute Edward and I walked in all eyes were on us and the whole room quieted. It was kind of eerie. Some of those people I didn't even know!

Why had they all been so focused on us? Surely they hadn't all heard tales about last night's shower? How could that news have traveled that fast? And we had merely kissed, for goodness' sake! If they had heard about it, they were treating it as if it was an occurrence of epic proportions. That was probably part of it right there, if word had been passed, the story had most likely been blown _out of proportion_.

I think I can say with utmost confidence that we are going to be the big topic of conversation for a while to come. I know we'll hear whispered conversation wherever we go for at least a few days.

After that bizarre breakfast I'd invited Edward to come study up in the swanky fort. We both had some assignments that we needed to finish. I figured we could just hang out together while we got our work done. He'd joined me upstairs shortly afterward and we'd settled down amidst the cushions and pillows.

I hadn't thought things through very well, however. After last night's shower make-out session and then additional kissing in the laundry room after midnight, it was extremely difficult to just sit there in the swanky fort and concentrate on schoolwork, knowing that Edward and his mouth were just _right there_. Those beautifully sculptured lips were mocking me, taunting me.

I tried reading for a while. Edward had read a little and then he began working on a paper for another class. Every so often he would reach over and hold my hand and then he would eventually take it back to type a little more on his laptop. That little gesture told me that he was just as aware of me as I was of him.

He was the one to concede defeat first, but I threw in the towel immediately after him. There was just no way to concentrate on assignments with all of this new _stuff_ clouding our minds. And so we began make-out session round three and it was just as breathtaking as the first two times around.

I'm not sure if it's the newness of it, or if it's the general _Edwardness_ of it, but kissing him becomes rather overpowering rather quickly. Emmett had wondered if Edward knew what he was doing; if he had become "rusty" from lack of use in the past three years. That was not the case at all. _Holy crap, does that boy know what he's doing!_

When we eventually came up for air we had an entertaining conversation, looking back at the way we'd met and how we'd reacted to each other that awful first day. It was funny to share our thoughts and initial reactions at this point, now that we knew each other better.

But the conversation turned more serious when Edward told me that I made him happy, that he'd found something he didn't even know he'd been looking for, and that he woke up happy in the mornings. It was a little overwhelming and somewhat touching to hear that, but I'm glad for Edward and of course for myself.

I had just leaned in to kiss him after he'd told me that, when the door opened and Alice suddenly appeared. It was obvious that she wasn't going to leave until she got what she wanted and what she wanted was to corner me without Edward around and get "the detes".

Edward put up a good fight, but Alice won in the end. I got the feeling that Alice usually won in a battle of wills, but I think part of that is just how much Edward cares for her. She is his friend even more so than she is his sibling.

I heard his laughter out in the hallway as he left, even as Alice and I were giggling within the room. The two of them had behaved like children. They had stuck their tongues out at each other in irritation and she had thrown a pillow at him when he taunted her before leaving. I could easily imagine what their childhood might have been like. I could imagine little Alice a torment to little Edward, until she finally succeeded in bending his will to hers. Time and time again. It was enough to break a person down over time. I chuckled inwardly at her persistence.

Once Edward was gone, Alice folded her petite self up and sank down into the cushions near me in the swanky fort. Her eyes were sparkling. She grabbed my hand. She appeared to be on the verge of a shriek. Hopefully not.

"So, Bella…pepper spray! All it took was a little spritz of pepper spray to knock down the remnants of Edward's rapidly crumbling walls? I would never have imagined that."

I hung my face in my hands, moaning. "Oh, Alice, I felt so terrible! He was trying to be kind and watching over me and I doused him with that nasty shit. And then he couldn't see anything and stumbled and fell and was rolling around on the ground in pain."

"Who would have thought it would have had such a positive end result?" Her smile sparkled all the way up to her eyes.

My mind inadvertently flashed on the _interim_ positive end result of me straddling him, trying to get him to stop rubbing at his eyes, and suddenly feeling his growing erection beneath me. _Holy hell! It just got waaay too hot in here. Oh. No…just me blushing. _

I cleared my throat and managed to get myself under control. Thank God Alice had no way of knowing the real reason for my blush. "Oh, Alice, I wouldn't recommend it to anybody despite the end result."

"But Bella, I'm so happy! You and Edward! It's just so perfect!"

"Alice," I tried to calm her down a little, "It's not that big of a deal; we've only just kissed." I tried to make it sound like it was really no big deal. Alice saw right through that.

"I know, but you're TOGETHER-_together-_together. And by the way, when you say 'we just kissed,' are we talking 'individual kiss' or 'make-out session'?"

"Well…" I blushed. _Damn it. I always blush._ "Okay, I guess 'session' is more accurate."

She beamed at me conspiratorially. "How many sessions now total? Inquiring minds want to know. At least _my_ inquiring mind wants to know. Spill the detes!" Her eyebrows were arched. "Two?"

"Well, actually three now."

Alice shrieked, and I quickly stuck my fingers in my ears.

"Alice, it's just kissing. Nothing else has happened," I explained to her. "I'm not ready. Not with everything that's been going on. I kind of need to take things slowly."

"Oh, Bella, I know that nothing else has happened yet, but it will. In the meantime, Bella dear, you've found the right guy. He's going to take whatever happens very seriously. You know that don't you?"

I blushed at that. "I'm taking this seriously too. I really like Edward. I like being with him; it feels good to be with him."

Alice leaned back against a cushion. "Ah, Bella, you and Edward," she sighed contentedly, "and me…we're going to be so happy together!"

I giggled at her. "Did Edward know this was going to be a package deal?"

She laughed. "Poor Edward. He's had to deal with me his entire life, starting in the womb. There I was right next to him, making big plans and bossing him around. And it hasn't stopped to this day. But you know, I've always felt really close to both Edward and Emmett; kind of like they're my kids and I have to watch out for them. It bugs the crap out of Emmett sometimes; he'll even call me a pain in the ass mini-mom. I think it's because he's older than me, but…I don't know, even though Emmett is older than me, I've always had this motherly attitude toward both of them. Edward maybe a little more so than Emmett, but that's probably because Edward is my twin.

"They say that twins always have a special bond; that they have a connection and can feel or sense a lot of what the other is feeling and experiencing. I think if you asked Edward, he'd agree that we're often on the same wavelength. Though I know there are times that he probably wishes he were an only child. But I mistreat him out of love. Just like Emmett does. He has to know that."

I smiled at Alice. "He knows. I think you three have a really special relationship. We outsiders are envious. I've always wished there were someone else to go through my life with me. But Edward did say something about how nice it might be to be an only child the other evening, when we were leaving on our non-date."

"Oh Bella, just cut the non-date nonsense! That was _so _a date! You both got all cleaned up, prettied up, dressed nicely, agonized over what to wear. Oh, yeah, and you matched each other, head-to-toe. How entertaining was that? You're two peas in a pod!"

"I didn't agonize over what to wear!"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, come on, Bella, _puh-leez_, you tried on half of what's in your closet before you finally decided on an outfit."

She did have a point. "How do you know Edward agonized over what to wear?"

"I have my sources," Alice smirked.

_Jasper! Of course!_ Oh boy, this was going to be tricky for the two of us. Alice and Jasper were double agents, spying on me and Edward and sharing information with the other side. It boggled the mind. Nothing either Edward or I did or said would ever be safe from these two again.

But I pondered what she'd just told me a moment ago.

_So Edward 'agonized over what to wear'…and he had been freshly showered and shaved…and smelled so masculinely good…for me._

I sighed, but it was a happy sigh. "You know, Alice, the five of you are so sweet to each other; such a tight knit little group, looking out for each other. I grew up an only child. I was always a bookworm with the characters in stories for friends, of sorts. I've never been real out-going; I guess I'm kind of quiet. I've gone through life more or less a loner, doing my own thing. But I kind of always wished that I had siblings that would be there for me."

"Well, now you have us! Seriously Bella, don't you feel like you belong with us? I've felt a connection with you almost from the very beginning. You're one of the most normal girls I've ever met. There's no superficiality with you and you just put yourself out there, take it or leave it. I love that about you. I was so happy that we were going to be roommates. And it's been such great fun these past two weeks!" She grabbed both of my hands suddenly and held our arms aloft. "Bella…you complete me!"

I laughed at her exuberance. "I would have thought that was Jasper's job."

"Well, yeah," she grinned as she nodded, "Jasper does do most of the completing that I need, but if and when I'm in the mood for a chick, you're it girlfriend!"

"In that case, Alice…" I held our arms aloft again, "…you complete me, too."

She smiled a self-satisfied little smile. "And now you're completing Edward as well."

I smiled.

She hugged a pillow to herself happily.

I decided to ask the question that had been gnawing at me.

"Alice, there's just one thing I'd like to know…"

"Yes?" she asked sweetly.

"How long have you been working on this?"

She cocked her head, looking momentarily confused. "What do you mean?"

"How long have you intentionally been throwing me and Edward together, plotting and hoping something would come of it?"

Her silvery little laugh pealed through the room as she flopped over sideways into the pillows.

"Hell's bells, Bella! Was I that obvious?" she managed to ask, still giggling, after she regained her composure and sat back up.

"Totally obvious. Where was your finesse?"

"I thought I was pretty devious and sly. Not the case?"

"No, not so much." I grinned at her.

She got a wicked gleam in her eye. "Do you want the complete run-down?"

"Of course! And I expect some inside scoop on Edward, too." _I could deal efficiently with a double agent. After all Alice was most certainly going to be taking key tidbits back to the Edward-camp at some point._

"Well, naturally! That goes without saying!" We both giggled and then settled into the pillows and cushions a little more comfortably.

"Well, it all started the very first day that I met you; in fact it was right after Jasper and I spoke with you upstairs here, when I checked to see if my roommate had started moving in.

"We had gone to breakfast with Edward and you came into the dining hall shortly afterward. I watched Edward watching you when you came in. That might not seem like much, but if you'd spent the last few years with Edward, you'd know that was really out of character. He never seemed to notice anyone, or even really see people around him, especially girls. He was intentionally blocking everyone out; making himself off-limits. But he watched you from the time you came into the dining hall that morning, until you finally settled down with your food. You looked upset about something and he seemed rather concerned as he watched you. That was a marathon stare for him. I knew he was interested right then and there and I decided to try to help it along if I could, because I wasn't sure if he realized that he was interested, or if he would even allow himself to be."

"That was just when I had met Victoria and began to realize how dreadful this year might become. I thought I'd be stuck with her the whole year and it was such a dismal prospect. In fact, I remember after meeting you, thinking, 'why can't _she _be my roommate?'"

"And now we are!" Alice smiled at me. "The world works in mysterious ways!"

"I think it's more a case of _you _working in mysterious ways. So you hatched your evil plan to hook Edward and me up on that first day you were back?

"Guilty. Although it wasn't really a plan, it was merely a direction we were going to head in." She laughed. "We were going to head in _your _direction, with Edward kicking and screaming if need be."

I laughed. "What do you remember happening next?"

"Emmett told us during breakfast that we had to hear the story about how you and Edward had met initially. Edward grumbled about it, but then he told us the story. He kept glancing over at you as he explained how you nearly ran him over with the cart, how he grabbed your cactus and wound up with a handful of stickers, how your phones got mixed up and you gave him shit about the ringtone Emmett had forced on him. Oh, and then you somehow locked his keys in his car."

I put my head in my hands. "That poor guy! He didn't deserve what I put him through, even though it was all unintentional. I do these horrible things to him and he just lets it go."

"And he keeps coming back for more!" Alice giggled. "Edward must be a real glutton for punishment. But Bella, you made him notice you. Granted, it was a weird way to get a guy's attention, but you definitely had his attention. And he was used to paying attention to _no one_. You gave him a wild story to tell all of us. And you gave us all a lot of ammunition for driving him crazy. I think it worked out well. He was forced to think about you a lot.

"Oh, and I must add here, getting the tow truck guy to unlock his car for him was a classy touch. You honestly didn't have to do that. He could have done that for himself. But the thing is, it got to him. He realized you were kind and it made him feel like an idiot for yelling at you. It pushed a lot of his buttons. Edward is really an old soul and he's kind. He'd just not had to interact with girls for a while and it made him squirm a little uncomfortably to think that he'd been so rude to you. And then he felt like he had to go apologize to you, so that was just one more way he had to interact with you. Emmett gave him shit for acting like a douche to you.

"He was also squirming uncomfortably when I asked him to help carry my stuff up to my room that day. Well, not at first; he came along willingly, but then when he saw that you were helping me and standing by my cartload of stuff, I could hear him growling under his breath." Alice giggled, rubbing her hands together, like she enjoyed reminiscing about a good diabolical plot. "But his eyes were on you, watching you. I watched him checking you out!"

That was enough to restart my blush.

"The next thing was the shopping trip. I invited him without telling him that you were also coming along. He didn't know until he saw you waiting outside for us. What could he say at that point? He had already said he'd some along. I knew he was a little bothered with me, but I also knew that he would be okay. And then I insisted you two go shopping for your lamps together. When you two met up with me after finding your lamps I could see that he was letting himself have a little fun. You were both smiling. Oh, and you bought matching lamps for Christ's sake! Peas in a pod!" Alice began a giggling fit but then she sobered up again quickly.

"And then Jake called you when we were driving home. Do you remember that?"

"Vaguely. How do you remember all of this?"

"It was important stuff! I knew you were having an effect on Edward. I knew he was curious about you. When we got back to the dorm Edward came back to my room, carrying my purchases and I asked him who he thought Jake was. He obviously didn't know but we both figured it was a boyfriend by how you had spoken to him. Edward said he didn't care, but I could tell he was a little deflated, thinking about that because he had been having a little fun before that. He still had absolutely no idea that you had piqued his interest. But it had already started.

And that night was the big dorm meeting. He had his eyes on you almost the whole time. He didn't look at a single other girl in that room, well he looked at who you were sitting with, but he wasn't checking out anyone other than you. And I think I can safely say that you were watching him an awful lot during that meeting. I don't know if you were eyeing him or if you just wondered why he kept staring at you."

I blushed. "Edward is pretty compelling. I remember his eyes on me. I kept looking back over at him wondering 'why'? I wondered if he was still angry with me. I didn't know what to think about him. Jessica had told me a little bit about him and I was just curious about him. He seemed different; a little standoffish. My eyes were just drawn to him."

Alice continued her reminiscing. "Mike Newton said something about you at lunch that day that really pissed Edward off. It was something kind of crude, but I don't remember what he said exactly. That's the whole reason Edward went to the barbecue and stayed for the dance. Edward never stays for that kind of stuff. He often doesn't even go. But he was there to watch over you; whatever Newton had said bothered him and he didn't want you to have to put up with his sleazy crap.

"Then, when So-You-Think-You-Can-Dance-Newton started flailing around, I don't think Edward could take it anymore. When I saw him bringing you back over to our table…that was epic! That was when I knew Edward was a goner. He didn't even realize it, but he was already crushing on you, wanting to protect you, bringing you into our fold. Jasper, Rose, Emmett and I decided to ditch you two so you'd have the opportunity to spend a little time alone and talk on the walk back here. Edward was being so _un-Edward_ and it was a little exciting to see it happening."

"I had the distinct feeling that Edward thought about kissing me that night when we got back to the dorm. Instead he asked me who Jake was; just kind of blurted it out. It seemed like he wanted to kiss me but wondered if I was off-limits."

Alice smiled at that. "I'm sure he was wondering, Bella. We didn't know at that point, and it was probably bothering him all day. He'd been lonely for a long time, but I don't think he was even that aware of it. He just kept going through the motions of day-to-day life, completely avoiding any kinds of feelings for anyone. Suddenly he had feelings for you and there was the chance you were taken."

"I told him about Jake; that he was my boyfriend. I remember suddenly feeling dreadful that I had to admit that I had a boyfriend. I hadn't thought about Jake much that whole evening. That was a really rough night. That was when I began questioning what the heck I was doing and how I had been feeling regarding Jake and our relationship."

Alice nodded. "That was a rough night for Edward too. Jasper said Edward was up on the roof the whole night, playing his guitar and then he must have dozed off. He didn't return to the room until morning. He hadn't slept well and he was in a really foul mood. He told Jasper then that you'd said you had a boyfriend.

Alice seemed to consider what she was about to say. "But I think the fact that there was a Jake, initially, was one reason why Edward didn't shy away from you. He figured you were safe territory; he could let you become a friend because you already had someone, and that was why he allowed himself to get a little closer to you. I think he felt that there was no threat of you becoming…or a threat of him wanting you to become…_more. _ He didn't know it was already too late and he was going to get so wrapped up in you."

I smiled at Alice, thinking how that had played out in reality. "I guess the same thing happened to me. I figured that I had Jake and that anyone I got to know was just a friend. I didn't realize that my feelings for Jake had diminished as much as they had. I think I was just going through the motions since about mid-summer. It was like our relationship was turning into a chore. And then I began thinking about Edward a lot and I felt like I was really being a traitor to Jake. We'd talk on the phone and I would catch myself wondering what Edward was up to and whether or not I'd see him that day or the next day. That was hard for me to deal with. I didn't want to be thinking about Edward but I couldn't stop."

"That was the Freudian slip, period, wasn't it?"

I keeled over into the cushions. Face down. I couldn't look at her. She knew _everything_. Shit!

"Bella? Bella, that's not doing anybody any good. Bella, sit up, for Christ's sake!"

I sat up quickly, not wanting her angered. _You have to keep these double agents sympathetic to your side._ I looked at her sheepishly. "It was like my brain and my mouth weren't on the same playing field. I kept blurting out all of these things that had some kind of underlying sexual innuendo. I can't believe I said the things I did to him."

"Well, I can. Edward's a really nice guy but he's also a very good-looking guy. I mean, yes, he's my brother, and I know the disgusting things he's capable of, but I know that he's worthy of a girl's impure thoughts. Lots of girls have had impure thoughts about Edward and have come right out and expressed them to him. The difference is he didn't care about any of _them_."

I was blushing furiously now. Maybe it was time to send Edward an S.O.S. text.

"Those stupid things I accidentally said must have made it hard for him to be around me."

Alice fell over into a heap, laughing hysterically. "Oh, I think that was exactly the problem." She was gasping for breath. "You made _it hard_ for him to be around you."

I was back, face down in the cushions now. And I wasn't going to sit back up. Again. Ever. I was mortified. _How could she say that about her own brother? Gah! Double Gah!_

"Okay, okay," Alice finally managed when her laughter subsided, "so that was a little crude. I apologize. Sit up. Or don't sit up. Just listen to me. Those little inadvertent sexual innuendo comments woke him up. Well, they actually probably bitch-slapped him and wreaked havoc with his neatly tied up little world. He was attracted to you, and was realizing that you must have felt the same way on some level.

He'd spent enough time feeling guilty about Tanya, and I think he realized that he missed having a connection with someone other than family. He missed caring about someone…_romantically_…you know? And your tie to Jake made this happen slowly, and that was exactly what Edward needed. What you and he both still need."

I didn't sit up, but I did turn my head toward her so she could hear me.

"He told me about her. About Tanya. What an awful thing for him to go through at such a young age, and to feel like he should have been able to stop it; to feel guilty that he was somehow partly at fault."

"Yeah," she said quietly, her eyes a little distant, "it was difficult for a long time. He was a mess for so long; so sad and so broken. He went through a lot of counseling and therapy the rest of the school year. Edward almost didn't graduate because of all of the turmoil in his life. But he's a smart guy; he got himself in gear and made up enough credits to graduate on time.

"That was up in Alaska. We moved down here, to Port Angeles, at the end of our senior year. Emmett was already down here in Seattle, going to school here at U Dub, and Edward and I had already been accepted for the Fall. I think moving was good for all of us and I think it was good that we started here at school together; it helped keep him on track with us here to support him. You know that's why he wants to go into counseling, don't you? I think he wants to give back and maybe help some other Tanya out there someday."

I nodded. "I figured that was the case. That's a nice way for him to honor her memory too."

"Truthfully," she said, "I never really cared that much for Tanya. I felt like she was sucking him dry and not giving him very much in return. I never really quite saw what he saw in her. Maybe it was just that she made him feel needed. I don't think it was really love. I think it was just a crush that got really out of hand and eventually became something destructive for him. But that's the past. You can't change the past."

"No," I agreed, "our pasts make us who we are; we're the sum total of everything we've ever experienced."

Alice smiled gently at me. "That was a big step for him to tell you about Tanya. No one except our family knows; and of course I told Jasper and Emmett told Rose. But you're the first outside person he's ever told. He was letting you inside his heart that day."

"I let him in a little that day too. I let him know that I was interested in him; even though I still had Jake. I was already on the fence."

"The text, right?" she asked. "Where you told him 'maybe you'd met someone else you wanted.'

"Damn, you know everything!"

"Well, I aim for omniscience." Alice snickered. "That really required no digging on my part. He actually was so happy about it he told me and Jasper and then showed us the text. He was so hopeful. But it's good to hear your side of the story. You two just belong together, and it just reaffirms it in my mind!" Alice looked so very smug.

I sighed. "After I thought things through and sent Edward that text, that was when I knew Jake and I were done. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I knew I had to do it. I had to break up with him. It wasn't fair to either of us to try to keep going. Every time I talked on the phone to Jake, it seemed I would come away upset. And whenever I spent time with Edward I would feel so light and happy. I felt bad having Jake come visit, because I knew where things were headed. He didn't know; well, that's not true, he suspected. He said he felt it coming. It was still horrible."

"I was surprised that Edward wanted to stay here that weekend. He had talked about going home to Port Angeles to see our mom and dad; you know, to escape the ordeal and avoid having to see you and Jake and the possibility that you'd change your mind and stay with him."

"I asked Edward to stay. I guess I was just chickenshit. I knew where the day was going to be headed and that it wasn't going to be one of my best days. I knew I'd want to see Edward afterward, so that I wouldn't feel quite as miserable. He'd kind of become my rock; he always manages to make me smile. I just had no idea Edward and Jake would actually run into each other that awful day."

"Yeah, they ran into each all right. They ran into each other's faces with their fists."

I covered my face with my hands, remembering. "That was terrible! Both of them winding up all bruised and battered. I'm just glad Jasper and Emmett were there to prevent it from escalating."

Alice nodded solemnly. "I'd never seen Edward so volatile. When Jake banged on the roof of you truck I heard Edward say, "What the hell?" And then the moment Jake grabbed your shoulder he just took off in a sprint, yelling, "What the fuck!". I thought Jake was going to pound the shit out of Edward. Edward's not a brawler, but Jake looks like he could go a few rounds in a ring. At least Emmett and Jasper got there before either of them could throw anymore punches."

I looked up at Alice; she looked so sympathetic. "I was so torn, wanting to stay with Edward and leave with Jake. I had to get through things with Jake and I knew you guys would take care of Edward."

"When we got him back up to the dorm Emmett took over and got him some ice and listened to Edward, to let him, you know, 'decompress.' They eventually joined us at lunch, though Edward didn't eat much. I think he was still really worried about you being off with Jake somewhere and he couldn't be there to protect you. After that, he just sat around the rest of the day, watching and waiting for you to come back. He was really anxious. He was worried that Jake would hurt you or at the other end of the spectrum, that'd you'd wind up patching things up and working things out."

I looked down at my hands. "It was not my proudest moment that day. I wanted to be with both of them but could only be with Jake."

"You had to be with Jake that day. Now you can be with Edward...everyday."

We were silent for a bit before I looked back up at Alice. I felt a little embarrassed as I spoke, but I wanted Alice to know how I was feeling about Edward.

"I have a lovely time with him." I smiled. "He's such a gentleman to me and so incredibly sweet. He's got a good heart, so kind and thoughtful. He's really fun to be with too; he keeps me laughing. He's funny, interesting, and he's smart. And of course it doesn't hurt that he's got to be the most attractive guy I've ever met." I blushed to top that all off.

"He's perfect?" Alice asked with a big smile on her face.

I nodded happily. "He's perfect."

"He's met the perfect girl." She beamed at me. "And I'm not the only one that thinks that. The rest of the gang agrees. Rose is glad there's another girl to hang with. Emmett and Jasper are just happy as clams that they have this whole new unexplored universe of torment for Edward. And Edward, well, I think he never imagined he'd feel this happy; he was such an empty shell before. You, Bella dear, have done wonders for his soul."

"I just hope he doesn't feel like I'm taking too much time to get my act together. I don't want to move things along too quickly, you know? I've got to admit, I'm a little scared. I've never really experienced something like this. Jake and I were friends for so long and then things just kind of gradually shifted and changed into a relationship. I've never just met a guy, and then started to get to know him, and then begun to…um…to..."

"…to fall in 'like' with him?" Alice asked helpfully, a soft smile on her lips.

I smiled as I felt the blush washing over my face. "Yeah, I've never fallen in 'like' before and I want to be careful with those feelings and what's developing. I'm afraid to rush it before its time. I don't want it ruined."

"Well, Edward is the King of Controland, a Master of Restraint. For one thing, I think he's still a little worried about the threat of loss, so I can't imagine him jumping into something too fast either. He'd want to make sure something is real before he puts himself out there completely. You're two frickin' peas in a pod. I can't say it enough."

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" we both said simultaneously, turning our gaze to the other side of the room.

The door opened slowly and Jasper came into view, standing there wearing his kilt. "Edward and Emmett made me change into this and sent me up here to distract Alice. Bella, here's your chance to escape the Pixie Interrogation and trot downstairs. Feel free to launch yourself into Edward's open arms. Now, run little girly!"

I stood up laughing and took off out the door. I heard Alice's silvery little laugh and Jasper's responding growl behind me as the door slammed shut.

I passed Jessica in the stairwell. "Bet I know where you're headed!" she said, smiling. I returned her smile as I passed her.

Angela was downstairs, talking to Ben. "It's not shower time, is it?" she asked. I shook my head, grinning.

Mike Newton was in Edward's suite. "Bella! We could have had a future together, and instead you're wasting it all on that Cullen fellow." I smiled, rolling my eyes.

Emmett was in the hallway. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Uh…I guess that's not saying much." He scratched his head and grinned and I grinned right back at him.

I knocked on Edward's door. He opened it almost immediately and stood there with a big loopy smile on his face as he grabbed my hand, pulling me into his room, into his arms. "What took you so damn long to get here?" he growled into my neck as he started laughing.

I giggled as he kicked the door shut with his foot. I smiled up at him, raising my eyebrows and asking, "What took you so damn long to send Jasper?"

He looked down at me, smiling, happy, warm and just so heartbreakingly handsome. "I have no idea! Damn, I was so slow!" He bent to kiss me as I stood up on my tiptoes to meet him. My hands went up to the back of his neck and into his wild hair, pulling him down toward me. His lips found mine and our mouths moved in unison, joined in a happy, somewhat frantic dance. I was struck by the silliness of the last few minutes and I giggled as we kissed. I felt his lips curl up into a smile and he laughed a little too, and then resumed the task at hand.

After a few moments his arms tightened around me, but his tongue and lips became infinitesimally lighter and gentler, and there was something very intimate about that tightening of arms and gentling of lips. Something about it seemed reverential; like he was suddenly in awe of what was happening between us.

When we broke that kiss, his hands were on my back and the back of my head, pressing me against him; cradling me into him. I lay my head against his chest, holding him tightly to me. He held me and I listened to the sound of his heart pounding a little wildly. I wondered if he could hear the thudding of my own heart.

I could hear his quiet, shallow breaths and I realized that they mirrored my own. I heard as he sucked in a shaky little breath and then swallowed. "Wow," he breathed quietly into my hair and then paused. I waited. "You said you needed time and I think that's right for both of us, but it's hard to put on the brakes. You don't know how tempting I find you."

I knew exactly how tempting. I was finding myself getting all worked up when I was with him. It would leave me feeling dizzy and happy and yet wanting more.

"I think maybe I do know," I murmured against his chest. His arms tightened around me a bit. I pulled back slightly from him, and looked up into his eyes. They were dark, soft. I reached up and traced down the side of his face, down his neck with my fingertips.

He ran his fingers through his hair and then he cleared his throat, but his voice was still a little thick as he spoke. "Um, yeah, so this is my room…" He waved his arm around indicating the area before us and I giggled. He was putting the brakes on.

"Um, I've seen your room before, Edward. I've been in your room before."

"Shhh, I'm just trying to give you the tour. You've never taken the tour."

"Oh, well, then, please continue." I cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting expectantly. It suddenly hit me that we were here in his room, alone, with the door closed and we were somewhat directionless. There was no swanky fort hang-out-spot and we were trying to pick up where we'd left off before Alice interrupted us.

Edward cleared his throat again. "So this is my room. My desk is over there. Those are my books, my laptop and my lamp, which just so happens to match your lamp. That's my flatscreen TV. My CD and DVD collection is in the crates on the bookshelves. Over here we have my bed with coordinating linens, thanks to Alice. My guitar is over there in the corner."

"It's very nice," I smiled up at him. "You've done wonders with the place."

"Thank you. I didn't have much to work with." He smiled his lopsided grin. "Would you care to sit down?"

I nodded and watched him scan his room. Total lack of swanky fort. There were only desk chairs and… _Nervous much, Edward?_

I pulled gently out of his embrace, letting my hand slip down to his. Then I led him over to his bed and I sat down, pulling him down with me as I looked up at him through my lashes.

"Can we just, um...lie here on your bed a little?"

His voice was a little bit more husky when he spoke. "Yeah. I bet you're glad you took the tour. You remembered right where it was."

I smiled up at him as he shifted back up off the bed for a moment, his hands guiding me backward, scooting me sideways, his dark green-blue eyes gazing into my own.

"We'll keep the brakes on, okay?" I whispered to him.

He nodded. "Yeah," his quiet voice replied.

He climbed onto the bed as I lay back, pulling him down next to me. He slid one arm beneath me, wrapping his other arm around my waist, pulling me towards him and nuzzling against me as I curled into his chest. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent; coming off his warm body, his pillows and his linens; enveloping me. I felt like I was home, where I belonged.

**A/N: Okay, so you made it to the end of chapter 27. Something is holding your interest. If you haven't yet done so, please leave a review. And read on if it's ****revised.**


	28. Weekend Plans

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Thanks for the Chapterlove and Storylove.

This is mine, not hers. But I must thank the source. No infringement intended.

Okay gang, we left them on the bedward. That is where we pick back up. Lots of B & E here. Lots of budding love here. Lots of '_awwwww'_ here. And of course some silly-you know me by now. ;)

**Chapter 28**: **Weekend Plans (Revised)**

**EPOV**

When she'd come down to my room earlier, smiling and finally Alice-free, she'd put a big smile on my face. I'd pulled her to me instantly and I'd kicked the door shut. We'd begun kissing playfully, but after a few moments I had thought about how very important she was becoming to me. And on the heels of that thought I realized how carefully I wanted to treat this thing that was developing between us because I wanted it to last. I kissed her more gently then, just feeling the sensation of her arms around me, her lips and tongue on mine. I didn't want to take a moment of this for granted.

I'd learned how fleeting things could be.

I was concerned about rushing her into something that we should really take slowly and savor. But I wanted her to know how I really felt, so I told her how tempting she was to me. I told her that I was having a hard time putting the brakes on and slowing things down, even though I knew it was the right thing to do. And I knew it was something she wanted and needed as well as I did.

She admitted to me that she did maybe know how tempting I found her. I realized, of course, that she knew what was happening to me. I mean, shit, with all of this emotional stuff, of course there was physical evidence to back it all up. Obviously I couldn't hide it that well. But when I looked down into her eyes, I saw how soft her facial expression had become. I realized that it wasn't just me; she was feeling the temptation as well. I held her just a little bit more tightly then.

She reached up and traced down the side of my face, down my neck with her soft, cool fingertips. I wanted her fingers to just go right ahead along my collarbone and invade my shirt, unbuttoning as they went, maybe scratching her nails down my chest and...

_Crap, I had to put the fucking brakes on!_

I ran my fingers through my hair and then cleared my throat as I pulled us apart a little. "Um, yeah, so this is my room…" I waved my arm around like a game show hostess and Bella giggled. Of course she already had been in my room several times. She probably thought I was nuts, but she seemed to still accept me despite that fact.

I waited for some of the steaminess in our immediate area to dissipate while I pointed out landmarks and points of interest to my beautiful tour group. She had a slight smirk on her face as she listened and looked around.

I asked her then if she wanted to sit down. 'Sit down,' I realized too late, meant either on the two hard and somewhat uncomfortable, ascetic desk chairs, or my softer, far more comfortable, yet infinitely more sexually predisposed bed.

We were instantly doomed.

Doom could be just so fucking enticing sometimes.

Now we'd actually both already sat together on my bed the night of the Popcorn-Skittles-M&Ms-Movie-Ticklefest. And we'd even held hands as we sat there. But sitting on the bed today, compared to that night a week ago, would be very different. There was no longer a cloud named Jake hovering over us. We currently had no chaperones watching, in front of whom we would be curtailing our every move. We could do whatever the heck we wanted; or at least whatever the heck we allowed ourselves…though we might _want_ to do more.

_Hell! _

_I just might be going there._

There was just so much that I thought about doing and wanted to do and didn't want to do and was afraid to do and hoped to do and…

_The brakes! Damn it!_

I just stood there like an indecisive, catatonic imbecile until she came to my rescue and took me by the hand. Of course we were headed for the sexually predisposed bed.

Well, I might have been trying to put the brakes on, but the moment she took me by the hand and led me over to my bed, I was wondering if maybe the brakes were locked, and now we were maybe skidding out of control. But I decided I would follow her lead and I just hoped she was a good copilot and navigator. At any rate, you're supposed to steer into a skid, not away from it. So we were aiming for the bed.

_Shit!_

We sat down and then…_Oh, holy Jesus!_ …she asks me, 'Can we just, um… lie here on your bed a little?' That blush, the shy voice, the eyelashes and the liquid brown eyes...

_Fuck! _

I'm not sure if she heard me gulp. To me it sounded loud and exaggerated, like a cartoon gulp. But I managed to answer her somehow, saying 'yeah'. And then I started babbling like a complete moron. I told her she's probably glad she took the tour because she remembered where the bed was.

_Such an idiot, Cullen!_

Now she's smiling, but she's not laughing at me, so I guess I'm not a complete dork in her eyes. Or maybe she likes dorks, in which case I'm probably the perfect guy. I get up for a second, giving her the room to scoot up on my bed. She moves over and I have my hand on her hip. I'm helping her relocate. My only hope is that I'm not mouth-breathing like a Neanderthal. But she's looking up at me, with those beautiful soft brown doe eyes of hers and she seems okay with what's happening.

Quietly she says, 'We'll keep the brakes on, okay?' I nod and agree and I'm just so glad at least one of us remembered to have any kind of resolve. It's so easy for resolve to just dissolve in this kind of situation.

I climb onto the bed as she lies back, pulling me down next to her as she relaxes back onto my pillow. I wrap my arms around her as she snuggles her way closer to my body and into my heart. I close my eyes, just reveling in the feel of her small, warm body up against mine; her soft breaths tickling at the hairs on my chest just above the line of my T-shirt. She smells so wonderful, she feels so wonderful.

I feel so…whole.

**BPOV**

I am succumbing to the _Edwardness_ of the atmosphere in his room. I think it's his scent, the warmth coming off his body, and the fact that we're on his bed. It's the newness as well. I'm floating. I'm drowning.

I open my eyes and lean toward him, pressing my lips to the hollow at the base of his neck, above the white V-neck T-shirt he is wearing beneath his open, blue, button-down shirt. I kiss my way slowly, gently up his neck, over his Adam's apple, feeling it bob slightly as he swallows. I graze my lips along his chin and jaw as he turns his head. A slight, quiet groan escapes him and then his lips find mine.

He's moving now, pulling himself up onto his elbow, leaning his body partly over mine. He pulls me to him and puts his hand on my cheek as his lips descend. "So beautiful," he whispers, just before his lips once again meet mine. Our kiss deepens and I feel the caress of his tongue.

His body is pressed tightly to mine and I feel his arousal against me as we kiss. Then softly, his lips move to my chin and down my neck. He is making the reverse trip with his kisses that I made on his neck and jawline. I feel his long fingers gently grip my shoulder as he scoots down slightly, continuing a light trail of kisses out along my collarbone. I shiver slightly and I feel his lips curl up into a smile as they press lightly against me. I feel his lips moving back up my neck to just below my ear. He kisses my lips softly once again, and finally moves to kiss the tip of my nose.

He is still holding me, but his kisses have stopped. I realize that I have closed my eyes, giving myself over to the sensation. I open them now and stare, blinking, directly up into his deep sea blue-green eyes, poised just above me, watching me. He is smiling a little and there are little crinkles at the corners of his eyes and I am lost and overwhelmed and he is just so achingly beautiful. He has caught me in an Edward-induced stupor.

"You do that really well," I manage to tell him, and I'm sure he can hear how breathless I am.

His lips curl up a little more as he gazes at my mouth with darkened eyes. "A kiss is really such a simple thing," he softly says. "It's amazing the effect it can have on a person. When you kiss me it's almost too much, and yet I can't seem to get enough and I find myself craving more."

I smile back up at him. "I honestly feel dizzy when you kiss me; like I could almost pass out. I think I must forget to breathe. It's a good thing I don't faint; I would sure hate to miss any of this."

His smile broadens and then he leans down and kisses my forehead gently. He slides his arm back under me; drawing me closer to him, curling me into him, and laying himself back down next to me, just holding me.

His voice is soft and gentle when he speaks. "It took me a while to be ready for you, Bella." And then I hear him chuckle. "And you were kind of a lot of effort when you finally showed up. But I'm not letting you get away now that I have you." I feel him press a soft kiss to my forehead. I'm amazed at what's happening between us. I thread my fingers through his and lay our clasped hands on his stomach.

"I'm not planning on going anywhere, Edward. Being with you feels like a really good place to be."

**EPOV**

It was incredible to just lie there holding her in my arms, kissing her. And that was all we did, physically, because we'd been careful to keep the brakes on. But it had been accompanied by a truckload of emotions and the end result was that I felt content and this felt right and I think she felt the same way.

I told her that she was beautiful. I wanted her to know how I was feeling about her. I wanted her to know what her kisses did to me. How she overwhelmed me, yet I couldn't quite get enough. She told me I made her feel the same way when I kissed her. I made her feel like she was going to pass out. So I guess we affect each other similarly and that's a good thing. A very good thing.

I told her that I wasn't going to let her get away now that I'd finally opened myself to her. And luckily enough for me, she said she wasn't planning on going anywhere. We lay there for a while after that, just enjoying the moment; holding hands and holding each other, cuddling a little and talking quietly. It was truly a peaceful, complete feeling.

Until there was a thunderous knocking on my door.

It sounded like about eight hands, if my guess was right, all knocking violently. Bella and I both jumped in fright. Of course I figured out what the hell was going on. It was lunchtime. The evil demons had all gathered. I guess we were their new source of entertainment, and it was a slow Sunday after all.

We got up and I straightened out the comforter and pillows on my bed. It probably didn't really matter. You know that they all knew or suspected what was going on, or were excitedly jumping to conclusions. Of course we'd have to hear shit from them about it. But at least we had calmed down earlier and had just been lying here talking for a little while. We weren't going to answer the door all flushed and hyperventilating with our clothes on backwards; so things could have been far worse. I opened the door as Bella smoothed out her shirt.

There they all stood. Grinning like gargoyles. Overly pleased with themselves and the situation in general.

Alice cheerfully spoke for the group. "We figured you kids would like us to come get you for lunch. We hope we weren't interrupting anything important."

"We were actually just talking," I managed to say evenly, calmly.

"That's a heck of a 'talking' hairdo, Edward." Emmett was gazing at the top of my head, smirking.

"Don't people usually call that 'bed head'?" Rosalie asked wearing her own signature smirk.

She peeked around us and glanced toward my bed. I was glad I had straightened out the covers and pillows. She was obviously looking for evidence.

I just rolled my eyes at all of them.

I turned to Bella. "Gosh, I'm starving. Let's go to lunch." I shut the door, grabbing her hand and pulling her past the four of them as they laughed at me. We walked out the back door of the dorm, heading to the dining hall, with the four of them chuckling and tagging along right behind us. _Damn entourage!_

I turned to look at Bella because she was giggling. "Why does everyone give me crap about my hair? It's just hair."

"Um, I don't think so. Not on you, Edward. It definitely makes a statement." She giggled as I scowled and ran my fingers through it, trying to smooth it out.

"Better?" I asked, turning so she could get a better perspective.

"Oh, Edward, it's always the best, no matter what you try to do to it," she grinned, biting her lower lip a little.

I stopped and bent over, running my fingers roughly through my hair. I stood back up and shook my head and finally looked at her again. "How about now?"

She laughed. "Now it's a hot mess."

"You're just as bad as the rest of them," I complained, putting my arm back around her. "Is nothing sacred to you people?"

She giggled again, looping her arm around my waist. "Oh, the hair is definitely sacred, Edward. I'm considering possibly building a shrine where I can worship at its altar."

"That does it. I'm getting it buzzed," I teased.

"Oh, no!" she yelped, running her fingers up through my hair.

I shook my head in defeat as I grinned at the gorgeous, laughing girl walking arm in arm with me. _Damn, that whole fingers-in-the-hair-thing felt wonderful!_

We were walking into the dining hall when I remembered to ask her about the coming birthday weekend in Port Angeles at my folks' house.

"Oh, hey, I almost forgot to tell you, it's my mom's birthday this weekend. We always do a family dinner, so we're going home on Friday and coming back on Sunday..." Her face suddenly fell a little, and I wondered why. But she began speaking before I could continue.

"Oh, it's going to be pretty quiet around here, then," she said a little dejectedly." That's nice that you all get together for her, though. I'm sure she really appreciates spending time with her family on her birthday. When will you be back on Sunday?"

I couldn't refrain from letting the little smile creep across my face. Bella thought we were going without her. She thought she'd be left behind. She was missing me already. She was absolutely adorable.

"Bella," I stopped her, turning her to look at me, "you didn't let me finish. I want you to come with us. Emmett is bringing Rose and Alice is bringing Jasper. They've come to our house before for weekend trips. My parents know them and I'd like them to meet you. It'd be a lot of fun and you'd get to see where we live. We'd all like you to join us. We always have a blast."

Her face had brightened instantly. "Oh!" She laughed. "I didn't realize you were inviting me! That sounds nice, Edward. I'd like that. You're sure that your parents wouldn't mind?"

"No! Not at all. They want you to come."

"They do? They know about me?" Her eyes were wide; surprised.

"Of course. You're rooming with Alice, you know. They know about the roommate switch."

"Oh, right!" She visibly relaxed a little.

"I've mentioned you to them, too. Just this morning, in fact."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide again. I knew she was wondering what I'd said. _Too bad._ I just smiled at her. "Come on, let's eat."

When we were all settled together at our table we discussed the upcoming weekend while we were eating lunch. I told them that Bella had agreed to come along. They were all glad and very enthusiastic and had information and words of wisdom to impart.

"You're going to love Esme and Carlisle Cullen," Rose told Bella. "They're just the sweetest parents and they spoil all of us. There's no avoiding it. It's best to just let them spoil away and enjoy themselves."

"Yep, Daddy C and Mama C are the coolest parents," Jasper agreed, nodding, as he took a bite of his pizza.

"And they are absolutely going to love you, Bella," Alice added. She glanced over at me then, with a little smile before she turned back and continued her comments to Bella. "They're going to be _really_ happy to meet you."

I knew that last statement was actually meant for me. They'd been worried about me for a long time. They probably would have been happy if I'd brought home any human being. A girl or a guy; at this point they wouldn't have cared. Even someone with zero personality and zilch IQ. I think as long as I brought home someone with a pulse, they'd be beside themselves with joy. But, yeah, they were going to absolutely love Bella. I'd just have to make sure they didn't try to corner her and give her some informative, hideously embarrassing sex talk. I couldn't allow that, for shit's sake. I'd have to keep alert.

Emmett explained a little to Bella about the birthday dinner we usually prepared.

"Our mom, Esme, is a terrific cook and the house has an incredible kitchen; state of the art everything," he said, "but we always do the dinner for her birthday. Our dad, Carlisle, selects and prepares the main dish and we do the side dishes and dessert. I'm not sure what Carlisle has planned, but we'll find out Friday and go buy the food and prepare it on Saturday. Esme's not allowed in the kitchen the whole time. She can't even snoop."

"Do you like to cook at all, Bella?" Alice asked. "You can help Edward with his course if you'd like."

"Oh, I'll definitely help," Bella responded enthusiastically. "Actually, I'm a pretty decent cook, if I do say so myself. It was a survival skill I was forced to learn. My mom was always a rather terrible cook, so I started preparing things and experimenting when I was younger, when I lived with her in Arizona. It was either that or put up with undercooked or overcooked food making me sick to my stomach. And up until I moved to Forks to live with my dad several years ago, he usually ate all of his meals at the diner. Once I moved there to live with him, I did nearly all of the cooking for the two of us."

Emmett looked at me. "Edward, looks like you're bringing in a real ringer to help you. It's not really fair to the rest of us. I think it's cheating, but at least you're not on your own this time."

I shrugged, a smug expression on my face. "I had no idea she liked to cook, but it's a definite plus for me." I smiled at Bella and gave her a thumb's up. She giggled. "Do you have a specialty or a preference for a particular course? Appetizer, soup, salad, side dish, dessert?" I asked. "We could maybe tap into that."

She nodded. "I love making desserts, baking, that kind of stuff. I don't often get the chance. So maybe we could do the dessert? Maybe a birthday cake?"

"Okay, so we claim dessert," I announced to the rest of them.

Jasper spoke up. "I hope she's got something better in mind than Emmett's Mediterranean Brownies from last year." He puffed out his cheeks and poked an index finger at his pursed lips, like he was barely controlling the urge to vomit.

Everyone groaned in revulsion, remembering...

"Mediterranean Brownies?" Bella asked, with a confused little pucker between her brows. "What are Mediterranean Brownies?"

"Yes," I explained, "Mediterranean Brownies. Emmett used a box mix for the brownies, but instead of using vegetable oil he used extra virgin olive oil."

Bella made a face and shuddered. "Oh, dear…"

"Hey," Emmett tried defending himself, "It sounded exciting! I thought _extra virgin_ sounded good."

"You would!" Rose interrupted, sounding rather perturbed.

"…and besides, Emmett continued, "Mom said she liked them."

Alice giggled. "Em, she had to say she liked them; she loves you; she doesn't want to hurt your feelings. But if you must know, they went the way of the garbage disposal when you weren't around. Those brownies tasted wretched!"

"You're right, Cupcake," Jasper agreed, "they were so wretched we all nearly retch-ed."

Everyone got a good laugh at that. It was a true statement.

Emmett looked a little hurt until Rose suggested they make an appetizer for which they could actually use extra virgin olive oil, and Emmet perked right up.

The conversation turned to gifts. I mentioned that I hadn't bought one for her yet, but as I sat there I remembered something from the night of my non-date with Bella. A store we had passed, as we walked through the street fair and farmer's market. I thought maybe I'd go back there and check it out this afternoon. I'd nearly finished my paper; which wasn't even due until Tuesday, and only had a little bit of reading left to do for tomorrow, so I had time to do a little shopping.

I asked Bella if she wanted to go downtown with me, but she said that she had a test tomorrow and really needed to study a little this afternoon. She had plans to go to the library for a few hours before dinner.

So I was on my own for the afternoon.

Or so I thought. Until Alice announced that she'd like to go with me. I guess that was okay. I knew she wanted to talk to me anyway. It would give her the opportunity to fill in the blanks. I also suspected it would give me invaluable insight and information. I couldn't say no.

As we headed back up to the dorm, Bella moved closer to me and quietly asked, "Edward, what did you say to your parents about me?"

I smirked. I was wondering when the conversation would come around to this. "Uh, well, let's see…I told them about the pepper spray incident..."

"Ohmygod, you didn't!" She stopped dead in her tracks.

I turned to look at her; grinning at her. "I did, but I didn't mean to. But it's okay."

"I don't understand. You 'didn't mean to'? And how can it be '_okay'_?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, straightening up. "Um, I guess Alice and Emmett had both called home earlier this morning. Both of them told my parents something about me and Alice's roommate…_you_…and last night. And I was just so caught off guard I blurted out something about pepper spray."

"Ohmygod, Edward! They must hate me! I can't go see them. I can't go to their house!"

I chuckled at her worried expression. "No, it's okay. It was actually pretty funny, now that I think about it. At first they thought I'd accosted you or something, to deserve to be sprayed with pepper spray. But I told them that I'd been following you when you went running, for safety's sake, and that it was purely accidental. My dad knew about the baby shampoo and I told him that was what we'd used…"

"Please tell me you didn't say anything about the shower."

I just bit my lip and cocked my eyebrow. I just wanted to stir her up a little.

"Ohmygod! Edward! You told them?" She looked horrified, ready to run screaming into the hills.

I chuckled at her expression. "No, of course not!

"Oh thank God!" She put her hand over her heart and looked relieved.

I grinned and took her other hand, continuing our walk back up to the dorm. "I really don't know exactly what Emmett or Alice said to them, but my mom was digging for information."

"Did you tell them what's going on?"

I looked at her quizzically. "What's going on?" I wondered what she'd say; what kind of a label she'd give our situation.

She blushed at being pinned down to come up with a label. She bit her lip. "Um, that you have an admirer."

I laughed. "I have an _admirer_?" She was terribly cute when she was embarrassed.

She rolled her eyes and slapped my arm. "Don't be a jerk, Edward!"

I snickered, wrapping my hand around hers and pulling her closer to me. "Well," I lowered my voice as I spoke; my lips just above her ear, "my admirer has an admirer as well."

She smiled up at me. "Mutual admiration?"

I nodded back at her, smiling broadly. "Yep, mutual admiration."

We were in the dorm now. Bella headed upstairs to get her things for her library excursion. Alice came back down to my room shortly afterward and we headed to my car. We got in the Volvo and sped out of the parking lot, headed for downtown. I plugged in my iPod and turned the music up, but Alice shut it off almost immediately.

"No, Edward, you're not going to avoid me." She turned in her seat so that she was facing me, her left leg curled up underneath her small, lithe body. She sat there, expectantly, with a smile curling on her lips. "So...tell me!"

"Tell you what?" I asked innocently, not making eye contact with her. I was prolonging the inevitable, keeping my eyes on the road.

"Don't try that shit with me, Edward. I want to know what's going on between you and Bella. Out with it! You know I'll just make your life miserable if you try to hide from me." She smiled to herself. We both knew how this worked. "Now quit wasting our time; this is a give and take. Give me your side of the story and then you can take away some of what I've got."

"Okay! Damn, you're so pushy, Alice. So…you were right. She's the perfect girl. She's sweet and funny and smart and cute. I don't know how you knew she was the one, but you were right." I was curious. "How _did_ you know?" I asked, frowning and wondering if she could maybe actually see into the future.

"Woman's intuition," she smirked. "That, and I watched you watching her; _a lot_! You couldn't take your eyes off of her. I think you were just curious at first. Then you became interested and you didn't even know it; that's the funny thing. All I can say is, thank goodness you have me, or you'd miss a boatload of fun, Edward."

I drove along, marveling at how she was able to see the rosy future, when it was all just a frightful, nebulous haze to me, usually fraught with indecision and anxiety.

I smiled as I thought about Bella. "She is a lot of fun, I've been having a really good time with her. She's just so easy to be with. I feel really comfortable with her."

Alice gazed out her window. "She really likes you, Edward. I think you came along at a somewhat inopportune time for her, when she was still involved with Jake, but she needed some changing up badly. So it turned out to be a really good thing. I honestly don't know what kept her with that guy. He was trying to be too controlling. She said she felt irritated and always came away from phone conversations with him unhappy. She should have snapped out of it sooner. But she did say that she kept thinking about you, you know, when she'd be talking to him on the phone, and wondering what you were up to."

I smiled at that. She'd been in my thoughts a lot too.

"Yeah, go ahead and smile, Edward. You've waited a long time to be happy. I really like her and I really like her _for_ _you_. There are things about her personality that make me think of you and I know she's the right kind of girl for you. I told her the two of you are like peas in a pod in some ways. She's not fake. She doesn't have an agenda. She's just really natural and positive. It's like she's along for a really fun ride."

I nodded in agreement.

Alice giggled, poking me in the ribs. "Heaven knows you could use a really fun ride, Edward."

"Alice," I shook my head, a little disgusted with her, "That's not happening yet. She said she wanted to go slowly and I respect that. I want to take things slowly too. She's been through a lot of turmoil. I don't want to jump the gun."

Alice tipped her head back and laughed her silvery little bell-like laugh. "No, you want _her_ to jump _your_ gun!"

I sighed loudly. "If I could just reach across you and open your door, I could shove you out onto the road and leave you to fend for yourself. But you'd have to remove your seatbelt first. I don't suppose you'd do that for me would you?"

She giggled. "Nope! And don't be mad at me! Bella woke you up out of your trance, and no one has been able to do that for the past three years. And you, feeling safe enough with her to tell her about Tanya? That was a big step for you, Edward. I'm really glad for you both.

"She's got you on the brain, you know? This relationship is going somewhere, it's not a fluke. She told me that she has a lovely time with you and she described you as a gentleman. She thinks you're funny, interesting, smart, and she knows that you care. Oh, and she said she thinks you're hot." Alice beamed happily at me.

I smiled back, glad that Bella would think those things of me, although I felt like maybe I had her fooled. Then again, I pretty much felt the same way about her.

We had arrived at our destination. I parked the car and we got out.

"Where are we headed?" Alice asked.

"Well, I saw this little jewelry store the other night when Bella and I were down here. I thought maybe I'd find a pair of earrings or a necklace or a pin or something for Esme here."

"Oh, Edward!" Alice squealed, looking at the storefront and display windows. "Mom loves this kind of stuff. It's the perfect gift idea!"

We went inside and I looked around at the hand-crafted artisan-style silver jewelry. It didn't take me long to find exactly what I though she would like. Alice approved of it as well. It was a pair of earrings with a beautiful, intricate knot design. It had a very old world look to it. I knew it would be perfect for my mom.

Alice wandered around the store, looking at the beautiful hand-made jewelry and eventually trying on some rings at another counter. I saw a lovely necklace, very similar in design to the earrings. It had a small medallion on a very fine chain. I decided I would buy it as well.

The salesgirl looked at me, batting her eyelashes a little, and asked if my girlfriend wanted to wear the items now. I was confused. I didn't know what she meant at first, and I must have looked baffled, because she kind of nodded toward Alice, where she stood across the shop.

"Oh, no, that's my sister. I'm buying a gift for our mom."

"Oh," she smiled, looking somewhat relieved, and pleased, and the eyelash batting kicked up a notch. "Well then, would you like me to gift-wrap these for you?"

"That would be great, thank you."

"Shall I wrap them together or separately?" she asked.

"Um, separately, please."

"Of course. I'd be happy to do _anything_ for you." She smiled a little suggestively, eyelashes fluttering.

"Uh, thanks." I wandered over to Alice and rolled my eyes at her, indicating the salesgirl with a surreptitious nod of my head.

Alice walked over to where the salesgirl was just finishing the packages. Alice stood in front of the counter and smiled at her as the girl placed the packages in a small tote bag. And as Alice smiled, she called out to me, "Edward, we'd better hurry. Your boyfriend is going to wonder where the heck we've been all this time." She smiled a little longer at the salesgirl, whose jaw had just dropped to the floor. It was not an attractive look for her.

"Thank you soooo much!" Alice gushed as she took the little shopping bag from the still-dumbstruck salesgirl. She turned around to look triumphantly at me and continued her speech. "Come on, Eddie, let's go find your boyfriend before he gets angry at you and takes it out on your hide later."

It was an entertaining thing Alice and I did from time to time. She especially liked it when I walked out, taking mincing steps and tossing my hair. We left the store, laughing as we walked along the sidewalk. It never got old. Too bad Jasper wasn't along. He usually played the part of my boyfriend in these situations.

We got back to the car and drove home, listening to music. I realized that I had to download some new music on my iPod. I've got just way too much cranky, intense shit on my playlists. I needed something lighter, mellower, happier.

_What the hell is up with that?_

**A/N: So, budding love...**_**awww. **_**And**__**a sexually predisposed bed/weekend plans/mediterranean brownies/shopping with Alice.**

**I know you have thoughts and I'd love to hear them.**

**Review & Submit. You know you want to. then read on…if it's ****revised.**


	29. Mood Lighting and Ambiance

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Holy Kilt and Assless Chaps! Over 900 reviews! You are the dreamiest. You make me *squee* like a fangirl. (Okay, I can admit it, I am a fangirl.)

I'm not Stephenie Meyer and she's not me. I do enjoy frittering my time away with this universe she has created, though. I have no intentions of infringement, however.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. They spend a little time apart and can't wait to be back together; they've got each other on the brain. And sometimes talking with someone else helps you sort through feelings and gain perspective. And move things forward. At least a little. ;)

**Chapter 29: Mood Lighting and Ambiance (Revised)**

**BPOV**

It was still Sunday afternoon. After lunch Edward had invited me to go downtown with him because he needed to buy a birthday gift for his mom for the coming weekend. Unfortunately I needed to go to the library to do some reading and reviewing for a British Literature test tomorrow, so Alice went with him in my place. She probably wanted to compare notes with him much as she had done with me earlier today, when I'd been held hostage in my dorm room.

I had been sitting in the library and studying for a while now. I had come here because it was so easy to get distracted in the dorm. There was always something fun to do. _Like hang out with Edward. _There was always something interesting going on. _Like whatever Edward was doing. _There was always someone entertaining and enjoyable to hang out with. _Like Edward_. I thought that if I went to the library I'd have an easier time concentrating on academics. It helped a little at first. Now my mind was elsewhere. _Edward._

After studying for a while I had begun thinking about being invited to the Cullens' home for the weekend. At first I hadn't realized that Edward was inviting me when he spoke about it. I was a little sad when I thought that both he and Alice would be gone for the whole weekend. It was a bit depressing to contemplate a weekend without both my roommate and my...my…my _what_?

What _was _Edward? My _friend_? More than that. My _boyfriend_? Maybe not quite yet. A little early for that label. My _love interest_? Did I love him? Way too soon to tell; we were still getting to know each other. We had just kissed for the first time last night. So what _was_ he to me? Maybe for now he was just _the guy that I wanted to spend most of my time with because I thought he was wonderful and thoughtful and entertaining and heartbreakingly beautiful to look at and drool over_. There we go. The perfect title for Edward. Crown him King of All That.

When I realized that Edward was inviting me to spend the weekend at his parents' house, and that I wouldn't be left behind by him and Alice, I was happy. Initially. But then I realized I was going to meet..._the parents_. I'd be silly if I didn't have at least _some_ feelings of trepidation. What did they know of me, other than the fact that I had inflicted pepper spray on the eyes of their beautiful, kind and protective son? What did they expect? Both Alice and Emmett had told them something about me and him. What had they said to their parents? Were his parents concerned? Curious? What else had _Edward_ said to them? I wondered what his parents were now thinking; what kind of a girl they were expecting to show up at their doorstep. This was actually beginning to feel quite daunting.

And it had been explained to me that we were all responsible for the preparation of dinner. It looked like dessert was going to be on Edward and me. Or maybe on me and Edward, would be more accurate. It sounded like he was hopeful that I would concoct something wonderful and he would be my little helper. So whatever we made had to be really, really good. After all, we were baking birthday dessert for the Queen Mother of All That.

I suddenly got the image in my mind of Edward in an apron, with a dusting of flour across his nose, maybe a smudge of chocolate on his lip and oven mitts on his hands. I couldn't suppress my smile. _I would so lick that chocolate right off of him! _

I wondered if I should bring Esme some type of gift. I certainly wanted to. It seemed like the right thing to do. What would be appropriate if you were a first-time weekend guest? And the first girl your son had brought home in three years? And specifically, maybe not quite the girlfriend, but more than just a friend? What would be the right birthday gift for the mother of _the guy that I wanted to spend most of my time with because I thought he was wonderful and thoughtful and entertaining and heartbreakingly beautiful to look at and drool over_?

I would have to think about that. I definitely wanted to bring something to the Queen Mum.

As far as things to pack and take along, I wondered what I should bring other than the basics. I guess Alice and Edward would fill me in on clothing needs. Probably Alice more than Edward. Definitely Alice. She'd make sure I brought way too much of what I needed. But I had the entire school week to get organized and pack a few things. We would only be gone two nights so there was no reason to start thinking about that yet.

Coming to the library to study had been a really brilliant decision, because I was just really able to stay focused and I was getting all kinds of schoolwork accomplished. _Sheesh!_

I looked back down at my book and read a little while longer, highlighting key parts as I went, trying to stay actively focused. At least I was trying. I wasn't succeeding much, but I was trying.

_…that jaw, the stubble, those lips…_

I decided to leave a little while later. I'd been here for several hours and I guess I had actually gotten a little work done. It wasn't a total joke that I had been here. But nearly.

As I was walking out the door, I heard someone calling my name. I looked back over my shoulder to see Angela, waving and smiling at me as she hurried to catch up. She had apparently also been studying somewhere within the library. I waited for her just at the main entrance.

"Hey Bella! I didn't know you were here. Have you been here long?"

"Yeah, about twice as long as I should have been. I've been trying to study. But I just can't seem to stay focused; my mind keeps drifting."

"Well, I can imagine why you're struggling." She was stifling her laughter. Her eyes sparkled and her eyebrows were arched high above her glasses. She was clutching her books tightly to her chest, otherwise I think she would have pulled an Alice and hugged herself at me in celebration.

I smiled and I felt the mild heat of embarrassment creeping over my face. "Yeah, I guess it's pretty obvious isn't it? I can't stop thinking about him. It's beginning to eat into my study time."

She smiled. "I would bet it's much easier to study Edward Cullen than it is to study…" she glanced down at the books in my arm, "…British Literature."

I blushed a little and smiled. "You've got that right, Angela. Classics in literature have nothing on Edward Cullen. British Lit just can't compete with that whole package." I sighed in defeat.

She giggled. "Do you want to hang out for a few and go get a coffee?" she asked as she juggled her books into her other arm and reached for the door.

"Sure! That sounds great, Angela."

We left the library and headed over to the student center.

We walked over to the coffee shop chatting about what we'd been working on in the library. It wasn't until we were walking in the door that I suddenly thought about creepy James and wondered if he was working today. I looked around quickly as we entered, but James was nowhere to be seen. Thank goodness. I didn't need him to spoil my mood. We ordered our coffees and I paid as Angela grabbed us a free table.

We sat together for quite a while. I really liked Angela. She was not the gossip fiend that Jessica was. Angela was friendly and honest, straightforward and she seemed really down-to-earth. She was curious about the shower story, but I didn't think it was for gossip's sake. She was just wondering what had actually taken place.

I told her what had happened with the pepper spray and the reason for the resulting shower. I didn't go into detail, but I might have mentioned shower kissing a little. She told me how the story had spread like wildfire once we'd been spotted by Mike and Tyler. There were currently four or five versions of reality circulating in the dorm. I laughed, begging her not to tell anyone the true story. It was more fun to let them wonder and look at us speculatively and create competing stories. She snickered and agreed, saying she'd let me know if she heard any new variations.

I asked about her and Ben. They were an actual item now, and she seemed very happy. I didn't really know him that well, but from what she said, and the way she spoke of him, he seemed to be a really nice guy. It was obvious from things she told me how much he cared about her. They were spending quite a bit of their free time together.

I knew what that felt like. My free time was beginning to center around Edward. _I was really enjoying my free time._

She asked about Jake and wondered what had happened with him last weekend, because she had known about him coming for a visit and had apparently seen him. She had also heard rumors of a fight involving Edward. I told her the short version of the story and she was sad for both me and Jake. She knew that hadn't been easy and wished that kind of experience on no one. "Those things do happen sometimes and as painful as they are at the time, things do get better and life does go on," she had said.

Then she asked about me and Edward and I told her that we were just starting to figure things out, but that I really enjoyed myself with him and it seemed he felt the same way about me.

"He 'seems' to feel the same way about you? You've got to be kidding, Bella! Obviously he feels the same way about you. I've never seen Edward look as happy as he does when you two are together. Even when you're not around, I can see that he's content and relaxed. He's a totally different Edward. If you don't mind my saying so, I always thought he was stuck up and moody. But I guess I just didn't know him. He didn't really let anyone know him. Now he seems so happy and so much friendlier than I would have ever expected. He really seems to be quite a great guy. I'm sure it has everything to do with you. You've changed him."

I couldn't keep the smile from my face. I know I hadn't been this happy for a while; I'd been constantly stressed out over how Jake was viewing my goals and plans; I'd weighed my every word and deed. And that had only been for a few months. Now there was really nothing that worried or bothered me. I didn't have to second-guess my immediate future or worry about the things I chose to do or say. I felt no stress; I only felt happy.

I was glad to think that I was having a positive effect on Edward. Not just because of what it meant for me, but because of what it was doing for him. Edward had been in an unhappy and subdued state for far longer than I. If these beginnings, of whatever we were beginning, made him feel as content as I felt, I was incredibly glad for him. It seemed he was due some happy and he deserved to live a little.

I found myself telling Angela about being invited to the Cullens' home for the weekend.

"This sounds pretty serious if you're going to Mama Cullen's birthday party and staying for the weekend as their houseguest." She smiled as she looked at me somewhat speculatively. "Somehow you broke through the Edward Cullen barrier. I've got to tell you that you're already a legend in the residence halls. There are a lot of dejected, rejected, skanky girls out there that were all over that poor guy the past two years, ready and willing to jump his bones at the least little indication that he was at all interested. Edward must finally be pretty smitten to bring a girl home to Mom and Dad."

I blushed, realizing how true her last statement must be. "I guess he is. I think this _is _kind of a big deal. Edward hasn't said that, but I think that's the case." I knew that Angela had no idea about Edward's past and the fact that there was such a serious reason behind Edward's cool demeanor and apparent lack of interest in being with someone all this time.

"I just can't decide what to do about going to a birthday party for Edward's mom. I don't want to show up empty-handed. I'm just not sure what kind of a gift would be appropriate, coming from a complete stranger and also because I don't know her, I don't know what she would like."

"What about a really pretty mixed bouquet of flowers? That's always appropriate if you're being invited to someone's home. It would be a nice gesture, but not too presumptuous. You could even look into flower symbolism and find some that have a special message. Besides, what woman doesn't like flowers as a gift?"

"Oh, Angela, that's a great idea! Thank goodness I ran into you. You've solved my dilemma! Flowers would be the perfect gift!"

She smiled. "I'm sure you'll have a lovely time and I'm sure she'll like whatever you decide to get for her. I'm happy for you, Bella. I'm happy for both of you."

I had gotten back to my room and dropped my books in a pile on my desk. I wondered where Alice was and if she and Edward had come back for dinner or had decided to stay in town and get something to eat there. I was starting to get hungry and wondered if I should call them.

Just then my phone suddenly buzzed and I took it out, looking at the screen. Speak of the devil. _Or at least a guy with a devilishly sexy grin._ It was a text from Edward. I flipped my phone open and read it.

_Will you be my dinner non-date?_

That put a seriously big smile on my face. I texted him back.

_No, I'll be your dinner date. _

**EPOV**

I wasn't sure if Bella was back from the library yet. Alice was with Jasper in Emmett's room, hanging out with him and Rosalie. She told me earlier that she hadn't seen Bella when we had gotten back from our true confessions shopping trip where I'd been forced to spill my guts about my feelings for Bella.

I decided to text Bella and see if she wanted to go to dinner with me.

_Will you be my dinner non-date?_

I smiled as I pressed 'send', hoping I'd see her shortly.

I opened my closet to grab a sweatshirt and my phone buzzed. I took it out, looking at the screen. It was a text from Bella. I flipped my phone open.

_No, but I'll be your dinner date._

I stood there staring at that little screen for a few seconds. I was dumbfounded.

_What? What is she saying?_ _Is she saying what I think she's saying? _

I grabbed my sweatshirt, slammed my door shut and rushed upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. I had gotten to her room just as the door was opening. I think she was surprised to see me so quickly. She smiled. I don't think I returned her smile. I was so confused. I needed answers and I wanted them now. I spun her around and with my hands on her shoulders walked her back into her room, shutting the door once we were inside, and finally turning her back around to face me.

Her smile was gone and she just looked confused. "What…? What's up, Edward? What's going on?"

_That's precisely what I want to know._

"Bella, why did you..? I, uh… I mean, what did you…? What were you…? No, wait... When you said...well, you didn't actually say...what I mean is... " I shook my head then I ran my hand through my hair. Why couldn't I get my words out suddenly? "Let me start over." I took my cell phone out of my pocket, flipping it open and pointing to the message. "What is this? I mean, what did you mean by _this_?"

"Why?" She looked wary, suddenly. The little pucker between her brows had appeared.

_Oh no, don't make her worry, you fool. She thinks something's wrong._

I spoke more gently, trying to relax a little; trying to calm myself down. I certainly didn't want her to think I was upset in any way and I wanted the pucker to disappear. "I just mean, what were you saying?"

"What were _you_ asking?" she asked me. She looked even more perplexed. That made two of us.

_Okay, so I had to show her my hand before she'd show me hers._

"Uh, well, I was asking you if you wanted to go to dinner. I meant the dining hall, but I would also be really very happy to take you out, you know, for dinner or whatever, if that's what you thought I meant." I wondered if she could hear the hope in my voice. I just didn't want to rush her or overwhelm her and it seemed maybe I was doing just that right now.

"Well, I didn't even really think about the destination, I was just thinking about how I don't think we need to go on any more non-dates. An actual date together would be okay."

_What? Really? Yes! Yes, yes, YES!_

I was fist bumping the air, internally. It was all I could do to not do it outwardly. I didn't want her to suddenly realize I was a tool and decide she'd rather not date me on second thought.

"We don't need anymore non-dates?" I asked; just to make sure. I couldn't hold in the idiotic grin that I felt spreading across my face.

"No," she shook her head, "I would be up for an actual date with you, at this point." She smiled back at me, then looked down a little shyly as her blush intensified.

_Oh, you are so killing me with that blush! I would love nothing more than to date you and that blush of yours._

"Well, so…would you like to go out for dinner with me tonight, Bella? On an actual date?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. She smiled but then she looked a little regretful. "Edward, I would really like that, but I still need to review more tonight for my literature test tomorrow. I have to get a good grade on this."

_Damn that fucking test! _

"Oh, that's right, your test is tomorrow." I'll admit I felt disappointed. Could she hear it in my voice; see it in my face?

"But maybe some other night this week?" I don't have an early class on Thursday morning. Maybe we could go out on Wednesday night?"

_Absofuckinglutely! _

I was smiling broadly now. There was more air fist bumping going on within me. "In that case, Bella, would you like to go out on a date with me Wednesday night? Maybe I could take you to dinner and we could go see a movie afterwards?"

"I would like that a lot, Edward."

She was kind of beaming up at me, a slight blush still apparent on her face and I felt all warm and happy. If I'd known how to do a handspring I would have, although that would have brought the tool-factor back into the picture, possibly precluding the date. So I'd hold off on attempting the handspring for now.

"Well, Miss Swan, in lieu of a date out tonight, we could have a 'starter date' here at school. Would you care to be my dinner date in the dining hall?"

"I would be delighted, Mr. Cullen. Thank you for asking." She giggled.

"Shall we?" I asked, as I offered my arm to her.

"We shall." she responded, laughing as she slipped her hand through the crook of my arm. And with that we left for our dinner-date, arm in arm.

**BPOV**

Oh. My. God. I have an actual, real _date_ with Edward for Wednesday night. So I guess this means we're dating. Edward Cullen is dating Bella Swan. Bella Swan is dating Edward Cullen. _OhmyGod_! _Gah! _I feel like squealing and jumping up and down. Or maybe even doing an Alice-shriek.

I had originally told him that I wanted to go slowly, but I think sometimes you just know. And I was starting to feel like I just knew. I felt so happy and good about everything I saw in him, and how he made me feel. Why would you push away something that made you feel happy, excited, and good and pleased with your life and just happy to be part of the world in general?

It was a feeling that I wore throughout the day and into the night. I would go take a shower in the morning and notice my smiling face in the bathroom mirror. I would take my shower singing to myself. And I sing so horribly! I would see him at mealtimes and no matter how distasteful the food, the company was always quite palatable and it was a lovely experience and I looked forward to the next meal because I would almost certainly see him again. Thoughts of him were sneaking up on me throughout the day, and of course I thought about him as I lay in bed at night, drifting off to sleep. He was even there in my dreams.

And now this wonderful and wonderfully silly guy was taking me for a 'starter dinner-date' in the dining hall, because it wasn't a good night to go out somewhere on a real date. But we were still going to have a real date on Wednesday, because I was ready for a date-date, not a non-date, with Edward Cullen.

And Edward…_oh my_…he had looked just so happy, so excited and relieved that I would agree to really go out with him. I smiled inwardly, thinking about how confused he had looked when he had rushed up here after getting my text; how he had stumbled over his words when he normally seemed so cool and collected. He'd seemed so uncharacteristically hyper that I wondered what was wrong at first. But then I'd realized that it was _excitement_. That lovely lopsided grin of his emerged when I'd explained that I felt ready to just…_date_. Oh and that little look of disappointment when I'd told him I couldn't go out tonight because I had to study for my test! _Damn that test! _But I needed to get a good grade on it. Instead, I'd given him the option of a date later in the week and he'd pounced on it.

And now we were off for a date, of sorts,in the dining hall.

_Holy hell! _

_I'm actually dating Edward Cullen!_

**EPOV**

_Holy hell!_

_She wants to go out with me! Officially. On a real date!_

We left arm-in-arm for our "starter date" in the dining hall. Once we got downstairs I stopped by my room for a moment to pick up two things which I stuffed into the pocket of my sweatshirt. Bella waited at the door and then we proceeded, arm in arm again naturally, to dinner. In the dining hall, once we'd gotten our trays of food, I steered Bella to a different table than the one where we normally sat and ate as a group. This was not going to be a group event tonight. No one else was invited. This was a date.

Once we were seated across from each other at the table by ourselves, I reached into my pocket and took out one of the items I had grabbed from my room. It was a little votive candle in a little glass holder; something Alice had given Jasper. He wouldn't care if I borrowed it; he never used it. I put the candle in the center of the table as I looked across at Bella and watched her face. She had a confused little smile on her lips. Then I took the other item from my pocket; the lighter. Bella laughed in surprise, her eyes sparkling up at me.

"Is this mood lighting and ambiance that you're creating for our date?" She was smiling as she asked, her hands clasped and propping up her chin.

"Well, you bring a lot of the ambiance with you, just by being here with me." I grinned up at her as I lit the candle. "I'm sorry I don't have a linen tablecloth, and I'm sorry the restaurant is cafeteria-style instead of having a waiter attend to your needs. And I'm almost certain some food service personnel person will be over shortly to escort me out, for lighting a fire in the dining hall, but in answer to your question, yes, it's my best attempt at ambiance. Are you suitably impressed?" I arched my brow and gave her my best hopeful look.

She nodded. "I'm always impressed with you," she said softly, sincerely, smiling and resting her cheek in her hand.

That went straight to my heart.

We sat there, holding hands on the tabletop, eating and talking quietly for a while until Alice and Jasper came in. They walked over to us, Alice in the lead, towing Jasper along behind her.

"What are you guys doing sitting at this table?" Alice asked. "How come you didn't come get us to come to dinner? Is that the candle I gave Jasper? What are you doing with it?"

Jasper turned toward Alice, kissing her temple. "Scooter Pie, slow down; take a breath. You have to give people a chance to answer each question before you ask the next one."

"It's okay," I told Jasper. "I'm used to this and I kept track of the questions. There were only four this time."

Jasper nodded as I turned to Alice.

"Yes, it's Jasper's candle. I'm just borrowing it for a little so we have some mood lighting and ambiance." I turned and winked at Bella. "I'll return it tonight. Promise. And we're sitting at this table, and we didn't come get you, because we're on a _date_. I'm having a very lovely date with Miss Isabella Swan, here." I gestured across the table toward her.

Bella smiled up at them, batting her eyelashes on cue. _She's just so perfect!_

Jasper's eyes narrowed as he spoke up. "Oh, we see how it is, Bella comes along and you just dump us, like we never meant anything to you. Well, forget it, Edward, we're breaking up with you first. And I'm taking my damn candle. Get your own damn candle."

Bella and Alice both started giggling. Jasper reached out for the candle and I slapped his hand away. "Leave the damn candle alone! It's the only damn mood lighting in this damn place. I'll return your damn candle when I'm damn good and ready!"

"Okay, damn it! Let's go Alice. We can take a hint." He put his arm around her shoulder protectively and began to drag her away, but he spoke up over his shoulder as he left, loudly enough for us to hear, "If anyone asks, we broke up with him first. Damn Edward! And damn Bella, too, for coming between us!" Alice looked over her shoulder at us and laughed, her fluttering fingers waving goodbye to us.

Bella was grinning up at me when I looked back at her. "Thank you for standing up for our ambiance, Edward. I can't believe they were going to try to take it away."

I covered her hand with mine. "Some people have a lot of nerve, don't they? It just goes to show you that we may sometimes have to fight for our ambiance."

We finished our dinner and I blew out the candle. We'd gotten lucky; no one had come by and requested that my candle and I vacate the premises. I picked up our trays and dumped the trash as Bella picked up the votive. We waved goodbye across the hall to Jasper and Alice. Emmett and Rose had joined them, had probably gotten the story from them, and waved at us as well. Emmett was giving me a thumbs' up and I just rolled my eyes. We headed back to the dorm. I walked her up to her room and she pulled me inside, closing the door. We stood in her room, kissing and talking quietly against her door for a while before I finally managed to peel myself off of her and drag myself very unwillingly downstairs and away from her. She needed to study and I needed a cold shower ASAP.

_Holy shit! I could hardly see straight!_

**BPOV**

_Holy shit! __How am I supposed to study after that?_

I closed the door, leaning my forehead against it after Edward left. I walked unsteadily across the room and I dropped down onto the cushions of the swanky fort. I looked up to where the little twinkle lights were strung above me. I plugged them in and lay there watching the lights twinkle, thinking about my evening and Edward, and life in general.

It was amazing how lovely a dinner date in the UW dining hall could be; especially afterwards, when your dream date brings you home from your date, walks you to your room and kisses you goodnight quite thoroughly. My heart did little leaps and jumps and flips and flops every time we kissed. _How does he do that?_ I found myself wondering if he felt the same way. Was he shaky, as he walked back to his room downstairs? Had he flopped down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about me? I smiled thinking that we might even at this moment be on the same wavelength, doing or feeling the same thing.

We were spending time together every day and it only made me feel like I wanted to spend more time with him the next day. And at night I would go to bed, lying there thinking of him and the things he had said or done that day, and I couldn't wait to see him the next day to see what he would say or do that day.

I knew I didn't want to be rebounding after Jake. I didn't think that I was. I hadn't come here looking for any kind of relationship, yet somehow one had sneaked up on me. And certainly on him. And as I sat there, thinking, mulling over the whole situation, I found that there was nothing at all that made me hesitant about Edward or about being with him. There was nothing there that concerned me. Nothing in his personality that worried me or gave me pause. If anything, I was only impressed further each day with his kindness, thoughtfulness, attentiveness, playfulness and sincerity. I knew that I wasn't rebounding from Jake.

I was falling in love with Edward Cullen.

And on top of all of his endearing personality traits, which made him such a wonderful human being, his physical beauty was staggering. He didn't see it, and that just made him all the more gorgeous to me. His face was one of the most expressive I think I had ever seen. Each of his features alone was lovely, but in combination they were almost otherworldly; verging on the ethereal.

His hair was such an unusual color, nearly always riotously disheveled, and begging to be touched and stroked. His smooth, clear skin was almost a fine porcelain. His eyes were the color of the sea, neither green nor blue, but a lovely combination, and the depth of the color varied with the depth of his emotions. I saw that when we would kiss. I would look up into his eyes and they were the color of a much deeper sea, the sort you could drown in. His nearly straight nose had a slight bump, but if anything, that made it more aesthetically appealing and gave his face character. His lips went from a delicious pout to a rakish lopsided grin to a devilish smile. And they were very capable lips, I had found; and I suspected they were capable of even more. His jaw was a feature that I don't think I had ever really noticed in men before, but on him, it was as compelling as his other features. It was strong and square and often covered with a soft stubble that only served to shade and emphasize the singularity of that particular feature. I wanted to run my fingertips along the curve of his jaw from his ear to his chin.

The little twinkle lights came back into focus and I realized that I had to get up and go sit at my desk and study for my test tomorrow. Edward would be there tomorrow, too. And the next day. And the day after that. Which would be Wednesday. Which would be our first actual date night out.

I sighed. And I smiled. And I just couldn't stop smiling as I sat down to study.

**EPOV**

By the time I had reached my room after kissing Bella goodnight, I no longer needed that cold shower as desperately. I had run into Emmett as I came back down the stairs. He'd returned from dinner and was in the main living room, posting an announcement on a bulletin board. He looked up as he heard my footsteps. I should probably have tried to be quieter, but I hadn't thought about that at the time when I spotted him near the foot of the stairs.

"Hey, Edward! Nice dining-hall-date-action you had going there. I liked the candle. Nice touch."

"Thanks, Emmett. She said she liked it too."

His eyes took in the fact that I was coming back downstairs from the direction of Bella's suite. "So what have you been doing?" he asked, without really seeming to consider his words.

"Uh, I uh...walked her back to her room and we were just, uh...hanging out and uh...talking, just now."

He looked at me critically for a second or two, his eyes raking quickly over me. Then his eyes lit up a little and his mouth curled up into his usual dimpled smile.

It was the smile of an asshole.

_Fanfuckingtastic. Here it comes._

"Well, I think that candle agreed with both of you. I can see that in the flush on your face, the riotous state of your hair, and the vestiges of the party in your pants that you've still got going on there as well. You weren't just talking, now, were you, Baby Bro?" He pursed his lips, trying to contain his laughter.

I couldn't believe he was truly expecting a verbal response, so I just flipped him off with both hands, spun around and headed to my room.

"Edward!" his voice boomed after me, "As your brother and your Resident Advisor, I assure you there's nothing to be concerned about; it's a normal reaction to the circumstances!"

I had the pleasure of listening to his guffaw as I exited the living room. Emmett could be a real buzzkill.

Jasper was nowhere to be seen. I stood inside my room for a moment, wondering what to do with myself, before I finally sat down at my desk, contemplating work I could maybe do, to get ahead for this weekend. I couldn't really concentrate, though. I kept thinking of her.

I stretched my body out, leaning back in my chair and clasping my hands together behind my head. I watched the lava lamp; the bubbly goo inside oozing up slowly and rolling back on itself. As I sat there, sort of mesmerized, my mind wandered to Bella and this evening.

I think that she had enjoyed my impromptu attempt at a date tonight. She had a great sense of humor and I know she got a kick out of the candle. Our 'mood lighting and ambiance,' she had called it. As we stood together saying goodnight, she had mentioned it.

"You know, Edward, I can't imagine any other guy being concerned about the lack of mood lighting in the University dining halls. I want to thank you for making my first dinner-date with you memorable. You're awfully thoughtful in a silly but oh-so-good way. You're always so sweet to me." She had been smiling, and I knew that she was sincere and appreciative. But you just want to be sweet to someone who is so sweet themselves.

I had kissed her then, and it had turned into a series of kisses. It was hard to stop, once we started. And it wasn't just me. I was finding that this girl definitely knew how to kiss me; she did it so well and she would get all wound up kissing me, with one or both of her hands raking through and tugging on my hair in such a freakishly sexy way I felt like I could possibly explode.

I had been afraid with the whole Jake thing that she would be reluctant about being in any kind of relationship again anytime soon. And I had already told myself that I could and would wait; that I didn't want to make her feel pushed or pressured to enter into a relationship with me. I didn't want to quash it before it even started. But I just so loved being with her. It was a good feeling to put a smile on her face. I loved making her laugh and she made me feel so happy.

And now she was more ready to let something develop between us. I had actually already been feeling ready. I think I was ready again to have someone special to care about and with whom I would want to be affectionate. I honestly hadn't wanted that again until I met Bella. And I felt like Bella was bringing out the best in me; making me a better, happier person. She wasn't needy like Tanya had been. She was self-possessed and happy. It wouldn't be my job to fix her up or mend any damages. We would both get to be ourselves, with each other, and for each other.

I was looking forward to Wednesday and then the weekend at home. It would be nice to spend time together in a different situation; a different location. I hoped she would enjoy herself. What she thought and how she felt, mattered an awful lot to me. She was becoming extremely important to me.

Was I falling in love with her? There was a very strong possibility.

I stared unseeing at the lava lamp, and I imagined her soft face looking up at me. I thought about the loveliness that was Bella Swan. It was impossible to determine my favorite feature of her face. Her thick dark hair framed her beautiful face. Her deep chocolate brown eyes and lush lashes always seemed to convey so much of her feelings. She couldn't hide much behind those eyes. They showed concern, relief, sadness, happiness, humor, but overwhelmingly they showed me affection. There was something so very soft and delicate about those eyes. I loved her little upturned nose. When she was confused it was her most charming feature and it begged to be kissed. And her mouth, her lips, her tongue, dear God, they were inspiring, stirring, arousing.

_Well, fuck!_

_Now I needed that cold shower after all_.

**A/N: If you're happy and you know it, write a review. **

**If you're happy and you know it, write a review.**

**If you're happy and you know it, your review will surely show it.**

**If you're happy and you know it, write a review.**

**(I know what you're thinking. Edward would think the same: "**_**What a tool."**_**)**

**Now, read on, provided that it's been ****revised.**


	30. Leave Them Wanting More

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: This chapter is all over the map, but that's a good thing. It just means things are getting more frantic between these two. Frantic is a _goooood_ thing.;) If you review as you read it will save you all kinds of confusion when you get to the bottom of this page and wonder what all that stuff was you just read. And it will preserve the SQUEEE factor for me. ;)

This is not an exercise in infringement. This is my own version of _Gah!_

**Chapter 30: Leave Them Wanting More (Revised)**

**BPOV **

Monday morning I got up a little late and didn't want to take too much time for breakfast. My plan was to just run into the dining hall to grab something quick and go to class. I wanted to get there early enough to review my notes for a while before my test. Before I stumbled into the shower I sent Edward a quick text, telling him to go ahead to breakfast without me. I told him I'd stop by before I left for class. I couldn't very well start my day without at least seeing him for a few minutes.

When I got into the dining hall, Edward was sitting at the usual table with the others. His back was toward the door. Rosalie was facing the door and happened to see me as I entered. She gave a little wave and said something to Edward. He turned around quickly then and waved, signaling me to stop by once I'd gotten something for breakfast. I grabbed a cup of coffee to go and picked up an apple, and then I went to where he sat. I stood next to his chair, greeted everyone and put my fingertips lightly on the back of his neck. I managed to keep from running my hand up through his hair, but only just.

I explained to the group that I had overslept a little and still wanted to get to class early, so I wasn't going to sit down and join them.

Jasper turned to Edward. "A likely story! This is the part where she lets you down gently, dumping you, and you come crawling back to Alice and me, begging us to take you back, although the chances of that are fair to slim. We've already moved on, Edward, now that we've seen what you're capable of; how you could just disregard us the moment some girl sweeps you off your feet."

Edward turned to look back up at me with a quizzical expression on his face. "Is this true? Have you come here to dump me, after only one date?"

I raised my hand to my chin, rubbing it thoughtfully, like I was pondering Edward's fate. "Haven't quite made up my mind yet. I'll let you know," I teased.

Emmett leaned forward in his chair, he was dimpling up and I knew that was a bad sign for Edward. "You should have used a bigger candle last night, Edward. Girls like big candles; size _does_ matter." He was in full-blown be-dimpled grin now, thrilled with himself that he had been able to turn yet another statement into sexual innuendo.

I turned toward him, smiling sweetly and said, "You know, Emmett, it's not the size of the candle that's important; it's how it makes the girl glow. Edward knows how to light my fire just fine."

Alice's laughter pealed loudly from her lips and she was on her feet in an instant, high-fiving me and squealing, as was Rose, oddly enough. "Good comeback, Bella!" Alice snorted.

Rose was on her feet too, doing a little shimmy with raised arms and smacking her hip into Emmett's shoulder. "Thanks, Bella! I can't be the only one to keep this man-child in line; I need all the help I can get. You, girlfriend, are officially the Queen of Sexy Smackdown!"

Emmett shook the comments off and turned to his brother. "Edward, that girl of yours is just plain sassy. Are you going to let her talk to your big brother and Resident Advisor like that? Don't you think that's rather inappropriate?"

Edward didn't look convinced. "If she hasn't quite decided whether or not to dump me yet, I certainly don't want to rock the boat. I'm going to let her say and do whatever the heck she pleases. I'm not stupid."

"Smart man," Rose pointed out, nodding. "Emmett, you could really learn a thing or two from your brother here."

"Maybe I'll keep you," I told Edward as I stroked the nape of his neck. "You've got a lot of common sense and you say and do the cutest things."

Edward's eyes widened and he smiled at me, and then he looked at the group and shrugged. "It's a natural gift I have." They laughed at him.

I smiled down at him. "I'll see you and your natural gift later; I've got to get going."

I turned to the rest of the group. "I want to get to class early before my test so I can look over my notes."

I finally allowed myself to run my hand up through Edward's hair. I'd been itching to do it the whole time. He closed his eyes briefly, leaning into my hand. I noticed his nostrils flare slightly as he inhaled deeply. When he opened his eyes back up and looked at me I really felt like attacking his lips, but instead I smiled at him and the rest of them and gave a little wave. "See you all later!"

They said goodbye and waved and I was off.

I had just taken my seat inside the classroom when my phone buzzed. I took it out and looked at the screen. It was a text from Edward.

_Go get 'em, smart girl!_

I smiled and texted a response.

_Don't distract me, cute boy! I'm worried about this test!_

A moment later my phone buzzed again.

_You'll do fine, smart girl. Trust me!_

I smiled at the confidence boost and sent one last text.

_Edward! Distracting much? Yeah, I think so! _

Edward had been right though. The test went much more smoothly than I thought it would and I think I did a fine job. Everything seemed really easy and I felt quite confident in my answers, so I guess I had put the right amount of time into studying, despite the intrusion of Edward into most of my thoughts.

On the way back from class I stopped by the bookstore. There was something I wanted to pick up and I was sure I could probably find it there. There wasn't much of a selection of what I was looking for, but they had something that would do, so I took it, paid for it, and watched as it was wrapped up in tissue paper and bagged. I immediately headed back to the dorm after that.

When I got to the dorm I stopped by Edward's room and knocked on the door. Jasper opened the door, smiled and yelled over his shoulder, "Edward! It's that cute girl you follow around all the time."

Edward turned and looked, grinning at me from where he sat at his desk with his nose buried in a textbook. He waved me into the room and over to where he was working.

"How was it?" he asked, scooting his chair back from the desk a bit and turning it slightly to face me.

"I felt really good about everything. It seemed fairly easy. I think I probably got a really good grade on that."

"Good job, smart girl! I knew you'd be fine."

"Thanks, cute boy! You were right." I laughed.

He grinned and reached an arm out for my hand, pulling me toward him and tugging me down to his lap. Then his hands went around my hips as I sat sideways on his lap. I put my books down on his desk and turned back to look at him.

"I bought you something on the way back from class. Jasper might want to see it too." I looked over my shoulder to where he stood near his own desk. "Jasper, come take a peek at what I got for Edward."

He came over to us with an inquisitive smile on his face as I handed Edward the small paper bag. Edward looked curious as he opened it and pulled out the tissue paper bundle. He unraveled the paper and found the little decorative candle and holder inside. He and Jasper both laughed at once.

"Our own mood lighting and ambiance!" Edward exclaimed, smiling broadly at me.

"Your own damn candle!" Jasper chuckled. "Now you don't have to snake mine."

I smiled at Edward. "Now we don't have to deal with people that are less than enthused about lending us their damn candle." I rolled my eyes and jerked my head toward Jasper rather melodramatically.

"Now look here, missy," Jasper said, "you owe me and my little lovely the use of this candle, at least for one dinner date."

I looked at Edward and we both shrugged. "I guess that's fair," Edward nodded.

"Sounds reasonable," I agreed.

Jasper looked at the clock then. "Well, gang, academia calls. I've got to get to class. I'll see you two kids later. Edward, you be careful. Don't scorch her." He winked at Edward, grinned, and shut the door, chuckling a little loudly to himself as he left.

"Don't scorch me? With the candle?" I was confused. "What did he mean?"

Edward's lips twitched, like he was trying to control his smile. His one eyebrow arched a little. "Uh, well, they were _your_ words, Bella."

"What were my words?" _What was he talking about?_

He laced his fingers together securely around my hips and cleared his throat. And then he looked me straight in the eye, with that devilish smile curling his lips, as he repeated what I'd said to Emmett this morning.

"...And I quote, 'It's not the size of the candle that's important; it's how it makes the girl glow. Edward knows how to light my fire just fine'... end quote."

_Shit! How could I have said something like that to Emmett?_ _With Edward listening, no less! And how could I have forgotten about it? And now he has to throw it back at me verbatim? Crap!_

And now Edward's eyes were gleaming wickedly at me. I couldn't jump up off of his lap and hide, because he had laced his hands around me tightly, and he was just having the time of his life as I sat there, blushing crimson. I ducked my head into the crook of his neck as I listened to his low, velvety chuckle.

"Oh, stop it!" I thumped his chest lightly with my hand, keeping my head tucked where he couldn't look at my face. I knew I was still beet-red from embarrassment.

"Your words, not mine; I just have a really good memory for things I deem important."

He was still snickering as he leaned his body away from me so that I could no longer hide; forcing me to look at him. He had the most provocative grin on his face. I knew that I was still scarlet; I could feel the heat up to my hairline.

"So….?" he drawled intolerably. His eyebrows were raised questioningly, his eyes full of mischief. He was waiting for a response.

_It would be so much easier to respond if he would just get that naughty boy look off of his face!_

"So…stop it!" I thumped him again.

He just tipped his head back and laughed.

"Damn it, Edward! Okay, so it _is_ true! Are you happy now?" I was squirming, trying to slip away.

He finally managed to control his laughter, bringing it down to a smirk. "Immensely happy!" His eyebrows twitched suggestively as he licked his lips.

_Oh shit! I wanted to do the lip-licking here._

I dragged my eyes away from his mouth. "Congratulations! You won; now let me go!" I tried to stand up, but his hands were still clasped.

"Uh-uh." His darkened eyes glittered shamelessly.

_Shit! The naughty boy look just wouldn't go away! It was only intensifying and sexifying! _

"If you're just going to make fun of me and laugh and smirk at me you might as well just let me go."

"Nope. Not gonna' happen. Guess again."

I relented. "What will it take, for you to let me go?" _Like I didn't know where this was headed._

"You're the smart girl. You'll figure something out." He cocked an eyebrow at me, waiting.

_Ooh, that self-satisfied little naughty boy smirk needed such a spanking!_

I pulled away, looking at him, realizing where I had to go with this. I'd show him.

"Okay, Mr. Cullen, have it your way. Fasten your seatbelt, the ride's about to get a little bumpy. No, make that 'turbulent'."

"I'm a fan of turbulence," he said in that velvety tone of voice. He raised his eyebrows speculatively and waited, his lips parted and ready.

I put my hand gently against the side of his face, tracing the outline of his lips with my thumb. I looked him squarely in the eyes as I leaned forward slowly to kiss his lips very softly, very briefly, only to pull away from him. His facial expression told me he was intrigued.

I leaned in again, still looking intently at him, kissing him harder, longer and sucking a little lingeringly on his bottom lip. When I pulled back this time, I could see that he was paying very close attention. He really was quite focused now.

I pulled him to me this time, my fingers running up into his hair and pulling and tugging on it a little as his mouth opened under mine and our tongues met in a languid dance that quickly intensified. I was just about to congratulate myself on having taught naughty boy a lesson, when I felt Edward's hands unclasp and shift to my hips. He lifted me off of him for a second, only to pull me back down onto his lap so that I was now facing and straddling him, my legs on either side of his as he sat in his desk chair.

Surely he'd heard me gasp when he pulled me back down. Our mouths locked together again and our tongues became much more insistent.His hands were still on my hips as his long fingers gripped me and pulled me closer to his body. His arms suddenly went around me and tightened as he pulled me smack up against him and pressed me down hard against himself, with a little groan, as we resumed kissing. His hand went to the side of my face as we kissed, and then he was tilting my chin upward with his thumb, moving his lips down along my jaw and neck and I felt his lips and the tip of his tongue kissing and tracing out along my collarbone first on one side, and then he moved back along to the other side. I shivered when I felt his teeth against my skin. And I sure as hell felt suddenly very faint.

"Holy hell, Edward!" I struggled to whisper down toward him as I pulled away, trying desperately to breathe and managing only raggedly. I wasn't sure if I should think that my plan for him had backfired or had been a resounding success. I was no longer sure who had taught whom a lesson.

His head came back up, darkened eyes appearing apologetic, and he rested his forehead against mine, closing his eyes and breathing rather raggedly himself. His arms relaxed a little but he kept them around me. After a moment he took a deep breath. "Well, that got a little out of hand. I lost control of the damn brakes."

"I started it," I confessed, "and you didn't hear me complaining, did you?"

"No, I guess I didn't, but I was awfully busy lighting fires. I wasn't really paying attention to the brakes." He kissed me gingerly on the lips as his hands moved to my hips, kneading the flesh there a little.

I lay my head down against his shoulder. "You know exactly what you're doing." I murmured to him. "You know exactly how to light my fire. I think I'm feeling slightly scorched; Jasper was right to be concerned." I lifted my head and smiled weakly at him.

"You're quite the arsonist, yourself, Bella. I think I'm a little singed too." He smiled back at me with his dark eyes as he squirmed and moved me back a little on his lap, putting a little more distance between our bodies. "Is my hair smoking?"

I grinned at him and ruffled his hair. "Smoking? No. _Smokin'_? All the time. _Smokin' hot._" He winced, shaking his head.

"Always with the hair." Then he patted me on the backside. "You better get up, before we spontaneously combust. You're really dangerous."

I stood up and climbed off of him as he held me steady.

"Edward," I glanced at the clock, "don't you have a class?"

He looked at the clock. "Oh, crap! Yeah, I've got to get going shortly. I wasn't paying any attention to the time. I wonder why?" He narrowed his eyes and looked pointedly at me. I grinned back.

"I've got twenty minutes to finish up here and get to class," he said, indicating his open book on his desk. "I'll see you later for dinner, okay, Bella?"

"Sure, I don't have a date yet."

He smiled and his fingers squeezed my hip once more. "You do now. Actually, you have one any time you want one." He patted my hip and released me.

I smiled as I let myself out the door and headed upstairs. I needed to go splash some cold water on my face.

**EPOV**

As soon as Bella left and the door to my room shut, I leaned toward my desk, dropping my head down and resting my forehead on my arms.

_Damn! Damndamndamndamndamndamn damn!_

It was so ridiculously easy to get completely carried away. It didn't take much for her to unleash the beast. _Wasn't this too fast? ...too soon?_ At some point there were going to be piles of ripped and shredded clothing at our feet and a mangled mass of the brakes that once were.

I rolled my head sideways and glanced over at the clock.

_Fuck! I've got to get to class._

**BPOV**

Much later in the day, after dinner with the Cullens and Hales, I asked Edward if he wanted to go to the fitness center. I hated to go too many days without doing something physical to get my blood pumping, although it seemed that my blood got pumping more and more often lately, just spending time with Edward.

Like this morning. _Holy hot and horny hell! _I had a sneaking suspicion that a physical relationship with Edward was going to be mind-blowing. And it seemed to be on the horizon, despite our best intentions. _Shit! We'd just kissed two nights ago, and still hadn't even gone out on an actual date! We needed to chill out!_

I definitely needed to get in a little more sports and fitness-related physical activity just to take my mind off of Edward-related physical activity. We'd be there before we knew it; good intentions and poorly functioning brakes aside.

We got to the fitness center in the early evening and started out jogging on the treadmill, side by side. We had been there for almost half an hour when we saw Jessica come in with Mike. They didn't see us right away. I asked Edward if he knew whether they were dating, because I knew that Jessica was interested in Mike.

He just shrugged, and then quietly asked if there was something wrong with Jessica that made her interested in a pain-in-the-ass like Newton.

I stifled my laugh. I knew that Edward had a really hard time putting up with Mike for some reason.

"Look at the two of them," I said, "they look cute together."

"No, Bella, _we_ look cute together. _They_ look like a girl at the fitness center with a Pain-in-the-Ass."

"What is it that you don't like about Mike, besides his bad dance moves?"

Edward snorted a laugh. "I don't know; he always comes off like he's such a ladies' man. I'm not sure what ladies he's thinking of, though. He really seems like such a jerk sometimes. I don't know if it's just stuff that he says to other guys, thinking that he'll impress us, or if he's really serious. He can just be so obnoxious."

"Alice told me that he said something about me that really bothered you the day of the dance and barbecue."

I saw the recollection flit across his face and he grimaced. "Yeah, he did. It was extremely obnoxious. Typical Newton. That's part of the reason why I went."

"Really? You really went because of something he said about _me_? What did he say?"

Edward's eyes flickered over at me. He looked a little uncomfortable. "He basically told me that he was going to hit on you."

"That's_ it_?" I giggled.

"No, it was the _way_ he said it. He said you were 'ripe for the plucking'.Who says that kind of thing about a girl?"

I giggled. "That's not _so_ terrible."

"No, but he mentioned how you didn't really know anyone and you were away from home, and you were maybe sad and lonely. Then he mentioned you being ripe for the plucking. Like it was the perfect opportunity for him to slink in and snatch you up without you even realizing it. It was just so sleazy I couldn't stand it."

"So the reason you went was to keep a watchful eye on me?"

He ran his fingers through his hair and suddenly seemed a little pink. _Edward was blushing?_ He finally gave me a little nod.

"You didn't think I could see through sleazy?" I was smiling, thinking about Edward-Avoid-Girls-At All-Costs-Cullen wanting to rescue me from Mike-Evil-Villain-Newton.

"I guess I wanted to be sure. I really didn't want someone like him plucking you." He grinned sheepishly.

"Edward, you didn't even know me! That was that first weekend. That whole cart-ordeal really did quite a number on you, didn't it?"

He was smiling now, thinking back. "I really didn't know you, did I? I was drawn to you, though. I guess I didn't even realize it at the time. I wanted to protect you. I told you I felt very protective of you."

I smiled at him. "Thanks for rescuing me from a fate worse than death."

"You're very welcome. That could have been you over there right now." He nodded toward Mike and Jessica with his head. "That's definitely a fate worse than death."

"Somehow, I don't think that would have been me over there. I'm a little more discriminating and discerning." I giggled and waved, noticing that Mike and Jessica had spotted us and were now headed our way.

I heard a very low "Great," or maybe it was a "Grrrrr," muttered next to me.

"Hey, guys! This must be the hot spot to hang out!" Jessica had a big smile on her face.

"Hi, Jess, Mike!" I smiled, slowing my treadmill down a bit.

Edward nodded at them politely. "Hey Newton, Jessica." He had slowed his treadmill as well.

"Hey, Big E, Bella! Working up a sweat together, huh? Would I be interrupting too much if I stole Edward, just for a couple of minutes, so he could spot me while I do some bench presses?"

"Oh, no, Mike, that's fine." I told him. Edward looked back toward me, where they couldn't see his facial expression, and made a little face at me, squinting his eyes in dismay, but what was I supposed to say to Mike?

The two of them wandered away and Jessica suggested the stair climbers. We found two machines next to each other and started working our butts.

"Bella, you and Edward sure look pretty comfortable together. I guess he finally met the right girl to be his girlfriend." Jessica was smiling, with one eyebrow cocked. It looked like she was waiting for confirmation. Inquiring minds want to know.

"I don't know if I'm technically his 'girlfriend', but I guess I am something more than just a friend." I hoped that appeased her need to know.

"Oh Bella, you're being ridiculous!" She waved her hand at me. "The way he looks at you, does stuff for you; it makes every girl watching absolutely swoon and wish she had an Edward Cullen of her own. And that was when we thought he was just a pretty face. We didn't know what kind of romantic stuff he was capable of. You've tapped into a goldmine, girl! So many girls have wanted and tried to hook up with that guy, but he was always so aloof, so disinterested, for some reason. Any other guy that age, and that good-looking, would take advantage of the girls lining up for his attention. But not him. He's practically a mythical creature. I guess he's been waiting for you. He seems awfully sweet to you. I saw him lighting that candle last night at dinner, and the two of you holding hands. Gosh that was so romantic! I would never have thought the dining hall could be such a romantic dining spot, but I guess when you're with Edward Cullen, any spot is a romantic spot. What a catch he is! You're so lucky!" She was gushing now. I actually wasn't sure how she was able to say all that and work out at the same time.

"He is awfully sweet to me and we really have a great time together, but it's not constant romance, Jess. Sometimes we just talk and sometimes we just goof around. The same kinds of things other …people…do." _The same kinds of things other…couples…do. Were we a 'couple' now?_

She looked over at him and seemed a little wistful. "I don't know, Bella. Somehow I have a hard time putting him in the same category with any other normal guy."

My eyes wandered over to Edward. It was hard for me to put him in that category too. 

I admired Edward from where we were working out. His eyes flickered over to me briefly and I saw his lips curl up a little, before he looked back down at Mike. He was helping to spot Mike and seemed to be explaining something to him about hand placement. They suddenly switched places. Edward easily lifted the weight that Mike had struggled with. I could see his muscles bunching and relaxing as he lifted. His shirt rode up and I caught a glimpse of well-defined abs, that little happy trail and..._Oh my!_ Lying on his back like that…those shorts were so much more…_clingy_…than when he was standing up. _Holy crow!_

I sort of wished I was standing a little closer, so I could admire _All That_ and the _King of All That_ just a little better. Then again, Edward would have to be blindfolded so he couldn't focus on the path my eyes took and the resulting blush that followed. He _was_ quite the catch, though. In all ways. Somehow I had caught him without really trying. Or had he caught me? I wasn't really sure. But at this point, we were both caught. Securely.

I decided to change the subject. "So what's going on with you and Mike? Are you two dating?"

"Well, I've had my eye on him for a while, and I think he's finally thinking of me as more than just a friend. He waves me over sometimes to sit with him and his friends when I go to meals. He asked me if I wanted to join him here tonight. I'm not that big on working out, as you know, but since it involved hanging out, I was totally agreeable." She smiled and then she looked back over at him with conviction. "If he doesn't ask me out by this coming weekend, I think I'll for sure ask him."

Edward was now grinning at something Mike had said and running his hand through his hair, brushing it back from his forehead. Mike was nodding, and he appeared to be trying whatever Edward had told him to do with his hand placement on the weight. I didn't think Edward was having a terrible time, but this was eating into our time together for the evening.

"I think it's time to go collect our guys," I told Jessica.

We walked over to where they were finishing up with the weights.

"I guess it's time I turned Edward back over to you, Bella. Turns out I asked the right guy for help. Adonis, here, knows what he's talking about. Thanks, Bud!

"You want to go, Bella?" Edward asked me somewhat hopefully.

_Yes, Adonis. _"Yeah, I guess I'm done here. We can go back."

We told them goodbye and left to walk home.

"He didn't try to pluck you, did he?" I asked a very amused Edward on the walk back to our dorm.

"No, but it seems he's got plans to pluck Jessica," Edward answered as he reached for my hand and threaded his fingers through mine.

"Really? He told you that?"

"Well, he didn't actually say 'pluck'. In fact, I was rather impressed; he didn't even use any words that rhyme with 'pluck'. Maybe he really does like her."

"You didn't seem to be having a terrible time talking to him."

"No, he's stopped trying to help me out with women, giving me lewd advice and trying to force every girl he's ever met on me. I guess I can put up with him as long as he doesn't try to teach me his mad skills."

I giggled at the idea that Mike had anything to teach Edward. _Nope, I really don't think so!_

"I think the whole shower thing really threw him off. He probably feels like you've got game he didn't even know you were capable of."

Edward smiled oddly.

"What?" I asked, looking at his expression.

"He did say something about having newfound respect for me. Then he wondered if I'd mind if he borrowed my idea and used a candle in the dining hall. He also asked if I had any other good ideas besides the shower and the candle. I think I'm his hero, suddenly."

"Did you give him any other ideas, _Sensei_?" I laughed.

"_Sensei_?" Edward laughed and rolled his eyes at me. "I'm not sharing my ideas until after I've used them myself. I get to use my best ideas first, then I'll let others use my patented 'Edward Cullen Get-the-Girl' tips."

I didn't bother to tell Edward that he'd already _gotten_ the girl. It would be interesting to see what his other ideas and tips consisted of. I had a feeling they'd be very convincing.

We had reached the dorm. Alice was just coming out of Edward's room.

"Bella, hurry up and kiss Edward goodnight. I need to borrow you!"

I blushed. But then she actually stood there, waiting, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Alice…" Edward said pointedly, giving her the 'what the heck?' hand gesture.

"Oh, all right!" Alice rolled her eyes at Edward. "I'll wait out in the main living room. Just lock lips and be quick about it!" She twirled around and left.

Edward smiled down at me. "She's a tyrant." His hands went to the sides of my face and tilted my head up to meet his lips. We kissed and then he was deepening the kiss, and I felt his tongue on mine. I was just beginning to lose myself when Alice's voice brought me back to my senses. She was calling from around the corner in the main living room.

"Okay, Edward! That's good enough! There's always tomorrow! You'll both still have your lips tomorrow! You know what they say: 'Always leave them wanting more.'"

Edward sighed. "She's an impatient tyrant and a tiny bully." He scratched his head awkwardly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella. Goodnight." He gave me one more quick kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Edward." I smiled before I headed around the corner to the main living room where Alice was waiting impatiently, pinching the bridge of her nose. _Where have I seen that move before?_

She looked up abruptly when she heard my footsteps. "Finally! Come with me, Bella!" She grabbed me by the hand and whisked me along behind her up the stairs. Now I knew how Jasper felt, the many times I'd seen her leading him around.

We got up to our room and Alice whirled on me. "Bella! You have a _real date_ with Edward on Wednesday night?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"I can't believe you didn't tell me! This is major! Why didn't anyone tell me? Where's he taking you? What are you going to wear?"

_So many questions at once! _"Um, I don't know why we didn't tell you; he just asked me out last night. He said something about dinner and a movie. I'll find something to wear in my closet."

"Really? You're sure? Well, let's take a quick look through your choices. We might need to supplement your wardrobe a little and we don't have much time. Tomorrow is already Tuesday!"

I nodded, feeling a little railroaded, but I did as she said. We rooted through the clothes hanging in my closet. And the fact was obvious: I really didn't have anything very appropriate for a first date with Edward. Alice was adamant that jeans and a top just weren't working for her. She insisted I needed to show a little leg. Or a lot of leg. And other body parts. I hesitated to say anything about her not actually being involved in the date itself. On some level, though, I knew she was right and I wanted to wear something really special, and it just didn't exist in my closet. And I did have that birthday money from Charlie. And he had told me to go buy something special with it for myself. And now I needed something special. For myself and for Edward.

It was a sign from the gods.

"Well, that settles it, Bella! We're going shopping tomorrow for something that will knock his socks off. This is Edward's first real date in three years! Three frickin' years! And his last dates were high school dates. We're not counting your non-date; that was mostly platonic. And last night's little 'starter-date' in the dining hall, well, that was a nice attempt under the circumstances, but this next date…_this next date_…Oh, Bella… it's going to be the real deal! Edward is going to be making up for lost time and you've got to dress appropriately. And I'm thinking 'dress'; a fabulous dress! What's your schedule tomorrow? We've got work to do!"

"Just one class, it's early. What kind of work do we have to do?"

"Perfect, we'll go out for lunch and buy you something that will knock his socks off and rock his world. We have hunting and shopping to do and that's something that I'm really, really good at. Seriously good. Like trained-professional-good."

I laughed. "Okay, I'll put myself in your very capable hands. We'll buy me a dress."

Alice looked over her shoulder and peeked back down onto the floor of my closet for a moment.

"And shoes! For God's sake! You're sure as hell not wearing sport shoes, Chucks or ballet flats! Thank God I looked!"

"Okay, Alice, shoes too. But I have to be able to walk in them."

"Walk-schmalk! They just have to be kick-ass!"

So my day was decided, with very little input from me. That was okay. There had been so many occasions in the past three and a half weeks when Edward had done something simple, yet thoughtful for me. Maybe this would be a nice way to even things up a little.

Edward was long overdue for a little sock-knocking and world-rocking and I thought maybe I was just the right girl to do it.

**A/N: Please review. It'll knock my socks off and rock my world. Then you can continue reading if the next chapter says ****revised.**


	31. Expect the Unexpected

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: YOU ARE THE BEST! THANKS FOR OVER 1,000 REVIEWS!

You've got me fangirlin' here. I appreciate all the glorious things you've said and all the hilarious comments. I'll continue to respond to them, because after all...

...YOU ARE MY LIFE NOW!

Infringing isn't happening here. S.M. owns her stuff; I'm just taking a trip down college-dorm memory lane.

Motto of this chapter: expect the unexpected

**Chapter 31: Expect the Unexpected (Revised)**

**EPOV**

I had stayed up too late last night, first watching some crappy old movie on TV that Jasper was dying for me to see, and then I'd climbed out onto the roof and played my sorely neglected guitar for a while. Actually for _quite_ a while. I'd had a lot I wanted to think about and reflect on, but there'd also been a melody that had been floating through my thoughts for several days and I was trying to work it out.

So that explains why I'd overslept this morning, missing breakfast and the opportunity to see Bella. It didn't matter that I'd almost missed getting to my first class as well; my bigger concern was that I wouldn't see Bella until this evening. Class could go to hell; well not really, but it was a ridiculously easy communications class with a boring professor, and it just bothered me that I had to be there, rather than where I wanted to be and with whom I wanted to be.

_Bella._

Alice had stolen her away from me last night, and apparently she was stealing her away again later today. The two of them were going out to lunch and who the hell knows what else, so they'd be off campus all afternoon. Jasper said he'd mentioned to Alice that Bella and I had a date tomorrow night. Alice had been quite peeved no one had told her of this earlier. She was probably exacting some sort of pixie revenge now, depriving me of spending time with my girl.

_My girl?_

_Wow..._

That was the first time that I'd actually thought of her that way. She _was_ my girl, though. I certainly didn't think about any other girl. And she spent her time with me; there was no one else for her. She certainly wasn't anybody else's girl. She was _mine_.

Things hadn't progressed in the right order, I realized. You were supposed to be intrigued with a girl, get to know her a little, ask her out, go out a few times, move to the boyfriend/girlfriend stage, and then, if you were really lucky, fall in love.

I think our personal histories and prior relationships just threw that whole natural progression out of kilter a little.

I had gotten to know Bella somewhat first, and then I had been intrigued against my will. That had continued as she'd become friends with all of us. The fact that she'd had a boyfriend at the time had made her seem safe and off-limits to me, so I'd refused to acknowledge the feelings I'd begun having for her. I'd taken her on a 'non-date,' reluctant to admit to what was happening between us. But things had developed and moved forward even though we had yet to have an actual first date.

Dinner in the dining hall was more of a celebratory event than a real first date. She had decided she was finally ready to move on and go out on a real date but it had yet to happen. And yet here I was, suddenly already thinking of her as _my girl_. I'd skipped right ahead to the boyfriend/girlfriend stage.

And I think I'm on the verge of the last stage - the falling in love stage.

This had all happened so fast. Frankly, much of it had been rather confusing and overwhelming. I knew I didn't want to be at that last stage by myself. But I didn't want to rush her if she wasn't ready. I had to keep a lid on things for her.

I thought about her all the time; wanted to be with her all the time. Not in an unhealthy-overly-obsessed-stalker kind of way; more in a why-the-fuck-did-I-oversleep-when-I-could-have-been-with-her-this-morning kind of way.

So now I sat here, listening to Professor Blow-me's verbal diarrhea about human communications. He could use some tutelage in human communications himself; he was fucking droning on and on and time was standing still. How the hell was I supposed to stay focused on this shit? Obviously I wasn't focused on this shit. Once this class was over I had another class. Bella had an eleven o'clock class after that, and then Alice would be kidnapping my girl for the afternoon. _My girl. _That put a little smile on my face.

But the smile disappeared when I realized I wouldn't see my girl for another eight hours, most likely.

_Damn!_

**BPOV**

I wondered where Edward was this morning; he was usually there for breakfast before his first class. Jasper came in to the dining hall shortly after Alice and I and he told me Edward was still sleeping. He said they'd watched an outstanding old movie on TV late last night, and then Edward had gone up to the roof to play his guitar afterwards.

I'd never really heard Edward play the guitar, except for that first night in the dorm and then again after the dance, when he'd been on the roof outside his room. I felt bad thinking that maybe I took up so much of his time that he was letting his music go. I didn't want to be keeping him from that, although he seemed perfectly happy to spend whatever time he could with me. Of course I was happy to know that I was a priority to him, just like he had become to me.

I thought about Jessica's words last night, when I told her I wasn't sure if I was his girlfriend. She had jumped on that statement, saying I was ridiculous. She said that girls watched as he looked at me and did things for me, and it made them swoon, wishing they had an Edward Cullen of their own. She said he'd never taken advantage of any of the girls that had thrown themselves at him, and I knew she was speaking firsthand. She said he had been waiting for me.

Edward had waited for me. He was still waiting for me. I'd never done the boyfriend thing this way. There had only ever been Jake, and there had been safety in that. But this...this all seemed to develop so quickly. I felt ready to begin a relationship with Edward but I wanted to take things slowly and make sure it was right.

I walked back from class, ready to find Alice for our little adventure. I felt my lips curling up into a smile. Was I ready to rock Edward's world, like Alice had said? Lord knows he was already rocking mine.

**EPOV**

Thank goodness for small favors. For Alice-sized favors. Just before Alice left for the afternoon with Bella, they came down to our suite. Alice had to bring Jasper some printer paper; neither he not I had any. But besides the paper for Jasper, Alice brought Bella for me. So I got in my quick fix of my girl.

_My girl._ _I fucking loved that!_

"Hey you," I said happily. "I didn't think I'd get to see you until tonight."

"You got lucky," she said as she sat down on my lap, grinning.

_Now there's a thought._

"Indeed I did. Are you feeling flammable?" I asked her quietly, clasping my arms tightly around her.

"This again?" she asked, laughing as she slid her arm up over my shoulders.

"I'm all about lighting fires for you, these days; I'm quite focused."

"You _are_ quite incendiary, Sparky. Can you hold that thought until later this evening?"

_What? She had plans for me this evening?_

Well, yeah, that comment went straight to Dick Headquarters. I would so go along with whatever the hell she wanted to do. I was ready to light a fire with her any time at all. It was the dousing of the fire that seemed to be the greater problem. I knew she wasn't ready to be caught in an inferno.

"Yeah, I can hold that thought until this evening. I can assure you I won't be thinking of much else for the rest of the day, thank you very much."

She leaned in and gave me a big, deep, wet kiss. "Think about that, too." Now she was smirking at me.

I exhaled and sighed loudly and unclasped my arms from around her. "You're just doing this to hurt me now. Just go. Leave now. I'll sit here and smolder for a few hours. Call me when you and Alice get back. Alice?" I called to my twin, "Take Miss Fire Bomb and go, will you please? Before I explode?"

Bella giggled as she stood.

Alice turned away from Jasper; toward us. She looked at Bella speculatively. "Miss Fire Bomb, huh? Well we can't have you exploding now, Edward. Certainly not prior to your date. We'll see you guys later this afternoon. Come on, Miss Fire Bomb."

I kissed Bella goodbye and they headed down to the parking lot to Alice's car.

**BPOV**

Alice drove us frighteningly fast in her yellow Porsche. In no time at all we wound up downtown at a little bistro for lunch and Alice parked the car.

She led us to a little table for two in the corner where we looked over the menu of soups, salads and sandwiches. It was decided, mostly by Alice, of course, that we would share a grilled vegetable panini and each get a cup of shrimp bisque soup. It turned out to be a very good decision. Much better than dining hall fare; it was excellent.

"Bella," Alice said thoughtfully, between bites of her half of the panini, "I can tell Edward is really excited about tomorrow night. I don't know where he's taking you, or what he's got planned but I suspect it'll be pretty great. I tried to wheedle it out of him but he won't tell me anything. At all." She paused and appeared to be thinking. "I can't believe he doesn't want my input." She sounded a little baffled. "I'm so excited for him and I'm happy for you both. I think you two have something special; I think this is going to be big."

I smiled at her. "I'm excited about tomorrow night, too. When he and I went out on our non-date, I had a really great time. And that wasn't even a real date; so I'm thinking tomorrow will be pretty wonderful. Don't feel bad about him not wanting your input, Alice. He's pretty thoughtful and creative on his own. It must be genetic. I'm sure he'll make you proud." Alice seemed placated.

"I can truthfully say that I've never seen Edward happier. And I don't just mean that this is the happiest he's been in the past three years. I'm saying _ever_._ E-V-E-R! _You make him giggle, for Christ's sake! That's kind of a bizarre thing for me and Emmett to have to hear, but we're learning to love it."

"He makes me happy, Alice. Even when he's not around. He's amazing. When I'm sad, he's soothing and understanding. When I'm happy, he smiles with me. We can have a serious conversation about life and where it's leading us, and we can have a silly conversation and a good laugh. He's the perfect combination. He's smart and he's a dork and he's adorable. The perfect combo."

"So are you ready to rock Mr. Adorkable's world tomorrow night?"

I laughed and blushed. "Well, in what way, are you talking?"

"Oh, for shit's sake, Bella! You're all moony about him. And he is for you. Move things forward a bit more! We're going to buy you a hot little number to wear tomorrow night. You might as well make him sweat. He needs a little unraveling. You both do. And I know just how we're going to do it."

"You already have an unraveling plan?"

"Of course! This is clothing we're talking about! My forte, silly girl! Today we're looking for something pretty specific. This whole candlelight dinner in the dining hall; telling Emmett off, about how Edward lights your fire; buying him his own candle…Don't look at me like that; I have my sources. Jasper told me. Anyway, he just referred to you as Miss Fire Bomb, right?"

"Yeah, we've been running through as many fire-related terms of endearment that we can think of. It's been a pretty stimulating, on-going, silly conversation. Why?"

"Well, Miss Fire Bomb, we are going to dress you up as _a fire bomb_! We're looking for red, lots of it. You will look so good in red! You're going to ignite Edward in red."

I hugged myself, feeling a little nervous. "Alice, I don't know; I usually stick with darker colors. Red is kind of out of my comfort zone."

"I'm pretty sure it'll be out of Edward's comfort zone, as well." She raised an eyebrow provocatively. "And for that reason, it's just what the occasion calls for. Let's go hunting, shall we? Lunch is on me. It's a late birthday present."

We looked in quite a few stores, without much luck, until we finally found something that had, according to Alice, precisely the right amount of 'world-rockablity.' She nearly shrieked when she saw it on the hanger, trying desperately to control herself out in public. And once I'd tried it on, we both fell in love with it. This was the dress. I was certainly going to be quite a ways out of my comfort zone; I was used to jeans, t-shirts and hoodies, finished off with Chucks, or if I was really dressed up, ballet flats.

Tomorrow night I was going to be wearing a dress, a fairly short dress, in a deep, blood-red shade. The fabric had a sort of dusky sheen; when held at various angles there was a black tinge to the red fabric. It was a strapless dress, with a rather intricately folded and pleated sweetheart-cut bodice and a slightly full skirt. Not too overly dressy and formal looking, but definitely sex-kitten material. I would be Edward's Miss Fire Bomb and he just might need those oven mitts I'd imagined him wearing.

Alice had the perfect, dressy, black, trench-style coat for me to wear. She was convinced it would be good to reveal the dress and then cover it back up so I could re-reveal the dress all over again, several times throughout the evening. Just to make sure that Edward kept paying close attention. She said that he'd be thinking about what I had on underneath that coat even when he couldn't see it. She had a good point.

The shoes I would be wearing were a worry. Fairly high heels; the kind that would cause me to face-plant or break an ankle. Alice assured me I could just hang onto Edward that much tighter. They were black peep-toe pumps, but they had a rather chunky high heel and lots of straps; with an almost gladiator or dominatrix feel. Alice told me that these shoes would let Edward know that I was a lady, because of the peep-toes, but that I "meant business" because of all the straps and the frighteningly high heels.

Rose hadn't been able to join us on our shopping trip because of her class schedule, and she was sad she was missing out. But Alice made appointments for all three of us to get manicures and pedicures tomorrow afternoon. Another birthday gift from her and Rose. My hair and make-up would be addressed by both of them afterwards, so now I knew I was officially becoming a group project.

I just hoped it would all be well-received by Edward. I could just imagine him making some funny comment and smirking at my discomfort. Then I would have to kick him with my gladiator/dominatrix peep-toe pump, and then I would stumble and fall on my face. Being the gentleman he was, I was fairly certain he would help me back up as soon as he was done chuckling at me.

It was late in the afternoon when we were heading back to school. Rose had texted Alice to find out whether we'd had any success. She was curious to know how we'd done. She was just leaving from her last class of the day and Alice suggested we meet her for coffee, where we could tell her of our accomplishments, we could plot and plan the next day, all without the intrusion of snooping boys.

When we got to the coffee shop, Rose was waiting and already had a table for us. Alice picked up our drinks, saying it was yet another birthday gift for me despite my attempts to pay. I wondered when the gift-giver-that-keeps-on giving would be over it. It was beginning to get out of hand. Besides my lunch, coffee and mani-pedi for tomorrow, she'd paid for my killer shoes as well. I hadn't wanted to buy them because I was sure I'd be the one being killed in them. But somehow they wound up in the back seat of the car and came home with us.

We sat and relaxed with our coffees, telling Rose about our adventure this afternoon. We hadn't brought my purchases in from the car but we told her all about them in great detail. Alice had actually drawn sketches on napkins for Rose to get an idea of both the dress and the shoes. Alice was actually quite artistic. And thorough, drawing everything from various angles.

We had finished our coffees and dinnertime was approaching, so we left after a brief restroom pit stop. Rose had gone into the one-stall restroom first, saying she'd had to pee since she left class, but then was so absorbed with our tales of fashion adventure that she hadn't thought about it and was now ready to burst.

Alice went in after Rose came out. Tiny pixies have tiny bladders.

I was the last to use the facilities. I was just exiting the restroom when my purse slid from my shoulder and down off my arm. I grabbed at it, accidentally tipping it upside down as it went, the contents spilling and rolling everywhere out onto the floor. I bent down in the narrow hallway, collecting my errant belongings and stuffing them quickly into my purse.

"Well, well, well. How's it going, Raw Sugar? Looks like you could use my help."

My head snapped up to see James, with his dirty-blond hair, cat-like face with flinty slate-blue eyes leisurely tying a work apron around himself. He was standing awfully close to where I knelt, looking down at me with his cold eyes. He bent down and handed me a runaway tampon and smirked. As I snatched it from him he reached his other hand out and caressed my shoulder. I flinched away from his hand but there was really no where to go in the narrow hallway.

"Thanks, I don't need any help," I told him brusquely. "I've got it."

"Oh, you've got it all right, beautiful Bella," his voice dripped, "I just wonder if you know what to do with it." He was smirking lasciviously at me. His hand ran lightly down the length of my arm, his thumb grazing against the side of my breast. I jerked away from him and bumped against the wall behind me as I still knelt on the floor. I stood up quickly, not caring about the remaining coins, pen and chapstick on the floor. I clutched my purse in front of me like a barricade now.

"Excuse me!" I said as I gritted my teeth, wanting to get past him and back out into the main area of the coffee shop.

He didn't move; he just leaned his hand against the opposite wall, planting himself in front of me, barring my way. His steely eyes glinted and a lazy, predatory smile crept across his thin lips, baring his sharp, white teeth.

"We should get together sometime," his voice oozed. "I'd be happy to help you figure out what to do with what you've got."

"Somehow I don't think my boyfriend would like that idea," I spat back at him. For the intents and purposes of this conversation, Edward was now most certainly my boyfriend.

"Who? Little _Cullen_? You're still with him?" He laughed sardonically. "I don't think Edward knows what to do with a chick. But I do. I'd be happy to show you; teach you a few things, and then you could show him what I taught you."

"Bella, come on, let's go!" It was Alice's voice, coming from the main area at the end of the narrow hallway. I couldn't see her past James' body.

He didn't turn around. He just kept leering at me, cocking his head at an angle like he was appraising me. It was unnerving.

"You look smart, Bella; you're probably a quick learner. And you can bring your friend." He gave a quick jerk of his head, nodding in Alice's direction. "I'm okay with a threeway."

Alice had approached and must have seen the look on my face and she had maybe heard some of what he'd said. She reached past James and grabbed me by the arm. "Excuse us!" she said vehemently, glowering at James as she pulled me past him. She suddenly seemed much larger than her tiny frame.

James just laughed as he moved aside.

"Well, okay, Raw Sugar," his voice drawled." I'll let you go. But when you get tired of Little Cullen, you know where to find me. I don't mind sloppy seconds."

I was stunned by the whole ordeal; disgusted by what he'd just said and the fact that he'd touched me, but I couldn't seem to find any words to tell him what I thought about him. Alice, however, managed just fine.

"You're a fucking asshole!" she seethed, moving right up close to him. "You have no right to talk to her like that, you dick!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the door. "Let's get out of here."

He was laughing as we exited. "Oh, now I do like 'em feisty!" he called after us. Alice flipped him off as we exited.

Rose had been waiting at the door and hadn't heard the exchange, though she did see and hear Alice's parting shot. Alice hadn't even heard all of what he'd said. As we headed to her car, she told Rose what she'd heard and then asked me what else he'd said.

I told them the whole story as we walked to the car and drove back to the dorm parking lot. I started with my first creepy encounter with James in the coffee shop a few weeks ago, then the second encounter the night of the house party, and finishing with the ugly things he'd said moments ago. Neither of them really knew James, but Rose knew that Emmett had had a class with him and Laurent. She was pretty sure Emmett had no idea that James was that out of control.

I told them that Edward had said he'd heard things about James being a letch, hassling and being a creep to girls. He'd never elaborated on it and I hadn't asked at the time.

"Edward is a lot more observant and cautious than Emmett," Rose said. "I'm going to let Em know what's been going on. Maybe he knows James well enough to talk to him, but I kind of doubt it. You should think about filing a complaint at the coffee shop, Bella. That was so inappropriate of him. I can imagine some idiot being all drunk and thinking he can get away with saying and doing that kind of inappropriate shit at a party, but this was where he works, for God's sake. That guy's got a screw loose."

Alice fumed all the way back up to the dorm. "All I can say is that if I'd known about the things he's done and said to you, Bella, I would have ripped his head off when I had the chance!"

We were still talking about him as we arrived at the dorm. The suite was quiet as we entered. Rose stopped us at Emmett's door and knocked. He opened it a moment later and grinned at us, but his demeanor changed when he saw Rose's serious expression.

"We've got a problem," Rose said, pushing him lightly back into his room and motioning for us to join them. She shut the door behind us and began telling him in a quiet voice everything that had happened.

Emmett was surprised and quite upset to hear what had been going on. He seemed to feel somehow partly responsible, especially because it was someone he knew, although he really didn't know James well at all. He was going to talk to someone over at the Campus Security Office, and he said he'd swing by the coffee shop tonight or tomorrow morning and pick up a form for me to file a complaint. He'd make a copy of it for Campus Security and then turn both forms in himself tomorrow, so I didn't have to go back there, since I felt uncomfortable.

I'd never seen this serious, take-charge side of Emmett before. It was rather amazing and very comforting. The troops had rallied around me and I felt much better. The only thing to consider now was Edward.

Part of me wanted to tell him, because this was important and had really affected me. But part of me knew that it would make him absolutely crazy, knowing how crude James had been to me. And it would upset him enough to try to do something about it. And that might not be good.

Emmett brought up the fact that gentle, sensitive Edward had turned into a brawler the day Jake had found Edward's shirt and, somewhat incorrectly, put two and two together. Emmett figured if Edward knew about this inappropriately sexual stuff from James, he just might hightail it down to the coffee shop at the first opportunity he had and go ballistic on James. And as much as that ideal appealed to all of us, we didn't want Edward carted off by Campus Security.

So Rose suggested that, other than Emmett speaking to Campus Security, the four of us not say a word to anyone else for a few days. Alice knew that included Jasper. He would manage to keep it a secret for all of five minutes at the most, before he ran and blurted it to Edward. And Edward, even if he was restrained from going to defend and protect me, would be distraught and beside himself with anger and worry. So we would keep things quiet for a few days.

I hugged the three of them; thanking them for being there for me. "You really are like sisters to me," I said, meaning just Alice and Rose. But before I could turn and say anything along similar lines to Emmett, he spoke up.

"I guess that makes me 'Big Sis' huh?" He had a twinkle in his eyes and of course he had the signature dimples punctuating his smile.

I burst out laughing with Alice and Rose. I was thankful that Emmett had managed to lighten the moment and make things feel normal again. I didn't want James to ruin the great day I'd been having and I didn't want a cloud hanging over tomorrow evening's date with Edward.

"Yes, 'Big Sis'. You're a very _'special_' sister." I used air-quotes to make my point. "I've never known one quite like you."

"And you never will again," Rose said. "He's's one of a kind." She shook her head and rolled her eyes in mock dismay, but it was obvious how much she loved his silly ass.

Alice and I headed upstairs to our room after that. I had new and awe-inspiring clothing and a ridiculously fear-inspiring pair of heels to put away.

I called Edward to see if he wanted to be my dinner date. I then confessed to him that we were actually triple-dating with two other couples I knew. He was quite agreeable.

We all walked over to the dining hall together.

"So, what did you and Alice do this afternoon?" Edward asked as he snaked a finger into my belt loop and pulled me closer to him.

"Well we shared lunch at a little bistro. Great little place; maybe you and I could go there sometime."

He nodded, smiling as he rested his arm along my shoulders. He leaned his head in closer to me. "Are you asking me out?" His mouth was twisted up in a hopeful grin.

"Well, let's see how tomorrow evening goes first, shall we? I've never really dated you before, on an actual date-date, so I'm not sure what to expect. You could turn out to be my worst nightmare."

His lips curled up slowly. "Do you want me to throw you down to the ground and start tickling you right now or should I wait thirty seconds?"

I laughed. "I'm armed with pepper spray, you know."

He shrugged, seeming rather unconcerned. "It's been a while since we've taken a communal shower. I think we're probably about due."

"Are you saying we're dirty'?"

"Possibly 'dirty.' At the very least 'naughty.'"

"I don't know about me, but for sure _you_ have been awfully naughty lately, Edward."

"You bring it out in me. I try to contain it as best I can. If you would try to control yourself, I'd have a much easier time." His voice had dropped to that low, velvety tone.

I felt myself begin to blush. When I looked up at him he was wearing that sexy half-grin.

"So what else did you do with Alice?" He asked as he opened the dining hall door for me.

"Well, we went shopping and I bought some stuff I needed."

"Stuff?"

"Yeah, important stuff."

"Stuff you'll ever tell me about?"

"Um…stuff I'll show you tomorrow night." I quirked an eyebrow as I stared him down a little suggestively.

_There, take that you sexy smirker! You with your velvet voice, perfect mouth…sculpted lips…resourceful tongue. Oh for God's sake it was easy to get sidetracked around him!_

But his eyes had widened and I heard his breath hitch. He was definitely interested in my stuff. Damn, it was going to be a long twenty-four hours before I could rock his world.

**EPOV**

What kind of "stuff" was she going to show me tomorrow night?

How the hell was I supposed to wait until tomorrow night with that little tidbit of information rolling around in my brain? This was so unfair! Alice was behind this. I just knew those two were up to no good. Or _real_ good. Or probably _fuckingly outstandingly_ good. And I was probably going to be the one to suffer in this diabolical scheme of theirs. It made me jittery just thinking about it.

_Fuck! I was having pre-date jitters. What the hell?_

My imagination was running rampant. I couldn't even eat my dinner this evening. I don't even know what the hell I picked up and put on my tray. I think it was cardboard. Cardboard with a side of Styrofoam. De-lish! The three of them, because Rose was in on it too just sat there giggling and exchanging glances all during dinner. Fuck! I'd be squirming for the next twenty four hours. And Emmett and Jasper were no help; just smirking because they knew tomorrow evening was too far away for me and because something was up with the girls. _This was hell!_

Later that evening, Jasper went upstairs to hang with Alice and Bella made her way down to my room. She had finished her homework and I had gotten my work done earlier in the day while she was out buying her infuriating "stuff".

I tried to get her to tell me what kind of "stuff" she had bought. She wouldn't divulge anything more than the fact that it was "stuff" to wear. Okay…so that just made me wonder if it was "outer stuff" or "inner stuff." Maybe it was "outer stuff" _and_ "inner stuff." _Shit!_ If there was "inner stuff" involved… She had said she'd bought "stuff" that she'd show me tomorrow night… So if she'd bought "inner stuff"…Was she going to_ show me _that "inner stuff" tomorrow night?

_Oh holy fuck! I was going to give myself an ulcer with all this goddamned "inner stuff outer stuff" stuff._

I had to find a distraction.

We watched TV for a little while, but most of the shows were fake reality/faux-actuality/act-true-ality crap. Then she mentioned that she'd thought earlier in the day about how she'd never heard me play the guitar, at least not up close and personal. She'd only heard it that first night we had moved in, and that was just because she'd had her window open and I was sitting on the roof above my suite.

So I serenaded her a little. I was kind of embarrassed at first but then I just thought about how I was just sharing another piece of me with Bella, and I'd want her to do the same for me. I played a few things she'd know, we even sang a little together. She said she had a terrible voice, but it wasn't as bad as she made it out to be, and anyway, it's part of her charm.

I even played a few things I'd written myself. She was surprised when I told her that I like to write music, and that I actually play the piano even better than the guitar. She made me promise that I'd play when we went to my folk's house this weekend. That was already a given.

I told her that I was really looking forward to this weekend. She asked me what I was looking forward to the most. I told her that besides the dinner and party for Esme, because that was always an entertaining family highlight, I was just really looking forward to my parents getting to meet my girl.

It just tumbled out of my mouth. I'd been thinking it all day, and it just landed there in the air between us. Plopped right there for her close inspection. I held my breath.

She looked somewhat surprised for a second or two, and then she merely blushed and smiled shyly. I smiled, and then I was really glad I'd said it. At least it was out there. She seemed okay with it; happy about it. So that was when I put my guitar to the side and pulled her over to me. She wasn't hesitant. At all.

We had been sitting on my bed while I'd played the guitar. Once I put it to the side, and pulled her toward me, she pretty much clambered right on top of me, sitting in the preferred straddle position. I really enjoyed the preferred straddle position. There were just so many good body parts you could get involved, once you were in the preferred straddle position.

"Your girl?" she asked, smiling. Her hand brushed some hair back from my forehead.

"Yeah. Do you like that title?" I kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips and then her chin.

"Yeah, I do. Jessica said something about me being your girlfriend last night, and I told her I wasn't sure if I was, but that I felt like I was more than a friend."

"You are, Bella." I tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and smoothed her hair over her shoulder. "I wouldn't let someone who was just a friend sit on me like this." I grinned at her.

She laughed but blushed wonderfully as well. "Not even Jasper?"

I almost choked. But then I recovered quickly. "Only when he's upset and crying and needs a good hug."

She laughed, hugging me. After a moment I was sure I felt that little buzz between us. She brought her hands up to my face and ran her fingertips so lightly from the base of my ears all along my jaw, finally pulling my mouth to hers. I reached behind her, holding her head in my hand, threading my fingers into her soft hair. We kissed and her fingers were in my hair, grasping and tugging. It felt so damn good. I was beginning to realize just how important the hair was becoming to both of us.

And then I remembered our conversation from this morning, when I'd told her I was quite focused on lighting fires for her. She'd called me 'incendiary' and told me to hold that thought until later this evening.

_Well, damn! Lookie there; it's later o'clock! _

The memory of her words ignited something within me. Once we'd started kissing we wound up in a slightly more horizontal position, which is even more preferable to the straddle position. I'd managed to turn us sideways and lay her down, scooting her over and moving in next to her.

We continued kissing, lying there. Her tongue was doing wonderful things to mine and I hoped I was holding up my end of the deal. My hand was on her back, holding her in to me, and as I moved my hand down to her waist, I felt a little expanse of skin where her shirt had ridden up. It was like a magnet; I couldn't keep my hands off. Before I knew what I was doing, I had run my fingertips up along her spine inside of her shirt, and I heard a quiet little moan in response. Her skin was so unbelievably soft and smooth and warm. When my fingertips made the trip back down she made another little moaning sound, arching her back slightly and pressing her breasts into me.

That little moaning sound, combined with the arch and the resulting breasts, was a catalyst. I grabbed her hip, scooting her over closer to me, tighter up against me, only now I wasn't really next to her; I was practically on top of her, leaning over her, pressing myself into her, but resting my weight on my forearms. My arms were wrapped around her body, cradling her.

She seemed perfectly agreeable. I felt her fingertips under the back of my shirt, her hands reaching up inside and running along my backbone and I fully got the whole reason for the moan and the arch. And we were kissing, hard and deep. She drew her knee up and over my hip and I ran my hand from her hip to her thigh, pulling her leg tighter in against me as I pushed myself harder against her, feeling her heat. I knew she felt me, she'd have to have been unconscious not to. This was oficially becoming a bed-situation now.

_The brakes! Christ Almighty! Oh, the hell with it. Who gives a flying fuck about brakes?_

And that was when my jerk of a brother started banging on my door. Yelling for me. Scaring the wits out of both of us and sending Dick into time out.

Bella's eyes had flown open in surprise, and she was now looking up at me. I shook my head and put my finger to my lips. Maybe if we were quiet he would go away and we could resume our conflagration.

Fat fucking chance.

He just kept banging and banging on the door. Yelling. Like the village idiot.

"Edward! Hey Edward! Are you in there? I'm sure you're in there. Come on, open the door! I know you're there! Quit playing with yourself and open the damn door!

I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. He had such good timing, and the grace and savoir-faire of a bull in a china shop. A rabid bull; or well, maybe a rabid, cartoon bull in a china shop would be a little more fair and accurate.

He was not going to go away without some gentle encouragement on my part.

I went to the door, yanking it open angrily. By the good grace of God it had at least been locked.

"Fucking-A, Emmett! What the fuck is so important that you've got to practically break my fucking door down?"

"I was just wondering if… What the hell happened to you, Edward? What have you been doing? You're all flushed. Are you sick? You look all overheated. What's the matter with your breathing?"

That was when he suddenly shut the fuck up and peered around me, and saw Bella sitting on my bed. I think she looked a lot like I probably did; her hair was kind of fluffed out in a soft halo framing her face, which was flushed; her lips looked a little puffy and her breathing certainly matched mine.

"o," Emmett said quietly.

Yeah, his mouth was that little. He was surprised to see that I had a guest, I suppose. Not used to the whole idea of Bella yet.

"Oh, so sorry, Bro! I thought you were alone. You guys want to play Wii?"

Was he insane? "Fuck no, we don't want to play fucking Wii! Fuck! Next time…Emmett…if you _knock_…not fucking _bang_, but _knock_, on my door, and I don't respond, it either means I'm not here, or I don't fucking _want_ to respond. Okay?"

"Yeah, sorry Bro. I wasn't thinking. Goodnight Edward. Um, goodnight, Bella." He looked past me and wiggled his fingers in a little wave to her.

"Goodnight, Emmett," she said sweetly, making the same little finger-wiggle-wave.

"Fuck!" I said, slamming my door as he walked away. I stood there with my hands on my hips, glaring at the closed door for a moment. Until I heard her giggling.

"What?" I asked, turning to her, my anger quickly disappearing as soon as I looked at her; a smile taking over my face. Her laughter quickly became uncontrollable. She was gasping for breath as she laughed, finally managing to talk in bursts as a few tears of laughter made their way down her cheeks.

"Edward, do you fucking realize …that you fucking said "fuck"…to your fucking brother… at least eight fucking times just then?" She started laughing hard all over again, wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks as she flopped over onto my bed.

I began laughing at her as I went over and sat next to her on the bed. "Do you think I should have used the term more liberally?" I asked.

"Well, fuck yeah!" She managed before laughing all over again. I couldn't help but join her.

After a bit she finally calmed down, taking deep breaths and sounding exhausted. "I don't think I've ever heard you curse, Edward. Or if I have, maybe it was one word, one or two times. It certainly wasn't a blue streak of fuckity-fucks."

I ran my hand through my hair. "That was pretty bad, wasn't it? I try to be polite around you and keep a lid on things. Emmett's timing was just flawless and he was so extraordinarily persistent."

"Poor Emmett," she said sympathetically. "He didn't know. He probably feels terrible now."

"I know. I was pretty harsh, huh?" I did feel a little guilty. I had really come unglued, but that was because of the heat of the moment that he'd managed to pretty much extinguish.

"Maybe it was a sign from some higher power that things were getting a little out of hand a little too fast," she said a bit shyly.

_No, I think it was a sign from Emmett that he's an imbecile. Let's get back to the bonfire._

But she did look kind of shy and awkward about the whole bed situation. It was time for Plan B so things didn't get out of hand.

"Well, Bella, shall we go play fucking Wii with fucking Emmett?"

She giggled as she stood. "That's a fucking sweet idea, Edward."

**A/N: So...Alice's unraveling plan, a new outfit for Bella, screw-loose James, take-charge Rose and Big Sis, Edward on the verge of love and jittery about Bella's "stuff", and cockblocking Emmett wants to play Wii. Kind of all over the place, wasn't it? **

**Next up: Miss Fire Bomb meets The Prom King. But only if it's been ****revised.**


	32. Rocking His World

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: I squee all over myself every time I see that I've gotten another review to read. Even if it's months after the fact. Kind of like you squeeing when there's an update. So we have a symbiotic/squeembiotic relationship. Sorry, I suffer from word drool. Kind of like how Edward suffers from thought drool.

I'm not infringing, I'm just taking Edward to the prom.

So...Date-Night Part One. (Yup, it's a two-parter.)

**Chapter 32: Rocking His World (Revised)**

**BPOV**

I honestly didn't know how I could be expected to sit through classes today and focus on lectures. My note taking skills had been reduced to illustrations of pouty lips, scruffy jaw lines, eyes shaded by thick brows, and riotously disarrayed locks of hair. I seriously didn't know why I was even bothering attending class today. It felt like the prom was tonight; and I had a date with The Prom King. I couldn't focus on anything except Edward and the night to come.

Only a few more hours of hell to go through, then I would be going with Alice and Rosalie to get manicures and pedicures. That would be another hell in itself. I'd never been a girly-girl and wasn't very good about primping and fussing. But it would be the first step in the preparation process for tonight's date and I did want it to be special…for me and for Edward. Hair and make-up would follow, with Alice and Rose playing beauty school with me as their pet project. I also wanted to make sure I got in a practice session in my life-threatening heels. I hoped I would be able to get any face-plants out of the way before Edward was involved.

In the meantime, however, the wait was going to kill me.

I was just glad that I didn't have to sit and worry too much about the whole James episode. That was being handled by a very protective and thorough Emmett.

On his way to class this morning he had picked up paperwork for me to file a complaint at the coffee shop. I was concerned about my name appearing on it, but Emmett explained that it would be completely confidential and I would remain anonymous as far as James was concerned. I had filled it out, detailing what had happened yesterday. I'd felt uneasy as I thought back over the whole experience, but Alice had been very supportive as I'd worked on the form in my room. I'd returned the completed paperwork to Emmett later in the day so he could turn it in for me. He was going to make a copy to take over to the Campus Security Office to let them know what had happened. It was calming to have Big Sis on my side and to take care of things for me. All of the Cullens were fiercely protective, I was realizing.

I still hadn't said anything to Edward about the whole ordeal, and that troubled me, but I decided I would tell him if it seemed necessary. And right now it didn't. I didn't want him to worry and I didn't want to put a damper on our date tonight. I was really looking forward to this evening.

I had seen Edward this morning at breakfast. He'd looked even more delicious than usual. Maybe it was because of the overheated make-out session on his bed last night, maybe it was thoughts of the coming evening, maybe it was because I knew firsthand that I was now 'his girl'. Whatever the reason, looking at a freshly showered and still damp Edward Cullen this morning, was heady stuff. _What a way to start my day!_

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going tonight?" I had asked him.

"Not a chance," he had grinned back at me. "But we'll have dinner and go to a movie afterward. That's all the information you get."

When I turned to Alice, seeking further information, she just shrugged, frowning. This was so unlike Alice. She usually had good, reliable, inside information. _Why was she not doing her job?_

She just shook her head and looked dismayed. "I got nothing," was her defeated response.

When I looked to Jasper, he just sadly shook his head. "Not a word. Not a peep. Zero. Zip. Zilch. I tried, believe me, Bella. He's stonewalling."

I gazed at Rose, but she just shook her head and gave me a little eyebrow shrug.

I looked to Emmett, but before either he or I could say anything Rose spoke up sharply. "Puh-leez, Bella, you can't possibly think Edward would have said anything to Emmett! You're not thinking straight at all if you thought Edward would confide in him."

I looked at her and nodded. She had a very valid point.

Emmett seemed rather forlorn upon hearing her words.

"You bring this on yourself, baby," Rose told him, as she ran her knuckles lovingly along the side of his face.

When my eyes finally shifted back around to Edward his expression was smug. But that was okay. He could drive me all the crazy he wanted right now; payback would rock his world. I'd show him a thing or two. _Oh my. I didn't really just think that, did I? _

**EPOV**

When I saw her at breakfast I could tell she was going crazy. They all were. They all wanted to know. But for a change, I wasn't saying.

Alice was beside-herself-cranky. I had refused any and all digging on her part. And I had resisted any kind of special instructions from her. I wanted this to come totally from me. Alice was fit to be tied; I'm sure Jasper would have been kind of into that, had he known. I had told her right up front that I didn't want any help or helpful hints, or even a thinly veiled hint, and anything that I deemed a hint or at all hint-like, would be disregarded immediately. I told her I wasn't a total idiot; I was fairly intelligent, and I, in fact, had a romantic streak she might not even be aware of, but it was there under the surface. Bella brought it out in me. I didn't tell her that, but it was the truth.

I had shut Jasper down each and every time he tried some new approach to delve into my plans for the evening. I knew I would have to do some serious stealth-evading throughout the day as I put my plan into action and ran necessary errands. I knew that if I said anything at all to Jasper, it would get back to Alice within five minutes of him promising not to say a word. From there, it would move right on to Bella, or worse, Alice would come to me with instructions for fine-tuning my plans.

Rose knew better than to ask and of course I wouldn't say a damn thing to Emmett. He'd manage to make ridiculous comments at my expense or worse yet, he'd announce it loudly at an impromptu dorm meeting, using a bullhorn, and then make cracks about me afterward and end it all with boisterous guffaws to his audience. He was incorrigible and yet he wondered why no one ever let him in on this kind of stuff.

I wanted to keep Bella guessing. I wanted to make this special. Because she was so special.

So I just gave them my best cat-that-ate-the-canary smile and went about my day. They didn't need to know that I was struggling a little on the inside. Of course I was anxiously anticipating this evening and what I planned to do, that was a given. But I was also still wondering, throughout the day, what the hell kind of "stuff" Bella had bought yesterday that she was planning on showing me tonight. Was it something she was planning on showing me _before_ our date, or _afterwards_? That just weighed heavily on my mind and sent a shiver down my spine at the mere near-constant contemplation of it.

_Shit. I'm really turning into a crazy son-of-a-bitch._

**BPOV**

For a change, I didn't sit next to Edward at lunch, but rather across from him. Across the long end of the table from him. It gave me the chance to put a little distance between us, yet it also put him directly in my line of sight. He sat and stared at me, with that damn little crooked grin, just as much as I sat and stared at him, arching the occasional eyebrow. All during lunch. Two could play at this game, though, I was realizing. He looked at me just as provocatively as I looked at him. So I guess I would have to call lunch a draw. The anticipation was driving me crazy. Hopefully he was losing his mind too.

I was now back at the swanky fort, trying to read a little, waiting for the clock to crawl to two fifteen. That was when Alice, Rosalie and I were going to the nail salon. At least then I would be preoccupied, rather than sitting here like I was now, replaying in my mind how hot and bothered Edward had been last night when Emmett interrupted our make-out session. On Edward's bed. _Oh my! _

Those moments before Emmett showed up had been running through my mind constantly today. We had both been completely caught up in the moment. I thought about how lovely it was to kiss him, how good it felt to have my arms wrapped around him, feeling his warm, strong body as he held me. His breathing had been ragged, as had mine. And the little groans and moans we'd both made as he was lying practically on top of me, between my legs and pressing his erection against me, had nearly been my undoing. I wanted him. I absolutely wanted him. I'd held him to me, pressing him harder against me. But I wanted to know that he loved me. I was falling in love with him, but I wanted to know that it was love, for both of us, and not just lust.

When Emmett had showed up, interrupting things, it gave me a moment to come to my senses. I wasn't going to do this for lust. It had to be love. And until I knew that, I wasn't so sure about moving things forward. I knew Edward had been working through his past. I didn't know if he had completely arrived into his present, and even if he had, was it love he felt? It seemed like it, but I had to be certain. It would be too easy to get hurt.

Suddenly I was glad for the interruption. We both needed to take a step back and decide what, exactly, this was. I was concerned because things between us had happened so quickly. I didn't want to be the first girl Edward decided to "do" after his long, self-imposed, hiatus. I wanted to be the girl he decided to love.

**EPOV**

Lunch had been an interesting affair. We all walked in together, but then Bella didn't sit next to me, like she usually did nowadays. She sat at the extreme opposite end of the table. Alice and Rose both looked at me, raising their eyebrows and stifling smiles, but nothing was actually said. They knew there wasn't anything wrong, because she just kept eyeing me all during lunch; making me squirm and wish the day would pass faster. I kept grinning at her, trying to make her squirm a little too. In reality I wanted to leap across the table and sink my teeth into her.

I had to find something to do to occupy my time this afternoon. Bella was going somewhere with Alice and Rose. There was no way I could get anything done for any of my classes. I'd tried reading, but simply re-read the same page about twelve times in a row, no more enlightened after the twelfth time than I had been after the first.

I had two errands to run today; things to accomplish before our date tonight, but that would take maybe about an hour at the most. So that still left me with about three hours to fill up somehow.

First I tried to watch a DVD Emmett had recommended. It was kind of funny, but I really couldn't stay focused. I wasn't in the mood for funny and gross humor. Maybe another time…Then I played the guitar a little, but when Jasper made some comment regarding whether I only knew how to play things that sounded "romantic and sappy" I quickly put that aside, too. I finally decided to go for a run. At least I would be busy; I would work off a little steam. I tried not to wonder how steamy the night ahead would get. That would just make me think about possibly lacy, satiny, silky "stuff". _Shit! Now I was thinking about it, just thinking about it!_

**BPOV**

Alice, Rosalie and I left at two-fifteen; as soon as Rose got back from her last class. She drove us to the nail salon in her red BMW-M3. Alice had booked us three spa chairs next to one another and it was heaven! Having the two girls along to chat with helped to pass the time and made it a lot more endurable, because it certainly wasn't the type of thing in which I would normally indulge. It was my first such experience, but something they pampered themselves with occasionally. I just might have to do this again.

We each got the deluxe spa manicure and pedicure package deal. After much trimming and pruning and rubbing and scrubbing, followed by moisturizing and massaging, I was much more relaxed than when I had first walked into the shop. I was so relaxed, in fact, that I had allowed myself to be talked into getting a facial and having my eyebrows waxed.

Rose picked a cherry red polish for her long fingernails and for her toenails. Alice went for a glossy black for her shorter, squared-off nails. The two of them were much more comfortable with this than I. I knew I would manage to chip any bold color that I picked, and really, bold colored nails were not me. I finally decided to just go with a classic French manicure. It was classy, classic, not too chip-able, and something I wouldn't feel the need to remove in a day or two, out of embarrassment and awkwardness.

"So," Rose asked at one point, "have you managed to find out what you two are doing tonight exactly? Where is he taking you?"

"I honestly have no idea. He had originally asked me to dinner and a movie, but he's never said anything else more specific since then. I just hope I'm not over-dressed for wherever we're going."

"Well, I don't think Edward is planning on something casual. This seems to mean too much to him," was Rose's response. "You're going to be a knockout, Bella. I can't wait to see his face when he sees you all dressed up. Your dress is spectacular." Rose had finally been shown the dress and shoes and had been quite enthusiastic about both choices. She had also volunteered the use of a small black clutch purse she had for me to use for the evening.

"He wouldn't give me any information about what he's doing," Alice complained. "He said he had it covered. In fact, he told me to butt out, that he's got a romantic streak, and would manage just fine without me. He wouldn't even let me look in his closet or pick out an outfit for him or give him a single helpful hint. Such a killjoy!"

I smiled at that. I was proud of Edward, and impressed that he stood up to the tiny tyrant.

"If he shows up wearing something inappropriately casual" she added "it isn't my fault. I would have liked to have helped him pick out his clothes. I'm not even sure what he's got here at school; I mean, he's got a lot of really nice things at home, but I don't know if he brought anything nice along to school. What would he need nice clothes for during the school year?"

"Yeah," Rose agreed, "especially given the fact that he was planning on being a social hermit again this year, until you came along, Bella."

"You sure straightened him out," Alice added with a quick smile. "Ooooh, Edward on a date!" she suddenly shrieked. "I can't believe it's really happening!"

Rose laughed at her outburst and then agreed with her. "Edward's a lot sunnier and funnier these days. I didn't realize he had this much personality. He used to always just sort of grit his teeth and bear the rest of us. I think he likes hanging out with us more now. He must feel more comfortable now that he's part of a couple. He's so cute with you, Bella."

I blushed at that. I guess we _were_ now a couple, but no one had actually used that term yet. But I had referred to him as my boyfriend, and he had called me his girl, so I guess that made us a couple now. And she was certainly right about the "cute" aspect.

We were finally finished at the salon, and truthfully, much lovelier for it, and it was time to get back to the dorm and move on to the next components in the Build-a Fire-Bomb kit. It was time to shower, shampoo, shave, moisturize, fix my hair, do make-up and get dressed. It was going to take a while to do all that. Good. I had to fill up time.

**EPOV**

I was standing in the bathroom, in the shorts I'd worn running, just starting to lather up to shave, when I heard Emmett's booming voice out in the suite. "Here comes trouble! All three of them!"

I opened the door to the bathroom just as Jasper emerged from our room, upon hearing Emmett hollering. We both looked out toward the suite and saw Rose, Alice and Bella coming in the back door of the dorm. I saw Bella's eyes widen a little as she approached with the others. I smiled at the three of them, but really my focus was on my date for the evening. _My girl. _I had turned to face them and was trying to figure out what they had gone to do. Bella seemed to look a little flushed suddenly, but before I could spend too much time thinking about why she was staring at me like that, Alice was giving orders.

"Okay, Edward," she called as they approached, "turn around and no peeking!"

"If you know what's good for you, you'll do as she says, Edward," Jasper murmured. "You're on thin ice with her today, bud."

Emmett leaned toward me and spoke in a near whisper. "You don't want to anger the pain-in-the-ass mini-mom more than you already have."

I had no idea what Alice was talking about, but with her, you just do as you're told. Life is easier that way. And often more entertaining, too. I turned my back on the girls like she'd commanded and awaited further instructions.

"Now don't look back, but tell us, which pair of hands you'd rather take on a date tonight." Suddenly, three pairs of hands had been thrust over my shoulders. They all had fresh nail polish and I realized where the girls had gone.

"Hmm," I pondered, pretending seriousness, looking at the hands waving before my face. "These look scary and rather goth. I think a date with these hands might make me feel like I was out with the undead, or the living dead, or something deathly, I don't know…lots of black, awfully funereal and depressing." I pushed the black-nailed hands back and out of my face as Alice giggled and hit me lightly on the shoulder.

"Black is sexy, not deathly, Edward!"

I continued my assignment. "This pair of hands looks intimidating and dangerous." I had moved on to the hands with the long red nails. "I think if I were out with these hands, I'd feel like I was out with some vampy predator, ready to suck the blood right out of the entire date." I pushed the hands with the bright red nails back over my shoulder as well, listening to Rose laugh.

"I'd go out with vampy predator hands, Rosie," Emmett admitted.

One pair of hands left to go. "But these hands," I clasped the ones with the demure white-tipped nails, "these are the hands of a living dream. They're the sort of hands I'd like to hold all night. Exactly the right sort of hands to run through my hair or participate in a hug. I pick these hands. May I go out with these?"

I heard a collective "Awwwww…that's so sweet!" from Alice, Rose, and Jasper. They were all smiling as I turned around, still holding Bella's hands.

Her soft brown eyes sparkled up at me as I kissed both hands.

"Yes, you may go out with these hands," she shyly said.

"Perfect." I leaned in to kiss her nose, forgetting all about the shaving cream on my beard. She leaned back, but that just egged me on, once I realized why she was backing away. I pulled her close, grinning as she struggled, and kissed her on both cheeks, leaving fluffy splotches of shaving cream on her face. She giggled, trying to squirm away.

"You just wait, Edward." She was laughing as she pulled away. You'll get yours!"

_Oh, I do hope so!_

"Oh, Baby Bro…" Emmett piped up after the girls departed, "sounds like it's going to be quite the evening for you!" He was waggling his eyebrows at me. "That nail polish speech was pretty damn impressive, Edward. You've got a way with words if I do say so myself. But let me know if you need any last-minute pointers, tips, or condoms. As your Resident Advisor and your brother, I'm here for you."

"I've got it covered," I sighed. "I don't need anyone's assistance." Rolling my eyes, I swung the bathroom door shut and went back to shaving in peace.

**BPOV**

We had just gotten back to the dorm when Emmett announced our arrival. I was laughing at him calling the three of us 'trouble,' when the bathroom door swung open and there stood Edward, in the process of shaving.

_Oh my goodness._

My eyes took in the rest of him, as he stood there sideways with his face turned toward us. He was shirtless, a little post-workout sweaty, wearing just his running shorts, slung low on his hips.

_Oh. My. Goodness!_

As he turned toward us I had a wonderful view of his naked, broad, strong shoulders; muscular chest and abs; and a dusting of hair across them that led to his happy trail. I must admit, that happy trail made me rather lightheaded as it pointed to all good things south, including those well-defined muscular indentations on the inside of his hips; that manly, carved 'v' that ran down and disappeared into the mystery zone.

_Oh. My. Fucking. Greatness!_

Of course Jake had had a great body. He'd spent a lot of time at the gym and worked hard to shape himself into the powerful looking, well-muscled, defined and toned guy that he was. But when you looked at Jake, you thought, 'Wow, look at that guy's muscles! He must spend a lot of time at the gym!'

With Edward, it was something altogether different. He wasn't all pumped and ripped muscle. And yet he was spectacular. He was absolutely perfect male beauty, in face and in form. Edward looked amazing and yet that statement didn't even come close to being accurate. He could be the poster boy for Greek Gods.

_Holy crow! He's Adonis. He's _my_ Adonis! I can't breathe._

Thank heavens Alice told him to turn around or I might have collapsed in a dead faint right then. I hoped Edward hadn't noticed the glazed look I probably had in my eyes as I stood gawking mindlessly at him in all his nearly nude glory.

I snapped out of my swoon after he turned his back to us. We flashed him our nails over his shoulders and he selected the hands he'd most like to take out this evening. Oh my God, was he smooth and seductive with what he'd said! He selected the right hands, though of course he knew which hands he sought.

Then he leaned in to kiss me with shaving cream all over his beard. What is it about men that they like to do that to women? I remembered my dad doing that to both my mom and me when I was little. I'd also seen Phil do that to my giggling mother. It must be part of the genetic code. I smiled as I walked up to my room, wiping shaving cream off my nose and cheeks.

Once I got upstairs I showered, using my standard freesia and lavender bodywash. I shaved, careful to avoid nicks; I'd never gotten over a ridiculous aversion to my own blood. Then I washed my hair with my usual strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner. Once I was out I toweled myself off, applied freesia and lavender moisturizer, and spritzed on a little of the matching body spray. I wondered if Edward liked the scent of freesia and lavender. I'd never thought about it before, but it was what I used all the time. Hopefully my scent appealed to him.

Wrapping my terry cloth robe around me, I headed back to my room. I was finally ready for my beautician and cosmetologist to work their magic.

Both Alice and Rose worked on my hair, blowing it dry and taming my haphazard curls into more organized submission. Rose pinned up most of the hair from around the sides and top of my head, arranging the hair into cascading curls that blended in with the longer, loose, full soft curls in the back. There were a few stray wisps framing my face. Alice pronounced it to be 'perfection.'

Alice worked on my make-up. Usually I only put on mascara and a little lip gloss. But tonight was more special, so I needed a more special look. Both Rose and Alice agreed that I could forego foundation, saying that I had such naturally good skin that it would be a shame to cover it up. We all agreed that I could also skip blush, since I'd probably be blushing on my own most of the night. But Alice did play up my eyes, shadowing them expertly, applying a light lining of kohl, which she smudged slightly, and finishing them off with a few more coats of mascara than I had ever applied in my life.

"Oh my God, Bella! Your eyes are huge!" Rose declared, when I turned to look at her, showing off the finished product. "Edward is not going to believe your eyes. Oh Bella, you should use more eye makeup than you normally do. Your eyes are amazing!"

Alice finished off the look with a little lip gloss in a darker shade than I would normally ever wear. I thanked them both for helping me with a special look for the evening.

It was finally time to get dressed. I had a matching strapless bra and panty set, in a shimmery, dark blue satin with lace insets on the sides, on both the panty and bra. It was a set I had bought at the end of the summer, but never had the opportunity or need or desire to wear before. Now I had all three reasons. It was a really pretty set, and I would feel exceptionally pretty tonight from the foundation outward.

I was glad I'd had this set and didn't need to buy something similar in Alice's presence. I don't think I could have taken the resulting cartwheels she would probably have done in the lingerie department.

Alice and Rose had seemed to have been deep in conversation, seated at our desk chairs, giving me a little privacy as I discreetly slipped on my panties before removing my robe. I had my back turned to them as I fastened the matching bra. Thankfully no one had as yet mentioned lingerie and I was pretty sure I was home free when I heard Alice's voice.

"You know, blue…_dark blue_…is Edward's favorite color."

_Crap! They were paying attention to lingerie! _Of course I knew blue was Edward's favorite color."Really?" I managed to say evenly. "That's interesting."

I slipped into the strappy peep-toe pumps and the knockout dress with the subtle blood red/black dusky sheen. Rose hadn't seen the dress on me, but when she did, her jaw just dropped. "Oh. My. God! Bella! He's not going to know what hit him! You look incredible!

"Okay," Alice said, "so…undies, shoes, dress, hair and make-up; check, check, check, check and check. You've got my little black trench coat here, to wear over top, and Rose's little black purse."

Rose handed me the little clutch bag she had brought over earlier in the afternoon. I quickly filled it with just the necessities from my usual big shoulder bag.

"I think you're all set, Bella," Rose said approvingly.

Alice's eyes were shining. "We done good, Bella! You look absolutely Ohhh-mazing!. He's going to be blown away when he sees his Miss Fire Bomb. Oh, wait, that reminds me, we need one more thing! Rose, grab the scissors from my desk and find the big black marker!" Alice took four sheets of printer paper and began cutting them in long strips. "Tape! I need tape! Hurry, we don't have much time left! Edward will be here soon!"

**EPOV**

"Come on, Edward!"

"Yeah, Edward, we wanna' see."

"Let us come with you! Please!"

"Just upstairs to their room. We won't try to follow after that."

"Yeah, please; just this once. We'll behave."

"Yeah, we won't ever ask again. Puh-leez!"

"Pretty please? With a six-pack of your favorite brewskis on top?"

I had two five-year olds watching me as I finished tying my tie, and put on my jacket. "Fine! Just shut up! You can both be so annoying sometimes. And you're sure as hell not coming with us, so don't even bother asking. We've got reservations for two, not four!"

"Thanks, Edward. I promise I won't say anything inappropriate."

"Yeah, thanks, Edward. We promise we won't say a word; we just want to experience this with you."

I wasn't going to bet on their ability to remain quiet. But at least I didn't think they would ridicule me for once. They knew how much this evening meant to me.

It was time.

I picked up my keys and wallet and cell phone, shoving everything into an appropriate pants pocket. There were two more things I needed. One went into my jacket pocket, the other one I just held in my hand.

"Oh, nice touch, Edward, I was wondering if you'd thought to get her one of those." Emmett said when I turned around. He was indicating what I now held in my hand.

"Yeah, and I honestly don't know when I've seen you look lovelier," Jasper nodded.

I rolled my eyes. I hoped the second and third, and all the rest of the dates, wouldn't involve this much attention from these two. They were acting like this was my first date.

"Let's go boys," I announced, "my lovely date awaits."

I went upstairs, Emmett and Jasper trailing behind me. I took a deep breath outside of Bella's door and suddenly felt Emmett and Jasper both give me solid pats on the shoulders. That was a nice gesture of camaraderie, I thought. And much more subtle than it would have been, had we suddenly gotten into a pre-game huddle and then begun loudly yelling and chanting "GO, GO, GO" while pounding on each other's shoulders, heads and chests.

I exhaled and knocked on Bella's door and heard Alice's voice from within. "You'd better prepare yourself, Edward Cullen!"

"Hang onto the doorframe for support!" Rose's voice added.

"This is the real deal," Jasper murmured behind me.

"I'm excited for you, bro," Emmett whispered.

And then the door swung open.

_Oh. _

_Fuck._

_Me._

I was fucking speechless. Just fucking speechless. And then I felt a blazing, beatific smile taking over my face. I couldn't control it anymore than I could control my hammering heart. I thought my chest was going to explode.

She was an angel.

She was a temptation in red and wicked black shoes.

She was _Miss Fire Bomb!_

The homemade paper sash that wrapped around her body like a beauty queen, proclaimed her as such.

She _was _a beauty queen.

She was _my_ beauty queen.

She was _my_ _Miss Fire Bomb! _And her beautiful face was just glowing.

_Oh, damn! _

I took her in from head to toe and slowly worked my way back up. She was wearing insanely high black shoes, her little toes peeking out at the front, with strap after sexy strap working their way up her foot and ankle. And she had legs! Gorgeous, shapely legs. And I'd never really seen them before this evening because she always wore jeans. And her skin! She had lovely, smooth, creamy skin, suffused with just the faintest blush as I stood there drinking her in. And the beautiful red dress that she wore was short, nipped in at the waist, strapless, and cut low in front. I was nearly dizzy, taking in the vision that stood before me, looking at her naked shoulders and dipping neckline. I wanted to kiss that smooth, creamy skin all along that neckline; I wanted to taste her on my tongue. Her long, elegant neck was on display because her beautiful hair was piled up on her head and flowing loose down her back. She looked like a goddess. Her lips were turned up into a knowing smile. And her eyes, _holy Jesus_, her eyes…I could very well drown in them.

I was breathless.

I realized that I still hadn't said a word, and they were all waiting expectantly, so I opened my mouth and quietly said the first thing that spilled out.

"holy…fucking…hell"

They all burst out laughing; well, except for Bella. She just stood there beaming at me. I couldn't stop staring at her. I realized that my mouth was hanging open and I managed to let my brain know that it was okay to shut it. I think my mouth cooperated. I wasn't too sure of anything at this point.

Alice was shaking her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "Really? Nice comment, Edward. Really smooth. So refined."

Rose was nodding in agreement, crossing her arms over her chest as well. "Yes, Edward, a gentlemanly way to express yourself. And so apropos to say to a lady."

Bella spoke up. Her eyes were sparkling and regarding me warmly. "I think he means it in a good way."

Emmett lightly slapped the back of my head. "Try again, Edward."

My eyes widened, realizing finally what I had just said. "Oh for God's sake! I'm so sorry, Bella! You look amazing. Absolutely, amazingly beautiful. Oh jeez; just look at you!" I took her hand and held it up in the air, spinning her around slowly to get the full effect, looking her up and down several times as she slowly twirled. Gosh, in her shoes she was nearly my height.

"Edward, be careful; you dropped something," Jasper's quiet voice, coming from somewhere behind me, permeated the thick fog that was still swirling in my brain.

I looked down in surprise and bent to pick up the long-stemmed rose that I had dropped in shock. "Here, Bella, I completely forgot I was holding this. This is for you. I didn't mean to drop it. Hell, I didn't even remember that I was carrying anything when I saw you." I was babbling and couldn't stop. "You look incredible, Bella."

"Thank you, Edward." She blushed, taking the single, orange, long-stemmed rose I had bought her. "It's beautiful." She held it to her nose and breathed in its scent. "Mmm, it smells so wonderful. Thank you."

Emmett spoke up. "How come you didn't get her a red rose, Edward? Red roses are romantic."

"I've got my reasons, and you don't need to know what they are," I told him, without taking my eyes off of her. "It's only her business. And mine."

"You look really pretty, Bella," Emmett told her sincerely.

"Yeah, you look like a celebrity about to hit the red carpet," Jasper added.

"Edward looks like pretty amazing celebrity material too," she said as she turned away from them to look back at me. She was checking me out. "You're wearing a jacket and skinny tie...skinny ties are _so...hot_." Her eyes widened and she blushed as the words left her mouth. I think her comment was inadvertent. It made me feel better about my own verbal malfunctions.

"We better get going, Miss Fire Bomb," I told her, smiling and running my hand down her soft, smooth, bare arm. "We've got reservations for dinner." I smiled at her in that paper sash, scrawled with the words _'Miss Fire Bomb.'_ "Who made this?" I asked, smiling as I fingered the sash that wrapped around her.

"Group effort," Alice said as she smiled, taking the rose from Bella. "I'll put this in water for you, Bella."

"So you approve, Edward?" Rose asked.

"Oh, absolutely!" I said enthusiastically, still grinning at Bella like a fool.

"Okay, everybody," Alice said, "photo opportunity! Cell phones out for pictures! The grandkids will want to see this one day!"

Bella looked surprised, but I was used to Alice. The minute we were out the door I was certain the pictures would be sent to my mom and dad. We posed while they all took a few pictures with their phones and ours, made sure they were acceptable, and then Alice took a few more with her camera.

Bella took the paper sash off and set it down on her desk. I took the coat that Alice was offering to me and helped Bella into it. "You're unbelievable," I whispered, kissing her ear as I helped her with the coat. She blushed up at me, mouthing a "thank you"; her eyes were shining. She picked up her purse and put her other hand through my arm

She paused and smiled at the two girls. "Alice…Rose...thank you both so much for this afternoon and all your help."

They both nodded. "You're welcome, sweetie," Alice said with feeling.

"Maybe we'll see you later tonight," I told them all.

"Have a great time," Alice said to us, wrapping her arm around Jasper's waist as he pulled her to him and smiled at us.

"Yeah, go have some fun," Emmett added, gripping a smiling Rose by the shoulder and yanking her closer.

We headed down the stairs as our two sets of parents stood at the top, wishing us a good time and waving. It felt like we were going to the Prom together.

"You're going to have to help me in these shoes," Bella warned as we descended.

I looked down at her feet. "Those are killer shoes, Bella. How can you walk in them?"

"Okay, knock on wood, Edward. Are you trying to curse me?"

"I'll take care of you. I can protect you from yourself. You'll be fine." I wrapped a protective arm around her. I didn't want my girl breaking an ankle at the outset of our date. "You look amazing."

She smiled up at me. "You said that already. But thank you again."

"You look beautiful." I knew I was staring, but I just couldn't help it.

She blushed. "You said that, too. Thank you, Edward."

"You look phenomenal."

**BPOV**

"Okay." I giggled. "You didn't say _that_ before. Thank you, Edward. Again! You look pretty wonderful yourself. You look so handsome and sophisticated. You're all dressed up; a suit jacket, nice pants, a necktie even. You look _really_ good. I've got an awfully hot date tonight." I was blushing now, but it was the truth. Edward looked incredible. _And edible._

Saying that Edward looked handsome was an understatement. He pretty much looked phenomenal, beautiful and amazing himself. He was a Greek god dressed in black shoes, black trousers, white collared shirt, skinny black necktie, and a charcoal gray suit jacket. The whole ensemble made him seem even more heartbreakingly handsome than usual. He smelled sexy-good, he was clean-shaven, and his hair was its usual wonderful, sexy, bed-head disaster. I was out on a date with The Prom King.

Alice had insisted on making the Miss Fire Bomb sash and we filled Rose in as we taped and pieced it together. We had just put it on me when Edward had knocked at the door. I was surprised when Alice opened the door and Edward stood there with his attendants, Jasper and Emmett. They had come along to watch. That was sweet. Just like Alice and Rose. They all wanted to be part of the start of our date. Like overly protective and interested parents. They had even made us take photos. They'd all taken photos. I guess we all wanted a record of this occasion.

Edward's reaction when he saw me was priceless. He was so very obviously surprised and pleased. He just gawked, speechless. And then, as we all watched and waited, he just began grinning so happily. It was pretty adorkable. His emotions were right there on his sleeve. Along with his heart.

His brain-to-mouth filter had short-circuited at first, much to Alice's and Rose's dismay. I knew that his initial poor choice of words was a good thing: he had been too dumbstruck to say anything appropriate. It was probably the highest compliment he could have paid me under the circumstances.

We walked through the dorm, not paying much attention to the staring, baffled eyes of those around us as they parted to let us through. Edward's bright eyes were on me as he led me out the back door and down to the parking lot. He walked me to my door, opening and then shutting it for me, once I was settled. He walked around the front end of the car and continued to watch me, with a smile on his lips and a soft look in his eyes.

He climbed in on his side, shut the door, and was about to put the key in the ignition.

"You never told me."

"About what?" he asked, turning toward me.

"About the orange rose."

He smiled, putting his arm around me. I felt the squeeze of his fingers on my shoulder. "Well, you know that different types of flowers and different colors of specific flowers have symbolism?"

I nodded, my heart beating a little erratically as I looked at his green-blue eyes, watching as they darkened perceptibly to a stormier, deeper color as he leaned closer.

I swallowed. "What does an orange rose symbolize?" My voice was a whisper.

He leaned over me, the fingertips of his other hand on my chin, tilting my head up to him. His eyes seemed nearly black and he looked ready to consume me.

He spoke softly. "An orange rose symbolizes enchantment and desire."

My heart was pounding as he pulled me toward him, enfolding me in his arms and his lips crushed mine.

**A/N: I promise I'll get them out of the parking lot next chapter.**

**So...what did you think of Date-Day and Pre-date Night? Please review. and then read the next chapter if it's ****revised.**


	33. Rocking Her World

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Well, here's Date-Night part two, featuring Romanceward and more of a good thing.

I bow down before Stephenie Meyer. I lie down before Edward Cullen. I don't intend to infringe upon Stephenie. I might intend to impinge upon Edward. Or he could just pin me and I'd be good with that too.

Let's get the hell out of the parking lot, shall we?

**Chapter 33: Rocking Her World (Revised)**

**EPOV**

"An orange rose," she softly whispered against my lips, breathing erratically after we'd just kissed. She tipped her head up and looked at me with those luminous chocolate brown eyes. "Edward, that's a really romantic gesture." I smiled back at her, glad for her reaction. Enchantment and desire pretty much nailed it for me and I wanted her to know. She was watching me with those big doe eyes of hers. They had that slightly unfocused look. And when I saw her eyes drift downward, looking at my mouth. I accepted the invitation and leaned back down to kiss her, tracing her jaw with my knuckles and then laying my hand along her neck, feeling her rapid pulse against my palm.

She had asked me about the orange rose, and I told her it signified enchantment and desire. I was fairly sure she was able to see both of those sentiments written clearly across my face as I leaned down to take advantage of her lovely mouth. Even if she hadn't seen those feelings in the look on my face, she must have felt it in our kiss. I was certain of it when I heard a little moan escape from her as we kissed. That sound made me crazy. I kissed her hard and deep, my tongue on hers, dancing an erotic dance. My arm was wrapped around her back and pressing her to me. I felt her hand sliding up into my hair, her fingers weaving into the strands and then pulling, sending an electric charge directly down my spine.

I really needed to pry my lips from hers. We wouldn't be going anywhere if I couldn't get a hold of myself. I would probably have to gently push Bella away too, because she was just being - well, for lack of a better term - very cooperative.

Alice wouldn't speak to me for the rest of our lives if this date just turned into a make-out session in the Volvo. I could well imagine the shrill shrieking and wild gesticulating and uncomprehending looks I'd be getting from her if I had to tell her we'd just been in the parking lot the entire evening. As much as I was beginning to sense that that type of evening would have been okay with Bella, and it certainly would be fine with me, I knew that I would have my twin for the rest of my life, and she had the power to make that span of time miserable for me. That inane thought made me wonder about Bella and how long _she _would be part of my life. I guess that remained to be seen.

I had to concentrate and stop thinking about how she had looked when I'd first seen her tonight. It wasn't just the dress and the shoes and make-up and hair; it was the expression on her face. It was an expression of confidence. She wasn't at all tentative. She hadn't even blushed at my reaction. She had been in command of the situation. She had been in control.

I, on the other hand, was feeling somewhat scattered and was already slipping into the out-of-control realm rapidly. I had to stop thinking about what she had on this evening, and more importantly, how much she didn't have on, underneath that coat that was mocking me right now. It covered up all of that loveliness, yet I knew it was there, underneath. The image was burned into my brain and I kept seeing her in my mind's eye as that door had swung open. _She'd looked so hot._ _Holy fucking hell!_

"Well," I finally breathed against her lips, making an attempt to pull myself away from her, "I had to go with the orange rose; they were all out of the color that symbolizes barely-contained lust." I kissed her lips and she stifled a little laugh, her hand going to my chest and pulling on my lapel, drawing me closer once again. I leaned down and kissed her chastely on her lips, and then her nose, and then her forehead. I finally pulled back from her and looked into her darkened eyes. _Bella Swan does "sultry". Oh fucking my!_

"Bella," I cleared my throat, sitting up straighter and attempting to pull myself together, "we'd better get going before we don't go anywhere. Let's follow a few simple rules: You sit over there and keep your pretty, manicured hands to yourself, okay? I'll sit here and keep my hands on the steering wheel and try to drive the car at the same time. I want us to get where we're going in one piece."

"Edward," she laughed, "all I did was ask you what an orange rose symbolized. I haven't done anything to cause any problems."

She looked awfully seductive as she taunted me. Briefly I thought about the physical challenge I would be facing, if I were to suddenly launch my lanky self at her over the center console, simultaneously reclining her seat, as I came to rest on top of her, and just devouring her and her sexy allure.

Too problematic; and again, the Alice thing.

Instead I shook my head at her. "Oh, lovely you and your sexy dress and evil shoes are causing quite a few problems, I assure you. Now let me just get us to where we're going. We have a real first date awaiting us. You don't want to have to tell people that our real fist date didn't get past a parked car in the dorm parking lot."

Well, hell, as soon as I said that out loud I had all kinds of visions skipping through my brain of what, exactly, an evening like that might entail. I wondered if I was turning into some kind of crazed beast. I took a deep breath to steady myself and get back in touch with my human side. Then I sat up straighter once again, adjusted my tie a little so I could breathe more easily, and finally turned the key in the ignition. I pulled out of the parking space, and exited the lot. We were off on our date.

**BPOV**

I turned to look out the window, fairly certain that I knew how someone felt when drowning. I was drowning in all that was Edward Cullen. He was too good to be true and I was the unbelieving recipient of All That. He was so much more than The Prom King.

I knew people had looked at him and assumed he was confident about himself and his looks. I, and others, had thought him to be stuck up and self-centered; too good for those around him. That had not been the case. At all. Edward was actually rather self-deprecating, seeing nothing very special about either himself, in general, or his looks, specifically. With everything that Edward seemed to be, and have going for himself, I knew that he was still a little uncertain and occasionally slightly awkward. It was truly an endearing mix.

Tonight I felt like Cinderella. My fairy godmothers, Alice and Rose, had decked me out in full royal-ball regalia. Edward's silver Volvo had become the royal coach, and sitting next to me right now was a very flustered and somewhat flushed Prince Charming, who knew how to kiss the hell out of me. Apparently he found me enchanting and desirable and was having a difficult time keeping control of his desire and driving at the same time. I double-checked our seatbelts to make sure we were secure in the event of an accident.

I thought about the orange rose as we drove onto the freeway. He had done his homework. I wondered how many flowers he had read about, before he picked the appropriate one to convey his message. When he told me the significance I was ready to melt. I was enchanted by him. And I desired him. Probably more than he knew. How could my feelings for him have progressed so far so quickly? But they had. And so, it seemed, had his feelings for me. I knew he was keeping himself in check, waiting for me. Maybe the wait was about over.

I suddenly felt Edward's hand; his long, elegant fingers, taking my hand in his. I felt myself blush, wondering if he had somehow read my thoughts. I quickly glanced over at his face as his thumb rubbed my hand gently. Maybe I had misheard him before when he spoke about hands-off rules. He just looked straight ahead, out the windshield, his eye on the traffic as he drove.

"Rules are made to be broken," he quietly murmured.

That brought a laugh to my lips. Again, I wondered if maybe he could read my thoughts. I squeezed his hand and he smiled, glancing over at me and shrugging like he just couldn't help himself. His eyes returned to the road, but the smile still played upon his lips. Those sculpted lips.

Edward pulled the Volvo into a parking space downtown on a street near the Pike Place Market. He parked the car and got out, coming over to my side to open my door and help me. He moved so easily, so gracefully. I was sure I was going to be quite the contrast in my black shoes of death. Once he had opened the door, he extended his hand to help me up and out of his car. Thank goodness; I needed all the help I could get. And it was another good excuse for him to keep his arm around me. I didn't have to keep my hands to myself now; it was safer to have my hands on him. _Hmm._ _Maybe these shoes weren't so bad after all._

We walked arm in arm along the sidewalk until we came to a red carpet.

"This is it," he announced with a smile, "you're dressed for a red carpet, so I'm glad they've provided one for you." We stood in front of a rose-colored metal door. There was no sign for a restaurant and I wondered what on Earth we were doing and just what kind of a place we were entering. He looked at me with his delicious half-grin.

"Um, yeah, no sign is really necessary. This restaurant is called The Pink Door." _Mind reader! _He gestured at the door as he opened it. "For obvious reasons." He pulled the door open, his other hand dropping to the small of my back, and gently ushered me in. "I hope you like it. It's a little different," he smiled.

We walked inside and down a stairway to the hostess' station where the hostess greeted us with a smile. Well, actually she greeted me briefly with a smile before she noticed Edward and then her eyes glazed over. Her awestruck eyes were riveted on Edward's face and she seemed incapable of saying anything else until he finally spoke up, trying to help her out of her stupor.

"Good evening," he said. We've got reservations for dinner at seven o'clock…under 'Cullen'."

She blinked rapidly a few times, her mouth going even more slack as she blushed. She seemed to be contemplating just exactly what, 'under Cullen', might be like. She finally recovered after a few beats as we stared at her.

"Oh! Excuse me...sorry! Yes…under…Mr. Cullen. Um, well, we've been expecting you!" She looked at him, smiling brightly and still glued on the spot; seemingly unaware that Edward already had a date for the evening.

He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me in to his body a little more tightly. I felt his hand lightly running up and down my upper arm. He turned to gaze at me.

The hostess finally landed back in reality. "Just one moment, folks; I'll make sure your table is ready." She turned and disappeared into the restaurant.

Edward and I were left alone standing at the reception desk. I turned and looked up at him, as his hand ghosted down my arm. He seemed totally oblivious to her blatant drooling. He was just looking at me, smiling in an odd way, like he had a secret.

"If the evening doesn't work out well with me, I'm sure she'd be willing to sub in," I told him quietly.

"Not interested," he grinned. "I think my evening with you is going to work out well."

I began unbuttoning my trench so I wouldn't have to contemplate his words too thoroughly. Edward stepped behind me to help remove my coat. Once the trench was off, he folded it over his arm and stood before me, his darkened eyes looking me over once again. _Alice had been right about the coat on, coat off thing; she knew her stuff. _He leaned in toward me and kissed me briefly on my exposed neck. Just as he straightened back up, the hostess returned.

"If you'll follow me, please," she was still obviously enamored with Edward, but he wasn't paying any attention. I followed behind her, as Edward's hand went to my back, just above the line of my dress. I felt his fingertips lightly on my lower back as he guided me gently forward. We wound past other tables and I looked around at the restaurant. The tables were covered with white tablecloths. Small bud vases and candles decorated the table tops. Beyond that, the restaurant was quite unusual. There were large, strange murals on the walls, a sort of a stage at one side, and hanging directly overhead, Edward pointed out an odd, swing kind of a thing. There was so much to look at and take in.

"Here we are," the hostess announced, looking at me a little expectantly, and perhaps a little…wistfully? _What?_

I looked past her to our table and gasped. _What? _My hand flew to my mouth in surprise. _Oh my! He didn't, did he? Yes! Yes he sure did. _"Oh, my goodness! Edward!" I turned to look at him in disbelief. It was there; the lopsided grin in all its beautiful, smirky glory, on his lovely, happy face.

**EPOV**

I had called ahead to the restaurant earlier in the week, when I knew that Bella wanted to go out with me. I'd made our reservation, but I'd also wanted to be sure that they would be able to accommodate my other requests. They had been very agreeable, and I had stopped by earlier in the day when I'd been out running my two errands.

Every table in the restaurant was covered with a white tablecloth and had a single oil-filled, lit, votive, along with a small vase containing a sprig of flowers. I had made a special request for our table. On our table they had agreed to place a dozen votives, which were all lit and flickering at the moment. In the center of the table sat the other item I'd requested: the bouquet of the other eleven long-stemmed, brilliant orange roses I'd bought for Bella. They now stood in the center of our table, placed in the crystal vase I'd selected at the florist's shop. Stopping by the florist's to pick up my order had been my first errand of the afternoon; bringing them here to make sure everything was arranged for tonight, had been my second.

Bella had been so busy looking around the restaurant as we'd entered, that she hadn't noticed the unusually decorated table set with two place settings, until we were actually there next to it. When she finally turned at the hostess' words, indicating that we'd arrived at our table, I heard Bella gasp and I saw her hand fly up to her mouth in disbelief. I came to stand at her side, wanting to see the look on her face. I heard her surprised, "Oh, my goodness!" And then she turned to face me.

I smiled at her bright, disbelieving eyes. She was just so lovely, and doing this for her had been such a fun secret. I could tell she liked it and I was glad I'd done this for her.

"You did this?" she gasped.

I nodded, smiling. "For you, Bella."

"Oh, Edward, this is lovely! I can't believe you did this. When? Today?"

I shrugged. "I had to find something to do to pass the time this afternoon. I wasn't going to go get my nails done with the guys. Jasper would probably have been willing to give it a shot, but Emmett, not so much."

She giggled, then looked back at the table. "Oh, Edward, you're amazing."

I smiled. She was beaming. She had to know how special she was to me. And even if she didn't, I was going to let her know tonight, in no uncertain terms.

Then I looked at the hostess, who just stood there smiling at us. She suddenly remembered why she was there, and pulled the table out a bit for Bella to slide into the bench seat. I took my seat at the other place setting, across from hers, moving the vase to the unoccupied side of the table so I'd be able to see Bella clearly. The hostess handed us the wine list and our menus and said, "I hope you enjoy your dinner. I know you'll enjoy your evening!" She suddenly seemed to be talking primarily to Bella.

The hostess left and Bella looked across at me, her eyes shining. "Thank you, Edward. This is beautiful. But you didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"I wanted a more memorable first date than the date in the dining hall. That being said, would you like some prosecco? That's not typically served in the dining hall."

"I'm afraid I don't know what that is." Her brow wrinkled a little.

"It's like champagne, but it's Italian. This restaurant serves Italian-American cuisine. We could get a bottle of prosecco to celebrate."

"All right. That would be nice."

**BPOV**

_Oh my. _Edward was pulling out all the stops tonight. The suit jacket, dress pants and skinny tie. _Skinny tie! Gah! _And now this amazing display. One dozen flickering candles accompanied by a bouquet of long-stemmed roses, orange roses. _Ambiance, enchantment and desire! Gah! _And now he was going to order champagne. "Who _is _this guy?" I suddenly wondered. _He's Adonis, The Prom King, Prince Charming. And for some crazy reason, he's here with me!_

The waitress came to take our drink order and Edward quickly requested the prosecco.

"Looks like a special occasion," the waitress said, glancing at the table and then gazing primarily at Edward. He didn't offer any explanation, simply nodding and looking back at me, smiling.

When she'd left, I glanced back down at the table and then leaned across toward him. "You started the evening with enchantment and desire and ambiance, Edward."

He leaned across the table toward me. "No, actually, you started the evening with stunning beauty and I followed quickly afterward with brain malfunction and meltdown. I want to apologize for what I said. I could have done that better."

I smiled at him. His brain malfunction had been funny and endearing. "Really, Edward, it was okay. I took it as a compliment," I told him.

I glanced around the restaurant and noticed that quite a few people seemed to be watching us. The staring was making me feel uneasy and nervous.

"Why is everyone staring at us?" I asked him.

The corners of his lips curled up in amusement. His eyes flickered around the room before coming back to mine. _Such beautiful eyes, such long lashes._

"Hmm. Well, I can speak for the men. It all goes back to that stunning beauty thing I mentioned a few moments ago."

"Right," I said to him, leaning back in my seat, smiling at his silliness.

"No, Bella it's true. I can read the mind of every man in here." He glanced around, focusing on the tables in our vicinity. He indicated a dark-haired man. _"I wish I were dining with that beautiful girl in red." _ Then he indicated a younger, blond-haired man._ "How did that guy manage a date with someone as lovely as her?" _ He nodded in the direction of a rather portly, older gentleman. _"Let's see, do I want one dessert or two?" _ Edward looked back at me with that little lopsided grin and shrugged. "Oh well, there's no accounting for taste and priorities."

He had me laughing now. I just loved this silly boy's sense of humor. And so sweet, good Lord, he was so sweet to me. Well, now that he mentioned it, I guess I knew why numerous women were looking our way.

I leaned back across the table toward him once more, grinning. "Should I tell you what the women are thinking?"

"No, I'm already aware. Take _her, _for instance," he said, nodding at a redhead, seated with the dark-haired man, "she's thinking, _"If only I were a man, I could be out on a date with that girl." _ Edward smirked, pleased with himself and my resulting laugh.

The waitress suddenly reappeared with our prosecco and two champagne flutes.

"This looks like a very special celebration," she said to us, trying for information again as she opened the bottle and eyed the flowers and candles. "What are you celebrating?"

"Um, it's our first date," I answered.

The waitress had begun to pour, but stopped instantly, looking at me with wide eyes. Then her eyes traveled over to Edward where they narrowed slightly.

"You did all this for her for a _first date_?"

Edward nodded, looking a little uncertain at the surprise in her tone of voice.

She turned back to me then, a smile spreading across her face.

"Oh, honey, he's a keeper. Don't let that one get away." She nodded toward Edward as she continued filling his flute with prosecco, and paused for him to taste it. He nodded, saying it was fine, and she continued filling our two glasses.

I flashed a smile at her. _I know, right? Pretty unbelievable. _

She told us the evening specials, and disappeared to allow us time to look over the menu.

We had just opened our menus to look over our choices, when an elderly couple, making their way toward the exit, stopped near our table. I glanced up to see the pink-cheeked, gray-haired, grandmotherly woman smile down at me with a twinkle in her bright blue eyes.

"Oh, Dearie, I hope you're going to say 'yes'."

For a second I was confused, wondering what she was saying, but realization began to dawn on me as her husband spoke up.

"Come along, Charlotte, no need to meddle in the business of young love."

I could feel my blush making its reappearance.

The woman turned to smile back at the sweet-faced, balding, be-spectacled gentleman. "Oh, Peter, you're always ruining my fun!" She laughed and looked back at Edward and me. "Best of luck to you both." The man gently nudged her along, smiling at us and shaking his head at his cute little wife.

_How cute…OhmyGod!...How embarrassing! _

I finally managed to feel brave enough to make eye contact with Edward. He was smiling and just raised his eyebrows once, quickly. He reached across the table for my hand and I placed it in his. He cleared his throat a little as his other hand came up to clasp my hand between his two much larger, warm hands. His face was serious suddenly and I saw him swallow, then take a deep breath.

"Isabella Marie Swan…" he paused and I suddenly felt an adrenaline spike zip through my body. I felt my breath being sucked out of my lungs.

_No! What?... WHAT?_

I heard his voice continuing, but it seemed to come from a distance now. I watched as his lips moved, saying the words, but not sure I was really hearing them. I was no longer breathing. I could hear the blood pounding inside my ears.

"…will you…" His face was so serious; so determined. My mouth went dry.

_No! What?...OhmyfreakingWHAT?_

"…be my girlfriend? To date and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, come hell or high water?"

_What!...Oh._

I took a gasping breath of air, looking at Edward's wickedly handsome grin. I felt post-adrenaline-rush perspiration on my forehead, and his warm hands squeezing and rubbing mine. I tried to take my hand back, but he held tightly.

"Oh my God! Edward! How could you do that to me?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"What?" His eyebrows quirked up all innocent-like. _Yeah…right! _ He made a little gasping noise, acting surprised. "You thought that I…"

"Oh, just stop! Right now! You're turning into Emmett!"

_Damn that wicked panty-melting grin!_

"So you thought…"

"Just shut it, Edward!"

"But you didn't answer my question, Bella," smirky boy prompted, still holding my hand.

_Ohhhh...kaayyy. I'll let you have it, all right._

I looked at our hands, mine clasped within his. I bit my lower lip and looked up at him coyly. "Yes!" I loudly said. People were turning to look. "Yes!" I wiggled out of the bench seat and jumped up, moving to his side of the table, squeezing myself down onto his lap as he scooted back in utter surprise. I wrapped my arms around his neck and then I went in for the kill and gave him a big kiss. I pulled back and once again loudly said, "Yes! I will!"

I would say about ninety percent of the patrons and nearly every last waitperson in the restaurant began clapping as they smiled at us. I leaned away from Edward so I could see him more clearly. I bit my lip, and I think I might have been smirking.

He looked around at the other diners, his face a little flushed, smiling at them, nodding and waving a bit. Then he looked back at me. His eyes were heated but delighted, if not a little embarrassed. He began chuckling, pulling my face toward his and kissing me once more, rather more chastely than I had kissed him.

I got up and went back around to my side of the table, scooting back into place. Once I was situated and arranged and had smoothed my dress into place I looked back up at him. His lips were pursed and he was trying not to smile. I gave him the same innocent-like look he had given me just a short while ago.

"Touché," he said softly, finally breaking into a little chastened grin. He handed me my champagne flute and raised his. "To my girlfriend…she's an awful lot of fun."

"…and to her boyfriend," I added as I raised my own glass, "he's mildly entertaining himself."

He touched his glass to mine and we sipped at our prosecco, smiling at each other over the tops of our wine glasses.

Edward slid his plate and utensils over to my side of the table, to the spot next to mine. He removed the napkin from his lap and stood, setting his champagne flute down on my side as well.

"You're entirely too far away, over there," he said as he slid the table out a little and picked up my purse and trench, setting them down on the chair he had just vacated. He slid into the bench seat next to me, putting his arm around me. He leaned in to my ear and whispered, "I can't sit very far away from you. You, wearing that dress, you're like a magnet. Besides, everyone in the restaurant thinks you've just agreed to marry me, so I might as well sit next to my future wife."

I felt myself blushing all over again.

"We should probably try to concentrate on dinner," I suggested, sliding my menu over so we could both look at it together. I needed to settle down and looking at the menu might help me get my mind off Mr. Sexual Tension.

We looked over our menus, commenting on various items listed. Edward told me the portions were generous and we could share dishes if I wanted. We finally decided to start with the house antipasto plate, which included fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers and various other grilled vegetables, salami, prosciutto and a tuscan bean salad. We chose a Caesar salad with fennel dusted croutons, which we would split, and as our main course we selected the Pink Door lasagna, also to share. It was made with spinach pasta and a béchamel, pesto, and marinara sauces.

When the waitress returned, we placed our order.

**EPOV**

Once the waitress had left us alone again my hand went up to the nape of Bella's neck and gently pulled on a few tendrils there, before relaxing down onto her bare shoulder. She shivered.

"Are you cold?" I asked her.

"No, I'm actually still feeling rather overheated." She lifted her glass and took a few sips. Then she sat looking around the room, taking in the décor a little more.

I sat there taking in Bella a little more.

I looked at her full lips and her upturned nose. I watched as she swallowed her wine and licked her lip as she set her glass back down. I honestly couldn't help myself; my eyes drifted downward to admire her in that dress. Her creamy skin, the swell of her breasts, rising above the cut of the neckline, the dip of her cleavage between them, her narrow waist. My imagination began carrying me off and I had to force myself to look away. I took a rather large gulp of my prosecco for guidance and courage.

Fortunately the waitress arrived with our antipasto dish shortly after that. She refilled our glasses, and then set the bottle back down in the ice bucket. Bella and I began sampling items, deciding which we each preferred and which did not appeal to us as much.

"What _is_ that?" Bella asked, pointing overhead.

"It's a trapeze." I grinned at her.

"A trapeze?"

I nodded. "There's a trapeze artist who performs, and on occasion, brave and or inebriated diners have been known to take a spin on the flying trapeze."

"So, if I wanted, and had much, much more prosecco to drink, I could ask to be seated up there?"

I laughed. "No, Bella, I don't think that would be a good idea. Although more people would have a better view of how lovely you look tonight." I ran my fingertip across her bare shoulders. "Several nights a week, there's a trapeze artist who swings above the dinner crowd to music, sometimes singing, sometimes not. "She'll start in a little while."

Her face showed her disbelief.

"It's true," I continued. They have some type of entertainment most evenings. Sometimes there are little musical groups, or someone playing the piano, or a ukulele, or someone that sings songs from famous operas. There's also a Tarot card reader some nights."

"Tarot cards? Like a fortune teller? You're kidding, right?"

"Totally serious."

"So did you bring me here to find out if a relationship with me is in your cards?"

"I don't need a Tarot card reader to tell me that."

**BPOV**

His breath was on my ear. He leaned down into my hair and kissed my temple, his fingertips were gliding lightly along my back. I sighed.

"I think you'd pretty much need a restraining order to keep me away, at this point," he said quietly in my ear.

I put my hand on his thigh, and he covered it with his other hand.

"You picked out a beautiful dress for our date," he said gazing intently down at me. "I know you chose it because you like how you feel in it. I know you also got it for me to see you in it. But I hope you know that you are beautiful to me, no matter what you are wearing."

I smiled at him. "You always make me feel so special, Edward."

"You are." His hand squeezed mine, where it lay on his leg.

I felt very lightheaded. I inhaled deeply, trying to steady myself, but all I could smell was Edward. A clean, man-soap scent with a slightly spicy undertone. He looked delicious, he smelled delicious and, as I tipped my head up to meet his lips, I had to admit, he even tasted delicious.

Our salad arrived shortly afterwards. It was a necessary diversion.

A further distraction was the female performer who showed up a bit later once our lasagna had arrived. She began a rather sexy turn on the trapeze to some instrumental music.

"If my college and career path doesn't go the way I'm hoping, I could always try to get a job like that." I pointed overhead.

Edward looked up at the trapeze artist and smirked at me. "You're confident you could stay attached to that? I don't know, Bella. I'm a little doubtful."

"I could give it a shot, though you're probably right; there's a good chance I'd wind up on your dinner plate or in your lap."

**EPOV **

Was it the dress? Was it those sexy shoes? Was it all her creamy skin? I wasn't sure what it was, but when she said that, I got a vivid visual image of a rather scantily clad Bella, flying through the air with the greatest of ease, until she landed in front of me, on my dinner plate, like a gift from the gods.

I wondered how many hours I could take of this; existing in a constant semi-aroused, aroused, or overly aroused state, before I lost my mind completely. I took a big swig of the last of the prosecco.

We had ordered a tiramisu to split for dessert and were now waiting for it to arrive and finish off our meal. The waitress brought us each a cup of coffee. I picked up the little creamer and added some to each of our cups. Then I picked up a packet of sugar.

"You don't use sugar in your coffee," Bella observed, frowning.

_Huh! She'd been paying attention to those little things in the dining hall?_

"No, but you do," I said as I poured the contents of the little packet into her cup. _I've been paying attention, too._

She smiled at me as she picked up a spoon and stirred first my coffee, and then hers.

The waitress reappeared and brought our dessert and we were now in the process of sharing it. Bella had several bites, and then declared herself full. She cut another piece with her fork, only instead of bringing it to her lips, she held it up to mine. She slowly fed me the rest of the tiramisu, and there was something so unbelievably sexy about that. It made me think of that bit of chocolate she had fed me in the alcove at the street fair the night of our non-date. I would always remember how rattled that had made me feel.

There was some rattling going on now as well. Fuck semi-aroused. I was teetering between aroused and overly-aroused and we still had a movie ahead of us. _Shit! _

"The Tarot card reader isn't here tonight, but would you like a palm reading?" I asked, primarily so I could distract myself.

"They have someone here that reads palms, too?"

I nodded, taking her hand and bring it to the tabletop, holding it palm up and flattening out her fingers. I cleared my throat as she looked at me with amusement.

"This line is your life line. It's very long and uninterrupted. You're going to have a very long life. There are no major breaks in it, so you'll have a healthy life, too."

She smiled. "I didn't realize you could read palms."

"Only yours."

"Okay, keep going." She smiled at me.

"This line here? It shows your mind. It says you're 'mentally challenged'." She slapped my leg with her other hand and I laughed. "Oh, no, wait a minute. My mistake. I misread that; you're 'mentally challenging,' not 'mentally challenged'. Sorry. Of course you have a challenging mind, smart girl. I love your mind; I love how it works. Though I sometimes wish I could read your mind. You keep me on my toes."

"So, continue. But be polite. I'd hate to have to hurt you with my shoes."

I winced at the threat of shoe pain. "This line up here is your heart line." I gasped and I abruptly held her hand up closer to my face, looking more intently and feigning concern.

"What is it?" she asked with a smirk. "What's wrong?"

"There's some guy after your heart!"

She laughed, peering at the line closely. "Is it a hot-looking, tall guy with bed-head hair and green-blue eyes and a ridiculous sense of humor?"

"Why yes! And he's got a wonderful personality and overwhelming sex-appeal, too. Do you know him?"

"Yeah, he's a stalker." She smirked at me and I chuckled.

I reached into my jacket pocket, pulling out the other item I had brought along this evening. "Well, he asked me to give you this." I slipped the little wrapped gift into her hand.

"What's this?" She was surprised.

"Well, it's not an engagement ring, so don't panic. It's a little gift from your stalker. Open it."

She began to unwrap the little box, looking at me. "You didn't have to get me something."

"Well of course I didn't _have_ to; I wanted to."

She opened the lid and lifted out the little silver medallion on the fine silver chain. "It's beautiful," she said, looking at it as it dangled from her fingers. "What a pretty design; it's so intricate. But you didn't have to get me this."

I rolled my eyes at her. "It was an impulsive purchase, if that makes you feel better. Alice and I went shopping on Sunday so I could get my mom her birthday gift. I bought her some similar earrings, and when I saw this, it made me think of you. Do you know what it is?"

"What do you mean? It's a necklace." She had that little confused pucker between her brows.

I smiled. "No, there's actually some symbolism. It's a Celtic knot. There's a lot of mystery to the exact meanings of Celtic designs, but primarily, since the knot has no beginning or end, some people think it represents eternity and shows interconnectedness."

She smiled. "Edward, you bought this for me before I said I'd go out with you?"

I shrugged. "I was hopeful."

She smiled "What does this symbolize to you?" she asked, holding up the medallion and looking at it more closely before she looked intently back at me. "What made you want to buy this for me?"

"Well there were several reasons. It's pretty and so are you. Then there's the interconnectedness thing. I think you and I are kind of on the same wavelength. I feel like I have a special connection with you; you're easy to talk with and be with. And if it weren't for Victoria's Celtic music, you would not have become Alice's roommate and I might not have gotten to know you. And finally, I just wanted to give you something because you've given me so much, without even really being aware that you've done so."

She blushed, looking down at the chain in her hand.

I took the necklace from her and unclasped it, looping the chain around her neck and fastening the catch. She looked down to where the medallion lay near her heart and fingered it gently. "It's so pretty; and it means a lot to me knowing what it means to you. Thank you, Edward. You _are _a keeper." She leaned toward me and kissed me softly.

The waitress came back to make sure we didn't need anything else, took the vase with the bouquet of flowers to wrap the stems in a wet cloth, and went to get our bill. When she returned she brought the bouquet and vase in a shopping bag. I thanked her, paid the bill, and we left the restaurant.

As we walked to the car, I told Bella that we needed to hurry. We barely had enough time to get to the movie theater.

I was opening he car door when she stilled my hand as she leaned against the car.

"Edward, maybe we should just skip the movie? I'm not sure I really feel like seeing a movie tonight."

_Why? What was wrong? I hadn't thought something inappropriate out loud, had I?_

"Um, okay, that's fine." I wondered if I'd come on too strong, giving her that necklace, or maybe it was the silly marriage proposal conversation; maybe it seemed I'd gotten too serious and she wanted to end the evening before I really went nuts.

She continued then, explaining herself; she must have seen the look on my face and realized I was alarmed. "We could go another time. If we go to a movie, it's a lot of sitting next to each other and not being able to talk. Maybe we should just go back and, you know, um….hang out? Weren't Alice and Jasper going out to some club with Emmett and Rose? So they won't be home…"

She looked down at the bag I carried. The bag with the vase and the bouquet of orange roses. She reached down and pulled out a single orange rose and handed it to me.

"Here, Edward, I want you to have this," she softly said.

I stood there, feeling confused. Then I glanced down at my hand. I thought about what it meant that she had given me an orange rose.

_Enchantment and desire…and… "they won't be home…"_

_Holy shit! _

**A/N: Guess where they're headed. ;) **

**I'm hoping you're headed to leave a review. Read on if it's ****revised.**


	34. A Change in Plans

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Let's see how you like Swankyfortward. This chapter turned into a big beast, but it was all necessary. And I made you wait a week. What is up with that?

Blah, blah, blah, no infringement. I'm not her. You already know that.

Now, let's get stunned Edward behind the wheel so he can get back home and they can both start getting nekkid.

**Chapter 34: A Change in Plans (Revised)**

**EPOV**

As Bella and I departed the restaurant and walked back to the car, I thought back over something she'd said to me tonight.

She'd told me I made her feel special. Well, she _was_ more special than I'd ever imagined she'd be. I hadn't thought I would ever feel this way about a girl again. Honestly, I don't remember feeling quite this same way about Tanya. Something was different. Maybe it was the contrast of being a twenty one year old who had suffered loss as opposed to a seventeen year old carefree kid. Maybe it was the knowledge that things like this could be fleeting and should never be taken for granted. Or maybe it was just the fact that Bella was so much better at giving and didn't just take. Whatever the reason, I had very strong feelings for this special girl, feelings which had crept up on me and were now settled in for the long haul.

I'd been in the process of opening the car door for her when she stopped me, saying she wanted to skip the movie. At first I misunderstood her, thinking I'd done something wrong, but that had been cleared up quickly when she admitted that she'd rather just go back and hang out, adding that the others wouldn't be home. My mind was still trying to catch up with what she'd said when she handed me one of the roses and her meaning hit me like a wrecking ball.

_Holy shit! Enchantment and desire…and…"they won't be home…"_

I just stood there speechless as the realization of what she'd meant swept through me. My first reaction was lust, overwhelming lust for this girl that I'd been lusting after for weeks now, even before I wanted to really contemplate and evaluate those feelings. Then I felt glorious anticipation simply because it would be _her_ and surely everything would be wonderful. And finally my feelings turned to gnawing trepidation just because I'm me.

**BPOV**

I was aware of a change in myself this evening. For a while I had been feeling that I was perched precariously on the brink of a cliff, wondering if I should retreat from the edge and the fear of falling. I'd been leery of jumping off that cliff and diving headlong into a relationship with Edward. But tonight I was suddenly ready to accept what I wanted and stop doubting the reasons why. I felt certain about myself and I felt certain about Edward.

It seemed impossible that I had met him less than a month ago. I had said goodbye to Jake nearly two weeks ago, but that relationship had been on a downhill slide for such a long time. I should have ended things sooner and probably would have if I hadn't been so concerned about hurting someone I'd known all my life. This evening I wondered what I was waiting for. Surely I'd passed the expiration date on waiting.

I knew that I hadn't sought out a new relationship to replace the old. I had tried to avoid Edward and he'd tried to avoid me. I remembered him telling me, the night after I broke up with Jake, that you couldn't help the timing of coincidence or fate. I'd come to feel that he'd been right.

At the outset of the school year Edward hadn't wanted anything from me. He hadn't wanted anything to _do_ with me. We'd disliked each other initially. But we'd been thrown together and drawn to each other. And it had been more and more enjoyable each time. We had sneaked up on each other; the whole idea of "we" had sneaked up on both of us.

Edward hadn't actually said he loved me this evening but actions speak louder than words and Edward's actions were shouting at the top of their lungs. They were even using a megaphone. He'd bought me flowers. Lots of guys do that. He'd researched the symbolism. Some guys do that. He'd given me a single rose, but had gone to the restaurant earlier in the day to put the rest of the bouquet in a vase, surprising me with them at our table. Few guys would do that. He'd requested that they'd be put on our table with a dozen votives, to light my fire with ambiance. Only one guy does that. Edward Cullen does that. For me.

Because he's a definite keeper.

At the end of dinner he'd given me a gift, a beautiful silver necklace. I think giving jewelry to someone you care about is a subtle way of marking your territory, identifying your possession, or showing ownership. It's an adornment that shows that the giver values the recipient, a mark that proclaims you've been claimed, and a visible sign to the giver that you accept their mark. Edward was subtly marking me as his and I liked that idea.

Edward had said he'd wanted to give me the necklace because I'd given him so much. I knew that he'd been through a terrible situation with his first love. It had devastated him. He'd felt unworthy of any type of a relationship and had been unwilling to enter into one for a long time afterward. But he'd changed so much in the past four weeks: he was vibrant, he had come alive, and he wanted a relationship with me.

The Celtic design of the necklace was an odd little nod to Victoria. If I hadn't placed as a roommate with her, I might not have gotten to know Alice, and I most likely wouldn't be sitting here in a silver Volvo this very moment, next to Mr. Undeniable Sexual Tension, speeding back to the dorm to hang out.

When we had left from the restaurant I no longer wanted to sit through a movie with Edward next to me; unable to really talk with him, or look at him, or feel him. I think he misunderstood at first, because he looked a little crestfallen. I didn't want him to think that I'd had enough of him. I certainly hadn't. I wanted to be with him.

I suggested that we just go back to the dorm and hang out. I reminded him that Alice and Jasper were going out this evening with Emmett and Rose. I plucked one of the roses out of the bag and I handed it to him. After a moment I watched as his eyes widened in surprise. He had definitely caught my meaning. I saw the bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed, but then he quickly recovered himself. He looked at me carefully.

"Um, that's fine." He cleared his throat. "We can just go back and hang out, if you want."

There was so much enchantment and desire floating around the two of us at that moment it was difficult to breathe.

He helped me into his car. He leaned in, his darkened eyes searching mine before he moved to kiss me. Then he stepped back, handing me the bag with the vase and bouquet, and shutting my door. I watched him as he walked around the car, lifting the rose I'd given him and breathing the scent in deeply.

I turned in my seat, facing him, and watched as he climbed into the car. His fingers raked through his hair as he put the key in the ignition. He turned and looked over at me, but didn't say a word. I think maybe he was trying to read my mind. I realized I was breathing shallowly. We sat there in the dark for a moment.

"I don't mean to ruin your plans," I said to him, feeling unsure suddenly.

He looked amused. "No, a change in plans is perfectly okay." He cleared his throat. When he spoke again his voice seemed huskier, deeper. "I'd much rather just…" he paused and smiled "…hang out together." He ran a quick hand through his hair as we drove off.

**EPOV**

I climbed into the car, looking over at her. I wanted to be sure that she was sure. She said she didn't want to ruin my plans. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. If I had to pick between a movie and spending some unsupervised alone-time with my girl, well, my girl would win every damn time. Fuck the most Oscar winning movie of all time! Who gives a shit about movies? Real life is the real deal, especially if it involves _her. _

I started the car and pulled out onto the road headed for home and whatever awaited us there.

What _did _await us there? And just _where_ was _there_ going to be? I knew my half of my room was fairly neat, but Jasper's half could be questionable. The "hang out surface" in my room was my bed, located safely only about three feet off the ground. But somehow it seemed like I would be dragging her back to my cave, if we went to my room. There was also the added possibility of Emmett showing up and being his obnoxious self. I wasn't so sure about taking my girl to my room for a "hang out session."

Bella's room had a bed on stilts. We'd be making quite the statement if we climbed up to her bed. That was a serious destination, unless you were using it to access the roof. There was also the drop factor, from that height, which would be most unfortunate in a moment of passion. The swanky fort seemed like the best option. We could turn on the twinkle lights, close the curtains, it was low to the ground, and we could sit, lounge, or lie down. _Fuck! Now my mouth was dry, just thinking about lying down._

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"Is something wrong? You're kind of quiet."

_Oh, just pondering good locations for some type of sexual encounter with you, love!_

"No, I'm good. Just thinking. So, where do you want to hang out?"

"Um, well, we could sit in the swanky fort if you'd like."

_Should have just asked her, Cullen; she's got it all figured out._

"Yeah, that's fine."

I'd been breaking the speed limit ever since we left from The Pink Door. If I were to be pulled over, I would have to plead 'fucked up libido' to the policeman. I wondered if that fell into the insanity plea category. It sure seemed like I was losing my mind thinking of what was to come. Or _who_ was to…come.

_Oh fuck! _

_Precisely!_

I couldn't stop visualizing activities we might engage in this evening. I was pretty much up for anything. I'd been up for anything most of the evening. I was up right now. I was actually so up I was pretty fucked up, if the truth be told. But I was wondering about Bella too and what she wanted and what she expected. And I wondered if I'd live up to her expectations.

I wasn't a virgin, of course. Tanya and I had been each other's firsts in a number of ways, but it's been a while, and it hadn't been for that long, and we hadn't had an awful lot of opportunities. I didn't expect that Bella was a virgin; she'd been with Jake for three years. Unwelcome thoughts flitted through my mind, but I chased them away without reflecting on them. That was then, this is now. _I'm_ her now. I've got the edge.

Tonight I was carrying a "lucky" condom. Just in case. It wasn't like me to carry around a condom. Shit, I hadn't bought one in three years. I hadn't needed one, despite Emmett telling me how glad I would be to have one if the situation ever "arose". He called it a "lucky" condom because you never knew when you were going to get lucky. The term actually came from my father. He referred to the ever-present condom in Emmett's wallet as the "lucky" condom because he and my mom figured Emmett would be lucky if he made it to adulthood without fathering some little mini-Emmett somewhere, although he'd settled down the past two years since he'd been with Rose.

I didn't know the condom was in my wallet until I paid for dinner tonight. When I opened my wallet up, to take out some cash, I had spotted it along with a note which read: _"As your Resident Advisor, but mostly as your brother, I hope the situation arises tonight and you're feeling lucky." _ I wondered when he'd slipped it into my wallet; probably while I'd been dressing. I wondered if I'd need it tonight. _"So Bella, I've got this lucky condom I've been wanting to try out and thought maybe you'd like to help me with that." Yeah, that'd go over well. Suave and romantic. _

**BPOV**

Edward drove rather fast; he seemed in a hurry.

I'd glanced down, having caught a gleam out of the corner of my eye. It was my necklace. It was catching the flicker of passing headlights that flashed in the window as we drove. My hand went to the little medallion around my neck and I looked down at it, fingering the design.

"Do you like it?" Edward's voice softly asked. He had looked over at me.

"Yes, I really do. And I like what it means to you."

"So you'll wear it?" He looked as though he was the one who had been given a gift.

"Of course! I'm not going to take it off. My boyfriend gave me this on our first date!"

"Really?" he grinned, "That guy really has stellar taste in jewelry and women."

I laughed. Sometimes Edward was such a happy child. Not quite an Emmett though, thank goodness.

He reached over, grasping my hand as it lay in my lap. I laced my fingers through his, looking down at our two intertwined hands. I traced his fingers with my other hand. He had beautiful hands with long sensual fingers; he also had a very gentle touch. _And I want him touching me gently. Oh my!_

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly.

_Gah! _ _He was watching me! I couldn't tell him what I was thinking! _ "Um, your hands; they're really nice."

He made a face. "I've never much liked my hands."

"Well, I like them."

"Why?" He flexed his hand on the steering wheel, looking at it and looking back at me.

I looked down at his hand in mine. I withdrew my hand from his for a moment and smoothed his fingers out, flattening them down in my lap and pressing my hand against his, palm to palm, finger to finger. His hands were so much bigger.

"Edward, your hands are the hands of an artist; the hands of a musician. They're sensual, expressive hands. You have big hands, but they're elegant, with long dexterous fingers. They're…um…they're kind of sexy."

""Sexy?" He grinned in surprise. "My hands?"

"Yes, they're strong hands; but they're gentle.

"Gentle, huh?" He looked over at me as his lips curled up deliciously. His hand went to my knee. "Let's see how well they're working tonight." He grinned as he wiggled his fingers as if he was limbering them up, then he stroked the outside of my leg lightly with the backs of his knuckles. When his hand ran lightly back down toward my knee, I felt his fingertips softly on the inside of my leg, moving up my thigh. I closed my eyes, shifting in my seat. It was nearly unbearable.

"Your skin is so soft and smooth, Bella. I was thinking earlier tonight about how I've never seen your legs before. I knew you had them…" there was the lopsided grin, "…but you usually wear pants." He glanced at me and smiled. "Suddenly you have legs! You've got great legs; they're pretty and they're strong. I guess that makes sense; you run, you work out. I'd just never thought about them before."

I smiled back at him as his hand finally stilled on my leg, giving it a little squeeze and a pat before putting his hand back on the steering wheel.

We were silent for a few moments. I sighed into the darkened interior of the car.

"Edward, I had a really lovely time this evening. You made our first date really special. You made me feel special. You don't have to do this next time. I'm already impressed."

"I wasn't trying to impress you. But it was a lot of fun thinking of what I wanted to do for you; the surprise of it. I just kept thinking about how you would react."

"No one has ever done something like that for me before. You're full of wonderful surprises.

**EPOV**

She'd told me that she liked my hands. I've always hated my hands. She'd said that they were strong, expressive, sensual and gentle. Whatever. They're my hands and I'm stuck with them. But now it seemed like a good thing because she called them _sexy_. I wanted to see how sexy they looked tonight, touching her skin; feeling her body. Now _that_ would be pretty damn sexy. I'd like my hands just fine if they were doing that.

Her legs had surprised me. I guess when you're so used to your own hairy guy-legs, you forget how soft and smooth a girl's legs can be. But shit, after touching them now, I just wanted to sink my teeth into her soft, smooth thighs.

We made it back to school and I parked the car. By the time I had cut the engine, I was so turned on thinking about her and where we were going and what we might be doing. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to make it all the way from here up to the dorm without jumping her. I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to stand upright when I got out of the car. I had some serious issues going on.

I struggled out of the car and made my way around to help her. She handed me the bag and I set it down next to the car and took her hand, helping her out. I shut the door and I looked at her, standing there, leaning back against my car. She was so incredibly beautiful, with just the streetlight casting light on her dark eyes and full lips. I snagged her purse from her hand and set it on the top of the car, then I took her face in my hands and I kissed her completely and thoroughly. I started slow and gentle until I couldn't take it and then I was kissing her harder, pinning her in place. Her arms snaked inside my jacket, and wrapped around my back; I could feel her fingers kneading the muscles of my back. My arms went around her. I kissed her hard, biting her lip, and she was moaning as I pressed my hips into her. I knew she could feel how hard I was. This was what she did to me; this was how much I wanted her.

"Bella," I spoke low in her ear, "you make me crazy." I felt like I could hardly breathe. I pressed my forehead to hers, closing my eyes and trying to calm down. "Just give me a minute," I murmured to her as I fought to get myself under control. I sounded like a heavy-breathing pervert. Actually she seemed to be having some oxygen issues of her own.

Finally I pulled away and picked up the bag in one hand, picked up her purse from the roof of the car and handed it to her. I wrapped my free arm around her and pulled her in to my side. "Come on." I kissed the top of her head. "Let's go before you have to call nine-one-one for me."

Her eyes sparkled up at me. "That bad?" she asked with a little laugh.

"No… that _good_."She giggled a little harder. "And stop laughing at me." We walked up the hill, arms wrapped around each other.

I stopped by my room to drop off my jacket and the rose she'd given me. Jasper wasn't there. I texted him, letting him know that we were upstairs and that they should find some other location to hang out when they got back. Hopefully they would not appear for show and tell. The last thing I needed was them doing handsprings around the room because Bella and I had "hooked up". I didn't need that shit. They weren't getting those details.

I shut the door of my room and we headed to her room. I loosened my tie on the way up, having forgotten to take it off downstairs. When we got to Bella's room I slipped the tie off over my head and hung it on the doorknob outside her door. She took off her coat and draped it over the chair at her desk._ Fuck, every time I looked at that neckline of her dress I wanted to cry!_ She took the vase from the bag and went to get water for the roses. When she returned, she asked about the necktie.

"Why is your necktie on my doorknob?" she asked as she set the water-filled vase down on her desk and arranged the roses. When she looked over at me she had that little "v" pucker going between her brows.

I smiled at her conspiratorially. "If Jasper doesn't get my text and they come up here, they'll see my tie and know that now might not be a good time. It's like putting out a you're-not-welcome mat. It's been done before by both Emmett and Jasper, so we all know what it means."

"And that would really keep them out? I would think they'd look at it as an invitation to bang on the door and loudly ask questions."

I snorted with laughter. "You know, since this involves me directly, you're probably right. They'd probably go get Rose and Emmett, too, just to make sure they'd covered all the bases to make my life hell. Maybe I should move the closet over in front of the door as a barricade."

She went to the swanky fort and plugged in the little twinkle lights and I hit the switch by the door turning the overhead light off. The room was bathed in the soft glow of the little twinkle lights inside the swanky fort. The stage was set. And I was suddenly nervous as hell as I felt that little charge of electricity sparking up between us.

"You know it's because of me, Edward. They wouldn't do these things to you if it was just you. They'd leave you alone if you'd get rid of me."

I went to her, where she stood just outside the swanky fort and put my hands on her bare arms, feeling her soft skin beneath my fingertips. I felt the current zipping up my fingers and through my arms and straight to my groin.

"Well now, _that's_ not happening; I'm keeping you. Maybe I'll just get rid of them. I think I could do without them. But you, I need."

She grabbed onto one of my arms as she bent slightly, lifting her feet, one at a time, to unbuckle the straps of her shoes and slip them off. When she bent to pick up her shoes and set them in her closet I toed off my own shoes and pulled off my socks. _Might as well get comfy._

I reached for her and gathered her into my arms. "I don't think I can do without you, now that I finally have you. I am addicted to you, Bella; you're like my own personal brand of heroin." I took her hand in mine and pulled her down to sit beneath the twinkle lights in the swanky fort. She curled up neatly next to me. I had turned toward her, brushing a lock of hair back from her face. I smiled at her in the soft light.

"And you'd like a fix now?" Her eyes were a very dark, very liquid molten chocolate.

"Yes, please." I pulled her toward me and lifted her into my lap and bent to kiss her.

**BPOV**

I looked up into his midnight-sea-colored eyes as he bent his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the heat from his body on my bare arms. His gentle kisses became more insistent, matching mine. I raked my fingers into his hair, pulling gently. He broke our kiss and I heard him make a hissing noise as he inhaled through his teeth. He pulled back and gazed down at me.

"Why does that feel so good?" He seemed to shiver slightly.

I smiled, pulling my fingers through his hair once again. "It's all about the bed-head, Edward. Your hair begs to be ravaged."

"Mmm," he closed his eyes and leaned into my hand, "You're a really good ravager."

After a moment he opened his eyes and tipped his head toward me. He kissed my forehead, my eyelids, the tip of my nose, then rubbing his nose softly against mine, before he moved his lips to the side, tilting my head and kissing my ear. I felt the tip of his tongue trace the shell of my ear..

I moved my hand to his shoulder, feeling the broad, solid shape of it through his shirt. I slid my hand slowly down to his upper arm and felt his bicep, bunched as he held me.

His kisses had dipped to the little hollow below my ear, just behind my jaw. He brushed my hair back over my shoulder, giving him better access to my neck. I felt him trailing light kisses down along my jaw and then he shifted, tipping my head back and kissing my throat, his tongue tracing light designs until he was at my collarbone. I felt his teeth biting lightly along my collarbone, working his way agonizingly slowly to my shoulder. Once he had gotten to my shoulder he placed a soft kiss there.

I moved off of him then, onto my knees at his side.

"Where are you going? Are you leaving me?" he asked, holding onto my hip.

I flashed a smile at him. "There's very little chance of that right now, Edward."

He answered me with a smirk. The smirk disappeared as I repositioned myself, moving one leg back across his lap so that I was now straddling him on my knees. My dress was billowed around my legs and I felt the fabric of his pants on my bare legs. The smirk had been replaced by a much darker, hungrier expression. He sat forwards with his hands on my waist and bent to the hollow at the base of my neck.

I closed my eyes, sinking into the feeling of his lips and tongue and teeth on me, kissing down the other side of my neck. If anything he was moving more slowly, driving me crazy as he worked his way, biting and kissing, along my other collarbone, until I felt him kiss my other shoulder. He leaned back then, and I opened my eyes to look at him.

"It was very hard to sit through dinner looking at you in this dress," he told me. My breath hitched as he trailed a fingertip slowly along my skin, just above the bodice of my dress, tracing across the tops of my breasts and the cleavage in between. His eyes had followed his fingertip, but now they looked back up at my eyes. "You're quite distracting, Isabella Swan."

I could feel myself blushing. "Well, Edward Cullen, I've been half-naked the entire evening and you've been dressed up like Fort Knox; somehow you're still very distracting." His eyes widened briefly in surprise and then his lip curled up into a grin; a lopsided grin. He leaned toward me for a moment, yanking the back of his shirt up and out of his pants, untucking it. Then his hands continued the task at the front, pulling the sides and front of his shirt free. He leaned back against the cushions. A lazy little grin spread across his face. He held his arms out wide at his sides, offering himself to me.

"Have at it, Bella. Even the playing field and tear down Fort Knox." He cocked an eyebrow at me, daring me.

My fingers went to the top button on his shirt and worked their way down, button by button, fumbling a little as I pushed them through the little buttonholes on the placket and the cuffs. His eyes shifted several times from mine down to where my fingers worked and back. It made me fumble all the more when I knew that he was watching me. When his shirt was completely unbuttoned, I pushed it over his shoulders and down his arms, pulling it off him as he shrugged his arms free and tossed it near my closet.

"Better?" he asked, his hands resting on my hips as I sat facing him.

I put my hands over his, where they rested on my hips, and slowly slid my hands lightly up his bare arms and under the sleeves of his t-shirt to his shoulders.

"Only marginally," I managed to say, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks at my admission. In my mind I suddenly saw Edward earlier today, in the process of shaving, semi-naked and baring most of his goods to the world. _Holy hotness! _I could feel my blush intensify.

"What?" he asked. "What are you thinking? You're blushing." His mouth was curling up at the corners. "Tell me!" I felt his fingers squeeze into my hips a little, prompting me to confess. There was now a gleam in his eye that went quite nicely with the sex-grin on his lips. _Those lips…shit! How does he do this?_ _He must know what he's doing._

"Well, um…I was just thinking about earlier today…you, err…you were shaving and…uh, you just looked really…rather…hot." I was mortified that I'd said it. He had an incredulous grin on his lips and I wanted to hide.

"Let me get this straight," he said. "I had shaving cream all over my face and I had just come back from a run so I was all sweaty and gross and you thought that was _hot_? You're either easily impressed or you don't have very high standards."

I giggled. "Actually, I think it was more your general state of undress, rather than the shaving cream or sweaty grossness. I'd never seen you up close and personal without a shirt on."

"Hmm." He quirked an eyebrow at me. "Well Fort Knox is still standing." He looked down at his chest and plucked at his t-shirt. "You weren't very thorough in your assault." He sat up a little, leaning slightly forward so he was no longer against the cushion. He lightly brushed his lips against mine in a soft kiss before pulling back. "What are you going to do about it?" he asked in that low, velvety voice.

I smiled at him as I picked up the hem of his shirt, pulling it upwards and over his head as he raised his arm and pulled them through the sleeves. I looked at the smirking Adonis in front of me as I clutched his t-shirt in my hand.

"Say goodbye to Fort Knox," I giggled as I threw his t-shirt haphazardly over my shoulder and leaned forward to kiss him.

He made a low little growling sound into my mouth as we kissed and pulled my hips closer to him. I slid my palms across the smooth skin of his shoulders, bringing them down over his collarbones and muscular chest, feeling his hair tickling my fingers as they smoothed down to his abs and the happy trail of hair there. It was getting so much warmer in the room, I noticed, now that Edward was wearing less clothing.

He lifted my arms, placing them over his shoulders and moved in closer to wrap his arms around me tightly and pull me right up against his body. All that warm skin. It was delicious. His lips descended from my collarbone to just over my heart and across the front of the neckline of my dress. His arousal was evident between us, pressed up against my stomach. And I was feeling the Edward Cullen effect; the lightheadedness, the lack of oxygen.

My phone, tucked in my purse on my desk, rang suddenly, snapping me out of my Edward induced trance. We both looked at each other and said "Alice" simultaneously. I smiled at him as the phone continued ringing before it finally stopped.

A moment later the phone rang again. He looked at me. "She's awfully persistent." But we ignored the rings as it went to voicemail.

Edward's lips went back to my chest, kissing the dip between my breasts, just above my dress. His fingertips were brushing up and down the middle of my back. I felt his fingers on the back of my dress, near the top; he had the zipper pull in his grasp. His head tipped back, looking at me, one eyebrow slightly cocked in silent query. I reached up and pulled my hair to the side, giving him permission I leaned my forehead down to his shoulder, smelling his Edward scent. I felt him tug the zipper down slowly and I moaned against him at the sensation of his fingers slowly ghosting down my naked spine.

The phone rang again. I lifted my head to look at him.

"God, she's so damn annoying sometimes!" he said, resting his forehead against mine, his hand running up through my hair. "I'd like to apologize to you for my family. There's something wrong with nearly all of them." He pinched the bridge of his nose as I giggled. The phone stopped ringing again. But then it beeped, signaling that there was a voicemail.

He began pulling my dress up. Up and over my head, until I sat there, straddling his lap, wearing only my navy blue strapless bra and panties. He held me against him as he leaned to the side and tossed the dress carefully near my closet and the other discarded clothing there.

The phone rang a fourth time. He shook his head disbelievingly. _What was her problem? Why couldn't she leave us alone?_

He leaned back then, against the cushions and really looked at me, his lips parted. I watched him as his eyes swept over my body. I heard him softly exhale in a long, low, "Ohhh" before he inhaled through his nose, his nostrils flaring. His warm hands came up to rest lightly on my shoulders, slowly working their way down my arms and moving to my waist and then lower, his hands stopping and flexing on my hips. He looked back up at my eyes as his hands continued down along the outside of my thighs as I knelt over his lap.

"You're absolutely glorious, Bella." His voice was low and as soft as velvet and he spoke as if in awe. I felt myself flush at his words and their tone. His eyes looked as black as pitch; he suddenly looked ravenous. His hands moved back to my hips, gripping me and pulling me closer toward him, up against him until I could feel his arousal against my own aroused core. His eyes followed the path of his hands as they moved to my waist, his long fingers flexing there before moving farther up to my ribcage.

His breathing had become shallow and labored, much like my own. I swallowed, feeling his hands stopped at the top of my ribcage, feeling his thumbs rubbing tentatively along the outer swell of my breasts. He gazed back at me, waiting to make sure, giving me the option. I felt him hard and straining up against me. I closed my eyes, sighing as his thumbs, gently moved across the tips of my breasts, deliciously slowly, my nipples tightening beneath the fabric of my bra. I moaned as his hands moved from my sides until his hands were on my bra-clad breasts; squeezing, stroking, caressing.

I opened my eyes as I felt him leaning closer to me, bending to me, kissing me hard, his tongue on mine as he wrapped his arms around me and pressed me tighter against him. I heard him groan and then he was lifting me, shifting and turning himself, relaxing back and lying down on the cushions in the swanky fort, pulling me down on top of him and back to his mouth. His hands were in my hair, holding my head to him as we kissed. He abruptly pulled my head up, away from him, looking at me intently for a moment.

"I can't believe you're mine," he said in a low, ragged voice before kissing me softly on the lips again.

The phone rang for a fifth time.

"Shit, I can't fucking take this!" he said, rolling us to our sides and letting me go as he pushed himself up abruptly and went to my desk. He picked up my purse to look for the culprit within. He looked beautiful, standing there in near profile, turned away slightly from me, shirtless, in his dress pants; the way they hung low on his hip. I admired the curve of his back, sloping down to his narrow waist, and then back out to his tight ass. I could just see the slight dimples on either side of his lower spine. He fished out my phone and looked at the screen. I watched as he turned slightly then and I admired _…Ohfreakingmy!…_his erection, straining against the front of his pants. _Holy shit!_ He turned back to me and I tried to quickly recover my equilibrium. Thank God the room wasn't well-lit and he wasn't able to see my beet red face.

"It's not Alice; it's your dad. He's called five times and he's left two voicemails." He came quickly back to me, handing me the phone.

"My dad never calls. I should probably call him, to see what's going on."

"Yeah, go ahead. If he called five times it's probably important."

I sat up as Edward sat down next to me, his hand languidly running up and down my spine. I sat there next to him in my underwear; feeling mildly horrified suddenly thinking about speaking to my father while I was wearing only sexy underwear, sitting next to a very impressive, half-naked, aroused Edward. I pressed Charlie's number and hit send. I could hear the phone ringing. Edward's breathing had slowed. Mine was returning to normal as well.

"Bella?" I heard Charlie's voice.

"Hi, Daddy. You called me? I didn't bother to listen to the voicemails. What's up?"

"Hi, Bells, I know it's late, I'm sorry to call so late."

"That's okay, Daddy. What's going on?"

**EPOV **

I sat there, shirtless, looking at her in her dark blue underwear. She was a vision. I'd never seen anything lovelier. Her skin was pale in the low light; just the twinkle lights above lighting her creamy skin softly. The dark blue color of her bra and panties had been a surprise; unexpected like her. It was really pretty inner "stuff" I decided, and she looked extraordinarily beautiful in it.

I could only hear her side of the conversation. We had both thought the phone was Alice calling, wanting some sort of report or update, but it had been Bella's dad. She turned and looked at me, her facial expression changing. I watched her carefully as her face morphed into a look of anguish. I scooted closer to her, putting my arm around her

"Oh, no! ... When? ...Oh…Daddy…Oh how terrible!" Her voice had gone up in pitch, and her eyes looked suddenly frantic.

"Where are they? Do they know anything yet?"

I didn't know what was going on, but I put my hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, looking at her eyes for clues.

"What happened? How did it happen?" Her hand had gone up to her forehead; she had closed her eyes and had scrunched herself up more tightly into a ball. Her free arm was wound around her knees and she began rocking slightly. That's never a good sign.

I began to feel really worried for her. I knew it was bad news. I sat closer to her, rubbing her shoulder and arm, pulling her into my body. I hoped her dad was okay.

"I'm coming home…. No, I can leave here tonight…I'll be okay! Really, Daddy. But why? I'll be okay!"

She was rubbing her eyes now and her voice was shaky and she was still rocking. "Okay, tomorrow then. Okay, Daddy… I love you. You take it easy tonight. I'll be there tomorrow. Bye-bye."

She shut the phone and looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

"What happened, Bella?"

"Jake and his dad were in a really bad automobile accident this evening. My dad was on duty and…he was…" her voice cracked a little, "...he was at the scene shortly after it happened. Someone called it in." She wiped at her eyes before continuing. "He didn't know it was them at first. The car was so badly totaled…"

The dam broke and tears began streaming down her cheeks. "When he realized it was their car…he thought…he thought they were…probably dead."

I quickly pulled her into my arms and up into my lap as her body shook with silent, wrenching sobs. After a while she spoke, haltingly, wiping at her tears with her hand.

"Ambulances came…for both of them. They were both unconscious when they were taken to the hospital."

"Hang on a sec," I told her, moving her off my lap and getting up to grab the tissue box that was on her desk. I handed a few tissues to her as I sat back down close to her, putting the box near her. She wiped at her eyes and blew her nose as I put my arm back around her, rubbing her side and pulling her closer to me.

"Does your dad know anything more? Are they going to be okay?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she wiped at her tears. "My dad didn't know much more. I told him I was coming home. Billy, Jake's dad, is like an uncle to me. My dad never had any siblings and both of his parents have passed away. Billy is like a brother to my dad. And Jake…" she looked up at me, pausing, uncomfortable suddenly, "I'm sorry, you don't want to hear all this."

"No, Bella, it's okay. I get it. They're like your family. So you've got to go home. But you're not going until tomorrow, right? I mean, that's what you told your dad?"

She took another tissue and blew her nose. "Well, I want to go tonight, but my dad doesn't want me driving at night."

"He's right. If you go now, you won't get there until about three in the morning. That's not safe, especially in your old truck, going that far, that late at night. I'm not sure you could do anything at three in the morning anyway. You can't go now; you're better off going in the morning. Do you want me to take you there tomorrow morning?"

"No, Edward, you've got classes. I'll be okay." She paused, looking around her room and obviously thinking; planning. "Maybe I should just pack some stuff together now, to take with me, and then I'll be able to leave tomorrow morning early. I can call you tomorrow and let you know how things are. And hopefully I'll see you on Friday or Saturday for your mom's birthday. I can just meet you there in Port Angeles."

"Yeah, that's fine. Whatever you decide to do, you can just let me know, okay?"

She nodded. "I guess I'd better get myself organized to leave in the morning."

"Okay." I stood up and took her hands, pulling her up and hugging her once more as she dried her eyes with a tissue. "I guess I better let you get your stuff together so you can get to sleep if you're going to leave early. What time do you think you'll go?"

"I guess I'll try to leave by six thirty so I can avoid most traffic."

"Call me before you go. Okay? I mean it. I want to know that you're okay to drive." I took her in my arms to hug her tightly once more. "I want you to be safe."

"Okay," she said, but her arms stayed around me, holding me there close to her. "I'm so sorry tonight got ruined," she murmured against me.

I tightened my arms around her briefly, then I held her by the shoulders, at arms length, bending down and peering into her red-rimmed eyes.

"Are you kidding me? Tonight was probably the best night of my life. I had a wonderful time with you." I bent and brushed my lips against hers softly. "I mean it; trust me."

She smiled a small little half-happy, half-sad smile. "Okay. I had a wonderful time with you too, Edward. Thank you."

I picked up my t-shirt from where she had thrown it earlier, pulled it on and grabbed my button down shirt and stuffed my socks into my shoes.

"Goodnight, Bella," I said as I headed out the door, trying not to focus on the fact that she was still just wearing dark blue underpants and a bra.

"Goodnight, Edward."

I slipped my tie off of the doorknob and headed downstairs to my room.

A short while later I was about to lie down and watch TV for a bit. I had pared down to my boxers and an old t-shirt to sleep in. I decided to check and make sure Bella was okay first, so I texted her.

_ u doing ok?_

A moment later I got her response.

_No. _:(

_Oh shit. Why did I leave her alone? _I grabbed a pair of flannel pajama pants and pulled them on quickly, figuring that would look a little better than walking through the dorm and into Bella's room in my t-shirt and boxers. I slipped my feet into some shoes, grabbed my room key, shut the door and hustled upstairs. When I knocked softly on her door, she didn't answer right away. I knocked again and this time the door opened and she stood there, still wearing just her underwear, holding the box of tissues and crying harder now than she had been crying before. She kind of threw her arms up in a helpless shrug.

"I'm so worried about them…" she managed to say through her tears. "They have no other family there…and my poor dad…." Her fist went to her mouth and she was suddenly wracked with silent sobs.

I folded her in my arms tightly and shut the door. She slumped into my arms a little and dropped the tissue box. I felt her hand on my bicep, grasping me tightly. I stroked her hair and leaned my head down to rest on hers.

"Shhh… love. They'll be okay. They're being taken care of." I held her for a long while as she slowly calmed.

She finally drew a shaky breath. "I just wish there was something I could do."

"I know."

There was really nothing she could do at this point. And all I could do was try to soothe her. I stood there, holding her in my arms, rocking her back and forth a little, trying to comfort her. I didn't really know if they'd be okay. But they were being taken care of at the hospital, and all anyone could do at this point was wait and see.

I cradled her head, pressing her against my chest and running my fingers through her hair, smoothing it. I felt something poke my hand. I stopped, trying to find what had poked me.

"Rose put my hair up with pins," her small voice said against me.

"Oh. Should I take them out?" I asked.

I felt her nod slightly. My fingers searched through her hair, finding the pin. "I just pull it out? Is it clipped in?"

She shook her head slightly. "Just pull the rounded end, it'll slide out. You won't pull my hair."

I pulled the pin and it slid out easily. I found a few others, pulling them out gently, setting them down on her desk. It was a small distraction for her. I held her all the while and I felt and heard her breathing calm and she didn't seem to be crying anymore. I ran my fingers through her hair a few more times to be sure I hadn't missed any pins.

"Thanks," she murmured against me.

"Um-hmm," I kissed the top of her head and rubbed the nape of her neck.

She leaned away from me for a moment and looked up at me with big sad eyes. "Edward, will you stay here? I don't want to be by myself, because then I just start thinking and wondering…"

"Sure, love." I kissed her forehead and relaxed my hold on her, taking her hand in mine and leading her to her bed so she could climb up the risers. _Holy shit, this just so wasn't the way I had seen this evening going. Of course I'd stay with her. I'd never seen her so upset._

"Will this hold both of us?" she asked worriedly.

I smiled. "I'm sure we'll be fine. We've both been up there on the way in and out of the window. If it collapses, I promise I'll break your fall." I kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.

She smiled weakly at me. "Somehow, I think you'd manage to do that for me."

She climbed up to her bed and I followed her. She pulled back the blanket and knelt on the side closest to the wall. She wiped at her eyes with a knuckle then she glanced down at herself.

"Oh!…I didn't even put on pajamas!" She sniffled, wiping away a few more tears that threatened.

_I know; I'm trying not to focus on that. _"Want me to get you some?"

She looked up and seemed a little confused or maybe indecisive.

I reached down and pulled off my t-shirt, pulling it on over her head and arms.

"There, instant pajamas." I smiled at her as she scooted under the blanket. I scooted in next to her. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.

Her hand was on my chest. I felt her breath against me. "Thanks, Edward," she said softly. She sounded overwhelmed and exhausted.

I pressed my lips to the top of her head.

"It's okay, love. Try to get some sleep."

I wondered how either of us would get a decent night's sleep tonight and I wondered just how badly it would hurt if I fell out of this bed before morning.

**A/N: And now I'm going to go find a place to hide. You should find a place to review and submit. and then you're welcome to read on as long as it's ****revised.**


	35. Highs and Lows

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Survey says: you sure get cranky when there's interrupted swanky. Apparently you weren't aware of that old saying: "Into every fan fiction a little blockage of the cockage must dropage."

Stephenie Meyer's Universe has become my world. I like to live in it, but I didn't create it. There was a greater creator than me.

So, let's wake up next to a warm, cuddly, woodly Edward, shall we? Hmmm?

**Chapter 35: Highs and Lows (Revised)**

**EPOV**

We'd never unplugged the twinkle lights below her bed, so the whole room below was bathed in a soft twinkly glow. It wasn't very bright, just a pale nightlight that sparkled. But it enabled me to see her clearly as I looked down at her, watching her sleep. Maybe I would have been able to sleep if I'd climbed down and unplugged the lights, but I didn't want to let her go, I didn't want to wake her up. And I really wanted to just stay right here and watch my sleeping beauty.

I laid my head back down on the pillow, turning toward her, my nose brushing her hair lightly. I breathed in her scent. It was her usual light scent, some type of berry and floral combination. Maybe strawberries, lavender and some other floral scent I couldn't identify, yet it seemed familiar. Maybe it was familiar only for the fact that I had become so used to her scent over the past weeks. She had become familiar as had her scent; in whole and in its parts.

My mom knew flowers. She'd planted a large rose garden in front of our home in Port Angeles shortly after we'd moved in, before the renovations on the house had even been completed. She tended to those roses as well as the other numerous plants and trees out front and the additional flora behind the house. There were always fresh flowers in our house, but I didn't know very much about them. Until now.

I'd learned a few things about flowers recently from the Internet. Of course you have no way of knowing how they smell, but I found the symbolism aspect interesting. I'd always thought people only selected flowers by their looks or scent. But now I knew there could be so much more to it. I'd been astonished when I read the significance of an orange rose. It couldn't have been any more appropriate if the symbolism had been stated as "Edward's feelings regarding Bella."

Bella suddenly shifted in her sleep and turned toward the wall as she mumbled, but then she settled back against me. I turned on my side toward her, pulling her up against me so that I was the big spoon and she was the little one. She made a little sighing sound in her sleep.

She'd still been upset when we'd first settled ourselves in her bed; I'd felt her brush away an occasional tear and I'd felt a few drops on my naked chest, but she had eventually calmed and drifted. I was glad she'd finally dozed off. I didn't want to be worrying about her being sleepy tomorrow as she drove all the way to Forks.

I'd told her I would take her. I honestly wouldn't have cared if I'd missed my classes. I could get the notes online and missing one day here or there is really no big deal. But she'd said no to that. She said she just wanted to spend some time with her dad and she wanted to have her own car, so she wouldn't have to depend upon someone to get around. She wanted to be able to go to the hospital and back home as necessary. She didn't say it, but I think she also didn't want to have to worry about my feelings about who she was visiting and why. The last thing she needed right now was to have one more person to worry about. I understood that.

I would miss her for the day and a half or two days that I wouldn't see her. Even though there had been times that I hadn't seen her for a few days here at school, I always knew she was here, and I knew I could go track her down if I really needed to. Now she'd be far away and I'd be wondering what she was doing and thinking and who she'd be spending her time with and why. _Wow. Just like Jake when Bella had left Forks and had transferred here. Shit. What goes around comes around. _

Our evening hadn't gone quite the way I'd planned, nor the way I'd later hoped. I hadn't cared that we didn't go out to a movie after dinner. The whole point of the evening was to spend time together. And we did. And it was pretty much spectacular. Every time we got the chance to just be together it seemed more perfect than the time before. Having fun with her was just so easy. It was a piece of cake. And to find out at the end of the evening that she just wanted to be with me, really _be with me_, well shit, that was the icing.

I wanted to love her. I'd been waiting to love her. And I wanted to make love to her.

I'd never thought of it that way before. When I'd been with Tanya in high school we'd had sex. I'd cared for her; I'd loved her. But I'd had_ sex_ with her and I'd _slept_ with her. I'd never really thought of it at the time as _making love _to her. Maybe it was just the difference in focus. I now found myself in the position of wanting to show Bella that I loved her and how much she meant to me and that just sounded more like making love to me.

By the time she and I had gotten back to the campus after dinner I think we were both feeling pretty hot for each other. And I was nervous as hell, over-thinking the situation and worrying about how things might go. You think of that when you're a guy and you've sat on the sidelines for a few years. You wonder if you're setting yourself up for extreme embarrassment and the ultimate letdown. And I fucking over-think everything, anyway. I'm really hard on myself and I'm not happy unless I over-analyze every fucking little thing.

But then I realized that it's just so easy to be with Bella. I can pretty much say or do anything and it's okay with her. I'd told her we were in danger of her calling nine-one-one and she'd laughed; her eyes were all sparkly. She knew I was paying her a compliment. She knew what she did to me. And by the time we got back up into the dorm I had calmed down somewhat. Whatever happened would happen, and things would be fine, because she was who she was. She was _my girl. _All mine.

We gradually made our way into the swanky fort, all lit with the little twinkle lights, and the white billowy curtains at the sides. It was a pretty romantic atmosphere for a dorm room. She looked so pretty in that glowy light, just so sweet. And just so fucking sexy.

I wondered if she knew how sexy she was. It seemed kind of accidental. Some girls try for sexy, and it comes across as 'try' not 'sexy'. Bella was just such a natural beauty, and she had an easy laugh and a quick wit. That's a sexy combination. It's just too bad that our opportunity for our sexploration of each other ended as abruptly as it did. I would have liked to have spent more time with her in less clothes.

My lip curled into a smile as I thought briefly about how glad her dad would be if he knew what he had interrupted. But then my smile faded. I felt bad for her dad. I felt bad too, of course, about the accident. You don't wish something like that on anyone. It's not like Jake is my enemy or anything. But I knew the situation would be really hard on her and her dad. They didn't have a lot of family and I knew that Jake and his dad were their extended family. I just hoped to God that she was well and truly done with him in any kind of a romantic way and that he kept his fucking hands to himself.

I looked back down at her. My arms were still wrapped around her, and her hands were still holding on to me. I was so glad I had texted her. As lovely as she looked in those little blue panties and bra, it tore my heart out to see her crying. She had been so upset, once she was left to just think about the accident and her inability to do anything about it. Of course I stayed. I couldn't do much about the situation, but I figured she might sleep if I held her; I could at least comfort her.

I leaned down to her and kissed the top of her head. She shifted in her sleep, turning toward me again and rearranging herself. Her arm snaked around my bare waist. She mumbled a few words, then she said my name and I held my breath. She had spoken in her sleep earlier and I hadn't been able to quite make out anything she'd said. She'd just mumbled. I paused now, wondering if she'd speak again, wondering what her dreams were. I was just about to give up when she curled in against my chest a little more snugly and murmured "I love you."

My heart just fucking soared. I hugged her more tightly and kissed her forehead.

I had already known I wasn't going to be getting much sleep. And now, having overheard her say those words, I wouldn't doze off anytime soon. It didn't really matter. She'd be gone all day and I could sleep, because how else was I going to fill up my day? I missed her already.

Somehow it happened; I finally dozed off, draped across her as she held onto me. I woke up to the chiming sounds of her cell phone alarm going off. I was a little disoriented at first. Thank goodness I didn't roll over and fall out of her bed and down to the floor below. I glanced down to see her warm slender arm thrown across my bare chest, her head lying on my shoulder, and the previous night came flooding back into my mind.

The alarm chimed again and she stirred, her eyelids fluttering. Her big brown eyes were looking straight up into my eyes, and she had such a dreamy look on her face. Then I watched as she tried to focus, I saw the brief look of confusion on her face, which was finally replaced with understanding. She pushed herself up a little and looked at me.

"Hi, you." She smiled sleepily.

"Hi." I rubbed her arm gently.

"You stayed." She was smiling shyly at me.

"You asked me to. I wanted to." I patted her hip.

"Thank you." She leaned over and kissed me on the chest, right over my heart. _Oh, no, love. Don't start. This is hard enough as it is. Or I should say, I'm hard enough as it is. Damn._

She yawned and stretched. "I was able to sleep. I'm surprised. Did you sleep?"

"I slept some. I watched you mostly." _Great, Cullen, now she'll think you're a perv._

"You watched me?" She was incredulous. She was awfully cute.

"Yeah," I admitted and then shrugged, grinning at her. "You're interesting when you sleep."

She blushed and looked a little wary. "Why?"

_Oops. Can't tell her everything, she'd just be embarrassed. _"You mumble and you make faces."

"I make faces?" She made a face, frowning, and I almost burst out laughing. But she sounded worried. I wanted to laugh, but I bit my tongue.

"Yeah, nothing ugly. You make cute faces. I guess you must have been dreaming."

She rolled her eyes as she pulled herself up into a sitting position, scooting up by me. "You're just easily entertained, Edward. But you didn't sleep, and now you've got classes today."

I patted her leg, still covered by the blankets. That was a good thing. If I'd had to be up close and personal with her bare leg, at this point in my current morning predicament, I probably wouldn't have made a whole lot of sense or been able to follow any normal conversation. I was hanging on by a thread as it was and realized I had to respond to what she had just said.

"I can sleep later on. I'll be okay. Even in your sleep you're very distracting." I grinned at her.

"Distracting? How?"

I wouldn't tell her yet about what she'd said, I decided. That didn't seem fair.

"Well, look at you."

"What do you mean, 'Look at me'? Edward, seriously, _look _at me! I'm wearing a huge old T-shirt of yours, my hair looks like a haystack, and I'm willing to bet that I have raccoon eyes, from crying with all that eye makeup I had on. I look hideous."

I propped myself up on my elbows, smirking at her. "Trust me, you are the opposite of hideous. You look perfectly lovely." _You look perfectly, problematically, lovely, love._

She shook her head like I wasn't playing with a full deck, but then she tilted her head and eyed me thoughtfully.

"What?" I asked, curious why she was looking at me like that.

She grinned. "You know, I've always wondered what real 'bed-head' would look like on you in the morning."

"_The hair_? Really? We're discussing _the hair_ now?"

She nodded, smirking and biting her lip to keep from giggling.

"And? What are your thoughts on _the hair_?" I asked her, as I smiled over at her. I shook my head to further mess up my hair.

"And it looks exactly like it does in the middle of the day. No better, no worse."

She leaned toward me and ran her fingers into my hair, pulling her hand away, tugging on the caught hairs. _Shit, that was too sexy for words. _I quickly grabbed her hand; stilling it; pulling it out of my hair.

"What?" She thought she'd done something wrong.

"Not a good idea at this point in the morning."

"Why not?" she asked, confusion washing over her face.

I grimaced at her. _Damn, grab a clue, sexpot! _"Would you understand if I said it was 'sensory overload'?"

She looked confused for a moment, until I cocked an eyebrow at her. She suddenly gasped and blinked rapidly.

"Oh!" And then she covered her mouth as she laughed at my expense. _Well, she was actually laughing at Dick's expense._

"Thanks for laughing at me."

She leaned in and kissed me on the lips. "I'm sorry. But it's nice to know."

"Kissing me doesn't exactly help my situation."

She looked a little pleased with herself. "Okay, sorry. You don't want my hands and mouth on you, I'll keep them to myself for now."

_Oh fuck! So fucking unfair! Think about what you're saying, woman! Think about the visual you've just planted in my horndog mind!_

She pulled the blanket down and off of her, pulling her legs up as she did so. "I've got to get ready and get going home. Stay here, I'll be right back." She climbed over me and I held onto her as she clambered down. She quickly grabbed some clothing from her drawers and closet and disappeared out the door.

I dropped back down onto her bed exhaling loudly and trying to settle myself and get my alter ego under control. And then I inhaled, smelling her scent all around me. I thought about the day she had moved in with Alice and I had moved her bedding, and now I had spent the night in her bedding. With her. I flashed on the moment I had awoken and seen her lying on me, draped across me. I thought how nice that would be to wake up to on a regular basis. I thought about how very right and comfortable that might feel.

I sat up. I had to stop thinking about this kind of stuff. I wanted to walk her out to her truck when she left, and I couldn't do that in my current state. Dick really had to get a grip on himself. Or someone did. Preferably soon. I'd probably have to spend a portion of my day in the shower. I wondered, fleetingly, if we'd made love last night, would my problem now be lessened or heightened. Doesn't matter. Didn't happen. Moot point. _Shit!_

When we finally got the uninterrupted opportunity to make love, I would probably just explode like Mount Saint Helens.

I was climbing down just as she came back into the room, carrying a small bag of toiletries. She was all scrubbed and fresh-faced and changed into jeans and a sweater. Her hair was neatly brushed and pulled up into a ponytail. She smelled minty fresh. She took a duffel bag out of her closet and put the smaller bag inside of it. She took a few clothing items out of drawers and off of hangers and stuffed them in the bag.

"Can I borrow this?" she shyly asked, holding up the t-shirt I'd put on her last night. She looked hopeful.

"Sure, but I wanted to walk you out to your truck. What am I supposed to wear now?" I smiled at her, rubbing a hand across my naked stomach and chest.

"That looks good on you." She pointed shyly at my semi-nudity.

"I'm glad you like it." I grinned at her. "You can borrow it anytime you'd like too."

"Thanks." She smiled and blushed faintly and then turned to look in her closet. She grabbed an old sweatshirt off of a hook and held it out towards me.

"How about this?"

It looked much too large to be hers. It looked like it would fit someone roughly my size.

"Was this his?" I asked, taking it from her and feeling a little uncomfortable.

She knew who I meant. "No. It was my dad's, but I bought him a new one last Christmas."

I took the sweatshirt and pulled it on. I looked down at the logo on the front.

"Go Mariners!"

She smiled. "My dad's a big baseball fan; root, root, root for the home team and all that. Come on; I've got to get going. Let's get me down to my truck so I can beat the traffic."

I grabbed her duffel bag, slinging it over my shoulder as I slipped on my shoes. We left her room holding hands as we headed downstairs.

We walked down to the parking lot to her truck. Out on a hillside we spotted Victoria and Lauren in workout gear doing some sort of Tai-chi or yoga moves facing the rising sun.

"Who knew that went on?" I asked Bella as I nodded toward them.

She giggled and shrugged. "And that you would have to wear matching clothes to do it!"

When we got to her truck I tossed the duffel onto the passenger seat and I hugged her for a few moments, wondering if I should tell her then and there that I loved her. I finally decided that it didn't really feel like the right moment. There was a cloud hanging over this situation. I hated to let go of her and I hated to let her go. Again I wished I was going with her. It was a long drive for her to make but at least she seemed more pulled together this morning. I was still going to worry.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? You've got pretty far to go. I wish you'd let me take you."

"I'll be fine, Edward. I've done it before. And you have classes. Stop worrying."

"Will you please call me when you get there, so I know you got there okay? And if you're driving and you start feeling upset, just pull over. Call me and we'll talk. Don't drive if you're all upset." I was worried about her; I couldn't help myself.

She stood on her tiptoes, smirking, and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Yes, Dad. I'll call when I get there. I'll be fine. All right?"

"Okay." I smiled at her. "And I'll see you sometime tomorrow or Saturday. I'll talk to you tonight about details for the weekend, okay?"

"Oh no!" She looked alarmed suddenly.

"What?"

"I forgot to pack stuff for the weekend at your parent's house."

"Alice can bring your stuff. She'll love picking out outfits for you. Don't worry, we'll bring everything you need. You just take care of yourself and your dad. And I hope Jake and his dad are okay. Call me and let me know what's going on, okay?" She nodded and I kissed her goodbye and she climbed into her truck, started it up, and pulled out of the parking space. I made the international hand signal for 'call me' and she nodded, smiling and rolling her eyes. She gave me a little wave as she drove off.

I headed back to the dorm. Now I'd have to sleep on the couch in my suite until Bubbles and Blondie woke up in my room and wondered just how lucky Bella and I had gotten last night. They were going to be almost as disappointed as I was. They probably wouldn't be as sexually frustrated as I, however. Oh well, I knew there would be other opportunities in our future. I could wait.

**BPOV **

As I waved goodbye to Edward I decided that I would spend my drive focused on him and our evening together last night. It would keep my mind occupied so I wouldn't be worrying about Jake and Billy and my dad.

What an amazing evening I'd had with Edward. In the whole time I'd been with Jake he'd never showered me with that kind of romance. And it wasn't like it was calculated. I think Edward got just as much enjoyment out of doing those things for me as I did receiving them. I'd never really thought of myself as that sort of girl; the girl who would enjoy being the recipient of that kind of attention, but I'd never felt more special than I did right now.

Wait until Alice heard what he'd done at the restaurant. I knew she would approve. Even by her standards his gestures had been impressive. And the evening hadn't been formal. Edward was fun, really fun to be with and he brought the fun and laughter out in me.

And the sexy! _Holy destruction of Fort Knox!_ _That boy has a face and a body to die for!_

The seduction of Bella Swan would have probably gone off without a hitch if it hadn't been for the phone calls. Edward was so incredibly sexy and smooth and gentle and…Gah! I was melting just thinking about us undressing each other and making out in the swanky fort. It had ended all too soon.

What a dependable protector and guardian angel he was. He had helped me get through the night, I'd slept rather well, and I felt able to deal with whatever came my way today.

I had thought I'd be okay last night, needing some time to organize my thoughts and pack for today, but when Edward had left my room, after Charlie's phone call, I got to thinking about Jake and his dad. I couldn't stop my thoughts from working overtime.

I thought back to what they'd been through when Jake's mom died. I worried about Jake's dad, and how things would be for Jake if he was suddenly alone. And then I thought about what things would be like if Jake were gone. I just broke down; I couldn't help it.

That was when Edward texted me and came back. By then I was a mess and didn't really know what to do. I needed to be hugged and held and Edward had stayed. I had been so upset and out of it I hadn't even thought to change into pajamas, so he'd given me the shirt off his back. Literally.

When the alarm went off this morning and I started to awaken, I was first aware of a very large warmth leaning right up against me. Then I had opened my eyes and was looking smack into his beautiful green-blue eyes. I thought I was still dreaming at first, but then I realized it was really him, really here with me. It was so nice waking up next to him, or across him, this morning. I had dreamed of him, but didn't remember anything too clearly.

I suddenly wondered what exactly I'd dreamed about him and if I'd talked in my sleep. _What was it he had said about that? He'd said I was interesting when I slept. And then, "you mumble and you make faces." _I'd focused on the "make faces" aspect. That was a new one. I've been known to talk in my sleep, divulging inner secrets and ridiculous thoughts, but no one had told me before that I made faces. But now I began wondering if he'd heard me say anything embarrassing.

That thought began gnawing at me. _Oh shit, what might I have said to him? Or about him? Or, heaven forbid, what might I have said about Jake? Oh shit! Shit, shit, shit!_

The light up ahead was yellow and I suddenly had to text him as I came to a stop.

_Did I talk in my sleep?_

I pressed 'send'.

**EPOV**

It was nearly six fortyfive. I had returned to the dorm and I had just sprawled out on the too-short couch in my suite sitting room, trying to get comfortable and go back to sleep, when my phone buzzed. Bella had left about fifteen minutes ago and suddenly she was texting me. _That can't be good._

_Did I talk in my sleep?_

I nearly laughed out loud when I read it. I smiled as I responded.

_Yes u did_

A moment later I got the follow-up text.

_What did I say?_

I smiled again. She wasn't going to like this. I tried to be gentle.

_Mumbles mostly_

I was starting to grin. I knew 'mostly' would get to her.

_Mostly?_

I chuckled at that. She was catching on and she was worried.

_Not much else._

I waited for her response and it came back shortly.

_What else?_

_Uh-oh. Now what to do_? I decided to just go for it.

_Um…u said u loved me…?_

My thumb paused, poised over the 'send' button and then I just figured, what the hell, and I pressed it. I envisioned the blush spreading across her face. I waited for her response. The others had been quick. She didn't respond. I waited. I finally turned over on my side, still waiting, wondering if I shouldn't have told her. _Was she upset that I had mentioned it? Should I have mentioned it this morning? Should I have just waited until we were together, face to face? Did I just fuck up?_

And then my phone rang. It was her. I flipped it open and held it to my ear.

"Hey," I said as I answered. I held my breath, wondering what she was going to say. I didn't want to miss a word and for some reason the blood was pounding in my ears.

"Hey." She paused and I heard her breathing. I waited for her to say something more. Finally she spoke. "It's true, Edward. I do. I love you."

I sat up quickly. "You do? Really?" I could feel the elated smile flooding my face.

I heard her quiet, wary "uh-huh" on the other end. I could tell she was holding her breath, waiting for something other than, "You do? Really?"

"Oh, I do too. I mean, I love you, not me." I grinned at myself. I sounded like an idiot. I was certainly grinning like one. "I love _you_, Bella."

I heard an exhale on the other end of the line so she _had_ been holding her breath. I imagined her smiling. Just like me. Kind of foolishly. We were quite the foolish pair.

"I had to pull over, Edward, that's why I didn't text you back. I was at a red light at first, but then the light changed and the traffic began moving. I couldn't text you back right when we got to the good part." Her voice was kind of breathless, excited.

I smiled, wishing I could pull her into my arms and kiss her hard right then and there. "Well, so now we've gotten to the good part, I guess."

"Yeah." I could hear the wistful smile in her voice. "I miss you." She'd left only about twenty minutes ago.

"I missed you before you even left."

There was a pause and then she shyly said, "I'm happy."

I chuckled. "Well, good. I'd sure hate for you to be disappointed to find out that I love you."

She giggled. "I'll talk to you later, okay? I'll let you know when I get to Forks."

"Okay. I can't wait until this weekend. But I think this conversation will get me through until tomorrow or Saturday when I see you."

"Me too. And I can't wait until this weekend either. I better get going. Bye, Edward"

"Goodbye, love. Drive carefully." I shut my phone. I had a big stupid grin on my face and I was just going to enjoy the hell out of that conversation all day.

**BPOV**

I closed my phone and set it back in my purse. I glanced up into the rearview mirror at my face. I was smiling like a fool. I caught sight of the silver chain at my neck and fished the little medallion out of my shirt to look at it. I rubbed it like a talisman, thinking of Edward, _my Edward_, and I tucked it back inside my sweater. Close to my heart.

I really had to get going; it was six forty-five and I had several hours of driving to get to Forks.

**EPOV**

I had managed to doze off for a while before morning noises in the suite began to wake me up. A door here or there opening and closing, the sound of a shower, closet doors and drawers opening and closing in nearby rooms. But nothing wakes you up quite like someone throwing themselves down on top of you, slapping your face until you're fully alert and pretending to junk-punch you. Good morning, Emmett.

"Baby Bro, what the fuck are you doing out here? Things didn't pan out last night? No room to call your own? What happened with Bella Actually?"

"Shut up, Emmett, it's too early for this shit." Sometimes he was like an oversized Alice on steroids, asking way too many questions and not giving you any time to process them and respond.

"Come on, Edward. What happened?" he asked dropping heavily down to the couch, coming within an inch of my groin, as I lay on my side. Flannel pajama pants and a pair of boxers don't offer much crotch protection around Emmett. I needed flannels with a cup.

I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him. "She had to go home early this morning. There was a bad automobile accident last night and her dad called."

"Her dad was in an accident?"

"No, not her dad, it was…" _Oh, fuck me, here we go. Why did I open my mouth?_

"It was her ex-boyfriend and his father. They're in the hospital. I guess it was a pretty bad accident and her father was on duty when it happened."

Emmett's eyes widened. "This doesn't sound good. For them or for you."

_Shit. No fucking filter. Can't he just NOT say whatever pops into his mind?_

"Their families are really close. They're kind of like relatives. It's like his dad is her uncle. She's worried."

"Ed, be serious, she just broke up with that guy, what, two weeks ago? Now she's going to go and visit him in the hospital and be all sympathetic and worried? This doesn't sound like a good thing at all. You're screwed, bro."

_And...thank you! I feel much better now that we've talked. Fuck! Keep your fucking thoughts to yourself._

"Thanks for being so positive. I've got to go take a shower."

"Hey, I'm just saying. Maybe you should have gone with her, you know?"

"I offered. She didn't want me to."

He just cocked his head and looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

I stood up, flipped him off, and headed to the bathroom before he could stab anymore knives into my heart.

I took a really long shower. I didn't want to deal with anymore thoughts that might occur to Emmett. Instead I tried to focus on my conversation with Bella earlier. But it had been tarnished by Emmett and now I just really wanted to talk to her, but she was still driving. And then I was in class. I wouldn't be able to talk to her until much later.

When I finally left the bathroom, with my towel wrapped around my hips, Alice was just leaving from my room.

"Edward!" She said, smiling at me. "So…how did it go? I want the detes! I want to know about the date and whatever you're willing to spill about _afterwards. _I can't help but notice that you didn't come back to your room last night." She was smirking a little.

I patted the top of her head. "It was really great, Alice. I'll give you details at lunch. She had to go home this morning, there was a family emergency, but she's okay and she's still coming to our house for Mom's birthday. I'll tell you later, okay? I've got to get dressed and get to my first class. I promise I'll tell you everything later at lunch."

I didn't really want to go into the whole thing, but at least I thought Alice would focus more on the positive aspects of my night and morning.

**BPOV**

I pulled into the driveway of our house a little over four hours after I'd left Edward. It was just a little before eleven o'clock. Charlie's cruiser and truck were both out front, so I knew he was home. I grabbed my purse and bag and headed up the steps and into the house.

"Daddy?" I called, "I'm home! Where are you?""

I heard him clear his voice. "In here, Bells." I heard his voice from the kitchen and I went in to see him sitting at the kitchen table. He was not his usual self. He didn't even get up.

"Hi, Daddy." I went to him and hugged him. Not something I did very often, but something we both needed right now.

"Hi, Bells." He hugged me awkwardly with one arm. Charlie didn't do physical displays of affection very well.

I took a seat, looking at him, waiting for him to tell me.

"I just got off the phone with the hospital. It's not good. Well, Jake will be okay, in fact they're going to release him later on today, but it looks like Billy's had a spinal injury. They think he may never walk again. It's low enough down his spine that he'll still have good upper body mobility and function, but he may be looking at a wheelchair for the rest of his life."

I was numb. I couldn't say a word. I just nodded and felt the tears flowing down my cheeks. Charlie got up and grabbed a box of tissues. Then he sat back down next to me, looking at his hands, not saying anything.

"What happened?" I asked through my tears.

"Drunk driver. Of course nothing happened to that guy. Seems that's the way it always is. He ran a red light going really fast and plowed into the passenger side of their car. Their car spun out, hitting a guardrail, flipping it up onto the driver's side. Jake was driving. The driver's side window busted out and the car slid on that side, finally coming to a stop."

I blew my nose. "And Jake wasn't injured very badly? What happened to him?"

"No, they checked him all out. He's had a concussion, was unconscious when the ambulance took him away, but he regained consciousness last night. He needed quite a few stitches on his left arm. He got pretty cut up from glass and gravel in the roadway after the window smashed out. The car slid along the road before it came to a stop. His arm got scraped along the roadway, but nothing got broken. He'd probably have a lot more damage if he hadn't had on the thick sweatshirt he was wearing. All that padding must have protected him pretty well. They were both wearing seatbelts. If they hadn't, well, I'm sure they wouldn't even be alive now."

I nodded. "Oh, Dad, poor Billy!" My tears started up again.

Charlie's hand covered mine and gave it a hard squeeze. "I know. It's life-changing. Come on, let's go to the hospital. We're going to bring Jake home with us for tonight. His sister Rebecca is flying in from Hawaii tomorrow evening and Rachel can't get here until Saturday morning. I don't think Jake should be alone just yet. It's a lot to process and I'm sure he's in pain anyway."

We left in the cruiser and headed for the hospital. I realized I hadn't called or texted Edward yet and it was now a little after eleven. He was in class, so I sent a text for now.

_I got here ok. I'll call u at lunch. love u. _

**EPOV**

I was at lunch with Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose. I had told them about the date at The Pink Door. I told them about the roses and the candles, the mock proposal and the necklace.

Rose had looked at Emmett a little menacingly. "I hope you're taking good notes, Emmett; Edward knows how to romance a girl."

"What? Rose, you want me to be a faggot, like Edward?"

Both Rose and Alice hit Emmett simultaneously.

I blew an air-kiss at him and Jasper snickered.

Then I told them about her suggesting that we just come back here and not go to a movie. They had all leaned in closer, waiting for the juicy details. But there weren't any, and I'm not so sure I would have shared that information anyway. I explained about the call from her dad, how it had put the lid on things.

"Emmett told me he found you sleeping out here this morning," Alice said. "Why didn't you call me and tell me, or text me? You could have slept in your room. You didn't have to sleep out on the couch; I would have gone back upstairs to my own room."

"Actually, I didn't sleep out here; I slept with her. Well, I didn't _sleep_ with her, sleep with her, I just slept with her. In her bed."

Emmett frowned. "That's as clear as fucking mud, Edward. What does that mean? Did you or didn't you deliver the package?"

I winced at Emmett.

"She was upset and crying. I just held her and slept next to her, you know, spooning her. She needed to be comforted."

"You're quite the romantic, Edward," Jasper sighed. "You've raised the bar for us gentlemen with your date-night antics and the way you cared for the saddened Miss Swan."

"Yeah," Emmett nodded, "But I would have still tried to deliver the package if it had been me."

Rose smiled at Emmett. "Yes, you probably would have still tried."

"Would you have accepted delivery?" he asked her smiling.

"With _those_ dimples? Probably." She kissed his cheek.

My phone rang and I saw that it was Bella. I told them it was her. The signal was bad in the dining hall, and I could hardly hear her, so I stepped outside for a few minutes, listening to what she was telling me about the accident and the current situation.

When I came back in they looked up at me expectantly.

"He's getting out of the hospital and he's spending the night at her house."

Their faces looked just like I felt.

**A/N: Concerns? Questions? Heck, I'll even take compliments. Talk to me, ladies. Your reviews often give me additional ideas...and I kind of like that. ;) Read on if it's ****revised.**


	36. Past Tense

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: This particular storyline is mine. The seeds belong to Ms. Meyer. She planted the seeds, I'm tending the garden in my own direction.

An adage for Jake: "So near and yet so far."

An adage for Edward: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Unfortunate flip side: "Absence makes the anxious mind wander."

**Chapter 36: Past Tense (Revised)**

**EPOV**

I'd just come back inside the dining hall and reported on Bella's phone call, telling them the wonderful news that Jacob Black would be spending the night at Bella's house. I hadn't said anything negative to Bella, of course; I'd tried to be as understanding about this as possible. But now I seriously felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach. I pulled out my chair and sat back down heavily as Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose stared open-mouthed at me.

Emmett was the first to speak. _Figures._

"Wow." For once, though, he didn't say anything caustic or blurt out anything without thinking. He just sat there and looked stunned, shaking his head.

"No way," Jasper quietly said and shook his head disbelievingly. He looked at Emmett and the two of them were now shaking their heads in unison. It was contagious, apparently. _Goddamned Bobbleheads._

Rose spoke up. "Okay, well I have something to say, since you boys are just going to sit here and let your idiotic imaginations run away with you. Use your common sense, all three of you! No girl that goes to the effort and expense that Bella did yesterday, for her first date with Edward, is going to dump him a day or two later. No matter what the situation is; doesn't matter who is in the hospital or why. So don't even go there!

Alice nodded in agreement. "Rose is right. Bella bought a stunning dress, she wore uncomfortable and dangerous kick ass shoes; she got a manicure, pedicure and facial and she let us play cosmetology school with her face and hair. That's sooooo not Bella! And do you boys know _why_ she put herself through that discomfort for all those hours? Because she was excited about her date and she wanted to look seriously hot. Hell-lo! There's a reason for that. You, Edward! You're the reason! She wanted to look hot for you. Because you mean a lot to her." Alice had turned to poke me in the chest several times with her goth manicured nails as she spoke, just to emphasize her points. I was pretty sure I had little round bruises now.

Jasper climbed aboard the Up-With-Edward-Train now too. "The girls are right, Edward. And think about what you did. That was some pretty stellar romancing. The two-part flowers, the abundance of candles, the proposal of girlfriendry, and the necklace to seal that whole deal. Not to mention showing her how much she means to you by staying with her all night, just to hold her and comfort her, and not trying to put the moves on her. I know those things all meant a lot to Bella. I don't know what boyfriend manual you were referencing, but I think you hit all the chapters."

"He's right, you know," Alice nodded, putting her arm around Jasper and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Absolutely," Rose agreed. "You have nothing to worry about, Edward."

"I still say you should have tried to deliver the package," Emmett mumbled.

Rose glared at Emmett. "Shut it. Now. You're not helping the situation. What kind of Resident Advisor and brother are you, Emmett? If you can't say something helpful, shut it."

He looked flustered and a bit chagrinned at her words. He amended quickly. "_I _would have still tried to deliver the package, but that's just _me_. You did the right thing for Bella, though, Edward. You stayed with her when she needed you and the way she needed you."

Rose nodded and a slight curl appeared at the corners of her mouth. She looked appeased for the moment.

We all sat there, quiet for a bit, until Emmett finally spoke up again.

"I didn't realize you were a Mariners fan, Edward. What's with the sweatshirt?"

I looked down. I had decided to wear it today, and not change into something else after this morning's shower. It was kind of like having her around since it belonged to her. But now I felt a little embarrassed.

"It's hers. She slept in an old t-shirt I'd had on last night and wanted to keep it and take it home with her. So I didn't have any shirt to wear when I walked her out to her truck this morning. She gave me this to put on. We, uh…we traded shirts." _Ok, Emmett, let me have it, because I know it's coming._

Emmett opened his mouth, saw that Rose was making a "don't-even-go-there" face, closed his mouth, opened it again, looked at Rose, who was shaking her head and squinting her eyes at him, and finally he said, "That's nice, Edward." Rose let out a little sigh of relief. Emmett continued then, "She wants a part of you; she'll probably wear it to bed tonight, and you've got a part of her. It's kind of like you can keep her with you all day." His dimples finally danced out onto the stage. "At least she didn't give you a racy, lacy, pink camisole to wear."

Emmett wasn't always a dick. Sometimes he was just funny. Usually he was a funny dick. Thank God for Rose; she at least tried to keep him in line.

Jasper looked confused. "What's the problem with a lacy pink camisole?" he asked.

"Shhhh! Not now, Jazzy!" Alice whispered loudly at him.

We all burst out laughing. But I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for something pink and lacy in Jasper's closet. I seriously wouldn't put it past him. I mean, if you're willing to wear women's skirts, do you even know where to draw the line?

So with that little bit of humor and the pep talk, I felt like I could go about my day a little less stressed and anxious. We walked back up to the dorm and I reflected on the things they'd said. Alice came to walk next to me and the two of us wound up dropping back behind the others and walking more slowly. She turned to me and spoke quietly as she patted my arm.

"Edward, have faith in Bella. I'm pretty sure she's in love with you."

I wasn't ready to share yet, I wanted to keep it to myself. So I didn't say anything more. I just nodded.

The others had paused, waiting for us to catch up.

Alice looked at them. "Sorry! I twisted my ankle! I'm okay now. Keep going, don't mind me!"

Once they looked away she looked back up at me and smiled, hugging me briefly with one arm that she looped around my waist. "Edward, just relax; you have nothing to worry about. You two are meant to be together." She smiled reassuringly up at me. "She's the one," she quietly said.

"Bella's the one all right," I nodded and smiled to myself as we walked into the dorm. I felt my phone vibrating and took it out as I entered my room. It was a text from Bella.

**BPOV **

We arrived at the hospital before eleven thirty and Charlie took me to Jake's room.

I knew it was going to feel strange, seeing Jake again. I hadn't seen him since I'd broken up with him and I hadn't talked to him since that night that he had been upset and he had called me. He'd been drunk and I'd been angry at him and his friends. I'd needed to go for a run and had wound up spraying Edward with pepper spray. I smiled to myself, thinking back on that odd yet lovely series of events.

My thoughts sobered as I realized that we'd arrived at Jake's hospital room. I walked in first, hesitantly. Jake didn't hear or see us; he was looking out the window, lost in thought. The other bed was empty; he had the room to himself.

"Hi, Jake." I said quietly. His head snapped around. His eyes were wide.

"Bella!" He looked shocked to see me. "I didn't know you were coming. Hi." He glanced at Charlie, then looked back at me. It seemed there was maybe more he wanted to say or ask, but now wasn't the time. "It's good to see you, Bella."

"It's good to see you too, Jake," I told him honestly. "I wish it were under better circumstances."

He grimaced, exhaling as though he'd been punched. He looked down, his fingers suddenly fiddling with the blanket. He was watching his hands, but not seeing them, shaking his head.

"I keep thinking I'm going to wake up from this horrible dream. But instead it's our new reality. You know?" He looked back up at me, his eyes searching mine.

I approached the side of his bed but I didn't quite know what to do, physically. I finally reached out and put my hand on top of his hand, as it lay there on the bed.

He looked down at my hand and spoke quietly. "Thanks for coming, Bella." I just patted his hand reassuringly.

He looked up at my dad who had been standing quietly in the doorway. "Hi, Charlie."

"Hi, Jacob. How are you feeling today, kiddo?"

"I'm still really achy. My whole body feels like it's been through a trash compacter. They managed to patch me all up, though."

He raised his left arm gingerly, displaying the handiwork there. There were numerous bandages and stitches and scrapes all up the side of his left hand and arm. He had a bluish bruise above his left eyebrow, close to his temple.

"Jake, I'm so sorry," I told him, squeezing his hand where it lay beneath mine on his bed. "My dad told me all about the accident. I'm so sorry about your dad. It sounds like you are both lucky to even be alive." His hand turned over and he squeezed my hand in his gently.

"Yeah, it's really bad, but I guess we have to focus on the fact that it could have been even worse. He could be gone." He turned his head and looked out the window, unseeing and lost in thought again.

My dad came up and put his hand on Jake's shoulder. "Your dad's a strong man, Jake, you know? He's mentally strong. He'll get through this. And he's got a lot of people that care about him and are willing to help him and his family. You know we'll help you with whatever you need. Don't ever hesitate to ask. I mean it. We'll all help you get through this."

"Thanks, Charlie. I appreciate your kindness." He was still looking out the window.

A petite, pretty young nurse with curly, auburn hair bustled into the room. She smiled at us and then she turned to Jake.

"Hello, Jacob. You've got some visitors, I see. We're going to rustle up some lunch for you in a minute here, and then after you've eaten you can get yourself dressed. I think these fine folks are going to be able to spring you out of here pretty quickly this afternoon." She turned and smiled at us.

"Oh, okay, thank you," he said as she turned to leave the room. He looked back at us. "I can't wait to get out of this ridiculous gown and dressed in normal clothes and get out of here. At least for a little while."

"Oh, here," Charlie said as he handed him a bag of clothes he'd brought from Jake's home, "I drove by your house this morning and picked up some clothes for you. It's a good thing I know where Billy keeps the spare key. It would have looked bad if the Chief of Police were caught for breaking and entering. Anyway, I figured that shirt and sweatshirt from last night were pretty mangled, so I picked out some new ones, and I brought you a pair of jeans and some clean socks and underwear. I think your shoes were okay, so I didn't bring any others. I hope what I grabbed is okay."

"It'll be fine, Charlie. I appreciate it. And thanks for coming to pick me up. Both of you." His eyes flashed over to me briefly.

The auburn-haired nurse came back in with a lunch tray and set it down on the swing arm table over the hospital bed and spoke quietly to Jake.

"You hungry, Bells?" my dad had turned to ask me.

"Yeah, a little, I didn't eat any breakfast before I left this morning. The dining hall wasn't open yet, and I didn't want to stop to grab something on the road. I just wanted to get here."

"Well, let's go to the cafeteria. Jacob can eat, then get himself dressed and we'll come back and try to spring him from this place." He smiled at Jacob, who was already beginning to work on his tray of hot food. "We'll see you in a bit, Jacob."

Charlie and I found the cafeteria easily. As we sat there eating, an idea suddenly occurred to me.

"Daddy, you know, I could lend Jacob the truck. It used to be theirs before you bought it anyway, and he's put so much work into it, it's like it's his baby. I don't need a car at school very often, and I have friends that can take me places if I need to run an errand. Or I can ride the bus if I really had to. It wouldn't be a problem."

"That would be really nice, Bells; at least until they figure something out or get some insurance money. I could take you back to school on Saturday, but we'd have to leave early, I'm on duty late that afternoon."

My hand idly went up to my neckline and I pulled on the silver chain until I felt the little medallion and rubbed it thoughtfully.

"Well actually, my roommate, Alice, and her brother invited me to their family's home in Port Angeles for Friday night until Sunday. She and both of her brothers and some friends are going for the weekend. It's her mom's birthday. We were all going to cook for her and throw a party on Saturday. I guess I don't really have to go to it, what with what's going on here, but one of them could probably come to pick me up and then take me back to school on Sunday." My voice trailed off.

"Uh-huh." Charlie looked at me rather keenly over the top of his soda cup. He took a drink and then set the cup back down slowly. "Something you're not telling me, Bells?"

_There's that famous cop's intuition!_ "Um, well, Daddy, I guess I should tell you that Jacob and I… we… I broke up with him..."

"I know."

"You do?" _Gosh he's good at what he does!_

He sighed. "I got called out to Sam's house about two weeks ago because Jake and his buddies were raising a ruckus. I took a very drunk Jacob home that night and got to hear about the break up. Sounded like he was sort of expecting it, but he was upset all the same." Charlie looked thoughtful for a moment. "Sometimes things just don't work out and it's really nobody's fault." I knew he was speaking from personal experience.

"So… tell me about this college kid."

_Holy shit, he knows everything? _

I blushed bright red. "Well, up until now we've just been friends, but we went out for the first time last night. His name is Edward Cullen. My roommate, Alice, is his sister; his twin actually. He's the same age as me. His family lives in Port Angeles. His brother, Emmett, is the advisor in our dorm. You'd like him, Daddy. He's so nice and he's smart and he's such a gentleman to me. You'd approve of him if you met him."

"Um-hmm." He didn't sound convinced.

"Dad, he's…he's become really important to me."

"Well... You can probably go ahead and go on Friday, or I can take you to Port Angeles or something. Jacob's sister, Rebecca, will be here by Friday evening. I'm not sure when Rachel is getting in, but I'm sure they will want to spend time together privately, to start sorting things out and making plans. So you're off the hook as caretaker. Just make sure you're careful with this new guy until you really know him. You still have the pepper spray I gave you, don't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Daddy." I didn't bother to tell him I'd already sprayed Edward once and somehow it hadn't been a deterrent, it had been a catalyst of sorts. An odd thought occurred to me and I almost laughed out loud: since the pepper spray had been ineffective, there was maybe no way I'd ever get rid of Edward Cullen.

I realized I'd been toying with my necklace this whole time. I slipped the medallion back into my shirt. I hadn't realized I'd been holding it. I felt it slide down to just over my heart.

It was after one o'clock and I wanted to call Edward. I told Charlie I'd meet him back at Jake's room in a few minutes.

Edward had a hard time hearing me. Either because he was in the dining-hall or because I was in the hospital the reception was scratchy. I went outside to a little patio off the cafeteria and he did the same back at school. He was finally able to hear me. I quickly told him about the accident and the situation both with Jake and his dad.

I decided I had to be honest and up-front with Edward, so I told him that we were bringing Jake to our house for the night. I didn't want Edward to later find out and think that I had kept something from him. I told him that I was still coming to their house, and in fact would be able to come on Friday, rather than Saturday. I told him I'd have to figure something out regarding transportation, because I was going to loan Jacob the truck indefinitely. Edward told me he'd come get me, once I figured out where and when. I told him the timing was still up in the air for Friday, but that I would call him tonight when I had a better idea.

After we'd hung up I realized that I hadn't told him again that I loved him, and that maybe he needed to hear that after the news I'd given him. I tried to call back, but the poor reception was preventing that. I know he wasn't thrilled about me coming home for Jake's benefit, even though it was for a good reason, and he certainly wouldn't begrudge me that. And I was certain that he was rather upset to learn that Jake would now be spending the night at my house. He hadn't said anything, but I knew how I'd feel if the situation were reversed. I was glad it was just for one night. Any longer and it would be a strain for all three of us.

When I got back to Jacob's room he was finished eating and had gotten dressed. He showed me the sweatshirt he had been wearing. Its mangled sleeve had protected his arm. If he had only had on a light t-shirt he would probably have needed skin grafts. He had packed his clothes from the night before into a plastic bag from the hospital and was all set to go, just waiting for the doctor's final clearance. Within a short while, we were heading out the doors to Charlie's cruiser. We hadn't been able to see Billy, but we would be able to come back tomorrow. Hopefully then.

I climbed into the backseat, giving Jake the legroom up front. I never minded having to sit in the back of the cruiser, but it made other people uncomfortable. Other drivers and people on the street wondered about who was in the backseat and why. Their faces were always a little shocked when they saw a young girl sitting in the backseat. I guess I didn't look too dangerous.

I took out my phone and sent a text to Edward.

_I wanted to remind you…I love YOU._

I turned the sound off, so I wouldn't call too much attention to myself, sitting back here texting. I got Edward's response immediately.

_Thanks, I needed reminding._ _You know me so well. I love you._

He made me smile. I sent him another text.

_I miss you._

I looked back down at the incoming message.

_Me too_. _I'm going to think_ _a lot about last night,_ _minus the tears of course. _

It took me a moment to decide exactly what I wanted to tell him, and then I was blushing when I pressed 'send.'

_I want a night with you like last night, minus the tears and_ _interruptions. And I want it to last until the morning._

His response took a moment.

_*groan*_

I blushed to my hairline and stifled my giggle with my fist at my mouth. _Shit! *groan* was right!_ I texted him back a moment later.

_Sensory overload?_

Again I nearly laughed out loud when I read his reply.

_You know me so well. _

One more text, I decided.

_And I want to get to know you better._

His reply came right back and put another smile on my face.

_Okay, but there's a lot to know. This may take a good long while. _

He really knew how to put a smile on my face.

_I'm available for a good long while. Talk to you tonight._

I closed my phone, smiling, glad that I had thought to text him.

We pulled up in front of the house shortly afterwards and piled out of the car. Jake turned to me, "The truck looks good; is it still running okay?"

"Yeah, it's great. Um, Jake, I was thinking… you don't have a car right now and you'll probably need one so you can be mobile and can go visit your dad while he's in the hospital. So I'm going to leave it here for you for now."

"Bella, that would be great, but I don't want to put you out at all. What about school? Don't you need a car sometimes?"

"It wouldn't put me out. And no, I really don't need a car at school; I never go anywhere, really. And if I needed to get somewhere, the public transportation is great and I have friends that would take me places if I needed something."

He nodded, thinking about it. "How will you get back to school? Would you need me to take you back?"

"No, I've got friends in Port Angeles this weekend. I'll go back with them."

He looked at me, a little warily, but didn't ask. I felt funny, but what do you say? Should I have made an announcement? _You remember that guy that you wanted to beat down, and who felt similarly about you? Well, yeah, I'm with him now, he's kind of a big deal, and he's my travel arrangements. Maybe you two can be friends?_

Jacob finally nodded. "Well, that would be great. I just don't want to put you out."

"Jake, we go back too far. It wouldn't put me out and you know it. I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it."

"Bella!" Charlie called to me from the front porch, "Maybe you want to drive Jake over to his house so he can pick up anything else he needs for this evening or tomorrow?"

"Oh, okay Dad. I'll stop by the store and pick up some groceries to make dinner, too."

"Sounds good," Charlie called, as he headed inside. I'm sure he was delighted at the prospect of a home-cooked meal.

I looked back up at Jake. "I should have asked if you're up to that. Is that okay with you?"

He flashed a bright smile at me. "Sure, let's go. It feels good to be out of the hospital and thinking about other things for a bit. Gives my mind a break. And if you're cooking tonight, I'm definitely going to be eating well."

We went to Jake's house first. We didn't really talk much at first, but Jake doesn't stay bottled up for long. He told me more detail about the accident then he started filling me in on local events and gossip about people we knew. When we got to his house I waited out in the truck while he went inside and dropped off the bag of clothes from the night of the accident and picked up a few things for tonight and tomorrow. It would have felt too awkward to go inside his house, and certainly to go into his room. He came back out and gingerly scooted in on the passenger side, tossing a small duffel bag on the seat between us.

"So, Bella, how's school? How are your classes going?"

I don't think that was really what he wanted to know about, but we were both dancing around the same thing, and neither of us could bring ourselves to open the real conversation. I could do avoidance, for now.

"School's great. I really like my classes, and so far I think I'm doing well, although I haven't had too many tests yet. I like living in the dorm, Alice is a great roommate and it's nice not to have to worry about helping to keep an entire house clean. I miss cooking, though. I'm looking forward to making us some lasagna tonight." I looked over at him and smiled. Both he and Charlie had always loved my lasagna.

"Oh, that sounds awesome. I really miss your lasagna. I'll help you and we can make some garlic bread. And how about if we make some Caesar salad too?"

"Of course! You know, that sounds suspiciously like your birthday dinner to me." I laughed. Jake had always wanted me to just cook his favorite meal as a birthday gift. I had made the same meal on numerous occasions.

We drove off to the store and shopped for dinner ingredients. I remembered that I needed some things for dessert and breakfast too. Charlie was going to be happy about dinner. It was also one of his favorite meals. I decided to buy ingredients to make him a meatloaf as well; another home-cooked meal he could enjoy after I left tomorrow.

Before we headed home, Jake stopped in to the little video shop next to the grocery store and rented two movies to watch tonight. They were both just lighthearted, goofy movies. Jake didn't need 'heavy' right now. Real life was heavy enough at the moment. And I certainly didn't want to watch any romantic comedies or chick flicks with Jake.

Back at the house, Jake sat in the kitchen and kept me company while I chopped, sauteed, cooked, stirred, layered and otherwise assembled a terrific dinner for three. We talked about a plan for tomorrow, too. We wanted to go back to the hospital later in the day. We would take the truck. Charlie had to work until six and would meet Jake at the hospital then, on the chance that he would be permitted to see Billy Black. So I told Jake I would have someone pick me up from the hospital, since it was already closer to Port Angeles. I just didn't tell him who was going to pick me up. He also didn't ask. Avoidance was easiest.

Dinner was delicious, if I do say so myself. We polished off almost half of the lasagna, although Jake really had to take most of the credit. He was such a big guy of course he had a big appetite. I don't think the hospital food had done very much for him. I had made some chocolate chip cookies for dessert and Jake had the idea of making little ice cream sandwiches with them and rolling the edges in chocolate sprinkles.

Jake often had good ideas for my cooking skills. He didn't cook much himself, but he always had ideas that we would try out. I had to admit, it was fun hanging out in the kitchen together again, cooking and talking and making dinner and ice cream sandwiches. It was the kind of thing that we had done often as we'd grown up together. I guess I kind of missed it.

After dinner we sat in the living room, watching one of the movies Jake had rented. Charlie hung out for a little while, but he wasn't really a goofy movie kind of guy. He preferred crime stories and murder mysteries. He eventually begged off and went up to his bedroom to watch TV upstairs.

I slipped away for a while between movies to shower and change into pajamas and to call Edward. I left Jake to flip through the channels on the TV and get in touch with a few of his friends.

**EPOV**

I had made it through my day fairly well, considering. I worked on a project for one class, and was able to concentrate better than I had thought I would. I read a little for another class. I was only able to concentrate because of Bella's texts. We'd come back from lunch when my phone had vibrated, signaling a text from her and she and I'd had a little conversation that kept running through my mind. She seems to just know me so well and know what I need.

She knew I would be panicking so she had texted me that she loved me; emphasis on the _me,_ so I would stop worrying. I breathed a sigh of relief when I read that first line. I could feel the tension in my neck and shoulders dissipating instantly.

She missed me, she told me. Good…we were even there. I missed her like crazy. I felt a little ridiculous, I mean, it had only been a half a day and I had a hard time keeping myself occupied and not just thinking about how I missed her.

And she wanted another night with me like last night. She wanted me _all night._ What's a guy to think? _Exactly_. That's exactly what I thought. She couldn't hear me groan when I read it, but I shared that information with her. I wish I could have seen the probable resulting blush. I'm sure it was there. It made me smile just thinking about it.

If and when it ever came about that we would actually be left alone long enough, and feeling comfortable enough, to actually have the opportunity to make love, she would have a very difficult time prying me off of her. Either that or I would be like Mount Saint Helens: deadliest and most destructive single volcanic explosion in U.S. history. I might take the entire dorm down with me. _That sounds about right._

Dinner was quiet without her. I think we were just all thinking about how the night was settling in. No one wanted to mention anything that might bother me. I think they all missed her a little. A part of us was missing.

In the evening Emmett came to get me and Jasper and herded us to his room to play Texas Hold'Em. Once inside, he opened his refrigerator, where he had two six packs and dealt us in for a few beers apiece. He apologized that it wasn't much, but he was supposed to set a good example as our Resident Advisor. It didn't matter that there'd been weekends last year when he'd aided and abetted us in becoming completely shitfaced. And Jasper and I had both been underage. I didn't mind that he didn't have more; I wasn't really in the mood to drink much. If Bella called I didn't want to be a drunken idiot or a whiner.

Jasper took the first bottle offered to him and held it up to make a toast. "To the women that drive us nuts." We laughed and clinked our bottles.

Emmett was not to be outdone. He raised his bottle, toasting as well. "To the women who drive our nuts, nuts." We clinked to that one as well and laughed a little harder, mostly at Emmett. He just couldn't help being himself.

But I figured I could top that toast. I turned to Jasper. "To Emmett. He's fucking nuts." Jasper was rolling on the floor at that point. He did manage to sit up long enough to clink my bottle. Emmett didn't participate in the clinking. He just flipped me off and started dealing cards.

We played poker and drank for a while after that. Emmett was really a great Resident Advisor. Real role model material. He had us both involved in drinking and gambling. At least there was no pimping, pandering or prostitution. Jasper pointed that out to us. It's cool, though. He was doing it as my brother. He was trying to keep me busy. I appreciated the effort and the distraction.

Jasper gets roped in because he's my best friend and Emmett's "brother-in-law". Emmett and Jasper will refer to each other that way sometimes. The two of them have a special bond because they're involved with each other's siblings. Most people think that's a little freaky at first. Whatever. They're family. Jasper feels like a brother to me and Rose is another sister. We're a tight little group.

Bella called at about nine o'clock. I left Emmett's room and headed to the privacy of my own. She told me about her day. It all involved _him,_ but that only made sense, given the situation. Still, as irrational as it was, I couldn't help but feel envious and jealous, because he was spending time with her, doing completely mundane things like grocery shopping and helping her make lasagna and cookies, sitting in her living room and watching movies on TV with her. And even though I knew nothing else was happening, and I knew her dad was right there with them, it bothered me that _he _had something I didn't. He had a spot in her life that I didn't have. At least not yet. He was comfortable in her home; it was a familiar place. And I couldn't help my jealousy, because these were things I'd never shared with her; she had only shared these experiences with him.

We made plans for me to pick her up from the hospital tomorrow, Friday, at five o'clock, and then bring her to my family's home in Port Angeles. She was leaving her truck behind for him to use, since their only car had been totaled. She told me that I could just wait outside at the hospital and she'd meet me at five. She said I didn't have to come in; it might be less awkward that way. I wholeheartedly agreed. The less I saw of him the better, I figured.

Before we said goodnight, Bella reminded me to make sure Alice picked out whatever clothes and shoes she would need for the weekend. She also needed her phone charger, since her phone was nearly dead and she'd forgotten to charge it at school. Lastly, she needed her laptop to check on classes that she'd missed, and finish one assignment she'd already started that would be due on Monday when we returned.

I told her I'd make sure to get all of these things together and bring them with me, since I would be getting there a little sooner than the others. I assured her that I would also try to make sure that Alice didn't go overboard with Bella's clothes. She had a tendency to overpack and it was sometimes difficult to rein that in.

We had reached the end of our conversation when Bella said, "Guess what I'm wearing."

I nearly fell off my bed when I heard that question and my heart skipped a beat or five. When you're a guy and you hear a girl ask you that over the phone, you're hoping the correct answer is "nothing," and then your dick wants in on the conversation that follows. But I recovered quickly and realized what she was telling me: she was wearing my t-shirt. I joked with her first, though.

"Is it the ugliest possible combination of clothing you could find? One that completely covers your body and hides its general tight curvy shape and hotness, so Jake's certain he's better off without you?"

She burst out in bubbly laughter. It was a lovely sound. "Would you like me to say yes?"

I laughed. "Yes, if you don't mind, please."

"I'm wearing your t-shirt, silly boy."

"I hope to hell you're going to be wearing more than just my t-shirt!"

She giggled. "How about pajama pants, thick sport socks, and a sweatshirt as well? Does that make you feel more secure, Edward?"

"Absolutely. Well, I guess we're even; I wore your Mariners sweatshirt all day."

The phone began to beep. Her battery was dying.

"Awww, that's cute. I miss you and my Mariners sweatshirt."

I couldn't help but grin at her. "You're cute. And I miss you and my threadbare old t-shirt."

There was more beeping in the background.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow at five, love."

"Yeah, just pick me up at the front of the hosp…"

"Bella? Hello?"

The sound had cut out. There was nothing further. Her phone had gone dead and we hadn't yet gotten to the I love yous in our conversation.

_Fucking, frustrating, battery-draining, son-of-a-bitch technology!_

**BPOV**

_Damn it!_ _My phone couldn't have held on for fifteen more seconds?_ I closed it and tossed it into my bag. It was useless to me until Edward brought my charger. I hadn't gotten the chance to tell him I loved him. Or hear him say that he loved me. And I couldn't text him. And now I realized that I didn't even know his cell phone number if I needed to call him.

There was nothing I could do. I pulled on my big sweatshirt and began smiling to myself. It was an ugly faded mustard color and completely covered my body and hid its "general tight curvy shape and hotness". I rolled my eyes as I thought that. They were his words, not ones I'd ever use to describe myself. I looked down at my pajama pants. They were green plaid with purple bunnies sprinkled about. An odd gift from my mother, Renee, several years ago. They were a little too short and didn't match the sweatshirt at all. I shoved my feet into a large pair of athletic socks and admired my reflection in the mirror at the back of my bedroom door. It was quite obvious that I was wearing the ugliest possible outfit I could find. Edward would be so pleased with the overall effect. I wished I could send him a photo. _Damn all this technology shit with its separate chargers!_

I headed back downstairs to join Jake. We had another movie to watch and I know he wanted to talk.

**A/N: Sooo...what are you thinking?**

**What made you worry? What made you squee?**

**What made you laugh? Please review for me.**


	37. Present Tense

**The Transfer (Revised)**

**A/N: Hopefully you have been reading the revised version of this story. I finally decided to just pull the rest of the original version chapters, but I will continue uploading revised chapters quickly. I hope you are not upset with me. I am only trying to bring you a better version of this story. **

Bella's in Forks with an emotionally and physically messed up Jake. Edward wants to drive to Forks faster than a speeding bullet (aimed at Jake). Alice wants to play dress-up with her Bella doll, and maybe her Jasper doll. Emmett and Rose just want to have primal, animal sex. Sounds like it's time for a Very Cullen Weekend.

Stephenie Meyer might not approve of what I'm writing. I approve of what she wrote. You all approve of me or you wouldn't be with me 37 chapters down the road. Don't expect me to infringe, though.

A Very Cullen Weekend, Part 1: (And it's going to seem like the weekend that never ends, so get ready for lots of goings on.)

**Chapter 37: Present Tense (Revised)**

**EPOV**

When Bella's cell phone died I thought about calling information to get the number for Chief Charles Swan's residence. But then I thought that a call to the house phone shortly before ten o'clock at night from the new boyfriend might not be the best way to introduce myself to her dad. Instead I went back to Emmett's room, where he and Jasper were still hanging out, bullshitting. Bullshitting in a group was preferable to moping alone.

"Everything cool?" Jasper asked as I came back in the room and took my seat again.

"Yeah," I smiled like a dolt, thinking back on the conversation with Bella.

"Everybody still have all their clothes on?" Emmett idly asked.

Jasper kicked him for me. "Don't make me call the girls," he drawled.

"Sorry," Emmett looked back up at both of us. "Sometimes I just can't help myself."

"We know!" Jasper and I yelled in unison.

We played cards a while longer and I won most of the money, Jasper coming in slightly behind. Emmett was the big loser. We pointed that out to him. I gave him ten bucks to help replenish his beer stash, thanking him for babysitting me. Jasper gave him five bucks and told him he'd like some beer nuts or smoked almonds next time.

Later, as I was lying in my bed I thought about Bella, lying in her bed at home in Forks, wearing my t-shirt. That made me smile.

I'd finally taken off the Mariners sweatshirt at the end of the day. I wasn't going to wear it to bed and I wasn't a basket case to the point where I had to cuddle it all night either. Jasper would have been all over photos of that crap.

I snorted a laugh as I turned over and thought about going up to Alice's room and asking her to let me borrow Bella's Miss Fire Bomb dress so I could snuggle up to it. Then I realized Jasper might covet that thing, and I'd hate for it to get ripped if it came to blows. As I was drifting off I thought fleetingly about the chances of borrowing a certain dark blue bra or even better, the matching panty…or both.

Then I had erotic dreams all night.

_Fu-uu-uuck!_

**BPOV**

I had rejoined Jake downstairs after my shower and the phone call with Edward. I was still irritated about my phone dying. I sat down to watch the second movie. Jake was still sprawled out on the couch, filling it with his big body, lying on his uninjured side. He wasn't really paying much attention to the movie; his thoughts had gone elsewhere as the night set in. After a while I looked over at him and saw that his eyes were closed.

"Jake," I said softly, "are you asleep?"

"No." His eyelids fluttered but didn't open.

"Are you okay?" I asked, just as quietly.

He took a deep breath. "No."

I stopped the movie and turned the TV off.

"Do you need a pain pill? You haven't taken one for a while. I think you're due."

He shrugged then opened his eyes to look at me. "Yeah, I guess."

I got the medication and a glass of water. It was a fine line to tread. I had no point of reference on how to behave. It was a horrific situation for him to be in with his father. And it was also a sketchy situation for us to be in together now. He needed to be comforted, I wanted to comfort him; I just didn't want him to misinterpret my actions. I decided to sit down next to him, on the edge of the couch. He scooted backwards to make room for me as I sat.

I held out the water and pill. "Here you go, take this."

He leaned up, suddenly much closer to me, and took the pill from my hand. He swallowed it with the water, looking intently at me the whole while.

"Thanks," he said, handing the glass back to me and dropping back down on his side on the couch. He folded his good arm under his head, bunching up the pillow that was there. He closed his eyes and sighed. He seemed so alone, dealing with something so huge.

"I'm so sorry about your dad." I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, and I wondered how I'd held it in all day. _How was he holding it in?_ But there had been other things going on throughout the day and those things had occupied us. Now that all faded into the background, and it was just the two of us, left to talk about whatever needed to be said.

"It's all so surreal, Bella." He looked up, with sadness in his glittering eyes. "So much will be so different."

"I can't even begin to imagine, Jake." I wiped at tears that threatened to spill over.

"I keep thinking I'm going to wake up from this nightmare and this will all go away. But it's not, is it?"

I shook my head as a tear slid down my cheek.

He continued thinking out loud. "There's so much to wonder about and worry about. And I can't help but think that there could have been a different outcome if things had happened differently. Could I have done something differently? I mean, the other driver was drunk, but was it my fault, too? What if I'd told my dad I didn't want to drive and that he should drive? Maybe we'd both have been able to walk away from that accident." His voice choked off and he pressed his finger and thumb to his eyes.

I wanted to hug him, but I couldn't; his arm was so cut up, stitched and bandaged, I didn't want to hurt him. I couldn't even put my hand on his arm and give it a squeeze. I knew his whole body was still sore and bruised. I finally put my hand on his head, smoothing his long hair.

"You can't replay the whole thing in your mind like that. It won't change anything and you can't know that things wouldn't have been worse, for either of you or both of you."

"I just can't turn it off. It won't go away." He sounded defeated and lost.

I stroked his hair, smoothing out the long silky strands.

"Jake, you're going to have to be strong for your dad. He'll really need you in the months to come. You have such a wonderful relationship; you're a good son to him. Of course it won't be easy. It'll be hard and you'll both be angry at times. But you'll both get through this. You really don't have a choice. Life has to continually move forward, and we have to make the best of what we're given."

He nodded his head a little, but his eyes were closed.

"Think about how hard it was at first when your mom died. In time you moved on and moved forward. Your dad will still be here. You haven't lost him. You aren't losing him; you'll both just have to adapt. You and your dad have a strong network of friends, my dad and I included, who would do anything to help you out. You're not alone, Jake. Rebecca and Rachel will be here to help you shoulder this too."

His eyelids opened but were droopy. I could tell he was getting a little groggy from the pill.

"You're right, Bella." He sighed "It's always so easy to talk with you. I can tell you anything."

"Well, we've spent a lot of time talking to each other all these years. And we've been there for each other through some pretty rough times."

"I miss you," he said quietly.

I patted him on the chest lightly and withdrew my hand. "You can talk to me anytime. All you have to do is call. I'll always listen."

We were both quiet and I was beginning to wonder if he had dozed off. Then he finally cleared his throat as he looked up at me.

"Are you…are you going out with _him _now?"

He didn't have to say Edward's name; it was unnecessary. I met his eyes and I nodded.

"We just went out last night for the first time."

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, puffing out his lips a little as he did so. "I guess I figured that would happen."

"I'm sorry, Jake. But he's a nice guy."

"He's a lucky guy." He looked back up at me and smiled wistfully. He reached up and squeezed my shoulder. "I've got to get some sleep, Bella. That pain pill kicked in and I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open."

"Let me go get you a blanket."

He nodded. "Thanks."

By the time I came back downstairs, Jake was already out like a light. I covered him with the blanket. I stood and looked down at his sleeping form for a moment, thinking of all that we'd been to each other through the years and all that we would hopefully always be for each other. Then I headed up to my own bed.

I pulled off my sweatshirt, crawled into my bed and burrowed under the covers. I pulled the neckline of Edward's t-shirt up and stuck my nose down inside, breathing in what remained of his scent in the fabric. I thought of him lying next to me last night. I really missed him. I could have used the feeling of him spooning me right about now. I inhaled deeply once more, relishing the lingering slightly spicy, sensual, man-soap scent. My thoughts were filled with him as I fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

**EPOV**

I didn't have classes on Fridays, but I still woke up early this morning. I decided to stay put and try to sleep in a little. If I slept I could get closer to the time I would see Bella and yet I wouldn't have to be consciously waiting for the time to pass. After about an hour of that shit I just gave up. I was too keyed up and ready to get on with my day.

I gathered together the clothes I was taking home and the birthday gift for my mom. I packed my things in a duffel bag. I still had a lot of clothing at home too, so I didn't have to bring much. I thought about bringing my guitar, but decided against it. I had two other guitars at home and the piano was there as well.

After a late breakfast I went with Alice back up to her room to see what she was thinking of packing for Bella. We were going to be gone for two days and Alice had laid out about fifteen coordinated outfits all over the room, complete with jackets, shoes, socks, jewelry, belts, bras and panties. _Yikes! Now that I'd seen all that "inner stuff," lying with her proposed "outer stuff," I'd know exactly what was going on under every outfit she wore. This could be really dangerous in a family atmosphere. _

I pointed out a few outfits that I particularly liked or felt Bella would be most comfortable wearing. Then I told Alice she had to pare the outfits down by half and that I would be back in an hour for the results. She probably really needed two hours to go through that kind of torment but if I said an hour she might be ready with Bella's bag in an hour and a half.

I also reminded her that Bella needed a bathing suit and pajamas. Alice said that she was working on the bathing suit situation and then she asked if it wouldn't maybe be preferable if she accidentally forgot to pack pajamas on purpose. I told her that I appreciated the gesture, but that I would feel more comfortable allowing Bella herself to make those kinds of decisions.

At lunchtime I went with Emmett and Rose to the dining hall just for something to do. I wasn't hungry because I had eaten breakfast so late but I drank a Coke and then refilled it and drank that down as well. That was on top of several cups of coffee at breakfast earlier.

Now I was ultra-caffeinated and hyper. I was feeling all jittery and just wanted to get the hell out of here and get on the road. But I didn't want to leave too early because I'd just get to the hospital too early. I kept looking at the clock, waiting for time to tick by.

After about an hour and a half had passed I went back up to Alice's room to pick up Bella's things. Jasper was there with her, cradling her in his arms and trying to calm her. Alice was all teary; she hadn't been able to pare the clothes down by half, but she did manage to leave one third of the original proposed outfits behind. She was afraid I'd be upset or even worse, that I wouldn't have room in my car for the two large bags that held the majority of Bella's entire wardrobe. I assured her that everything was fine, I had enough room, and now Bella had options galore. I wasn't in the mood for an Alice-Wardrobe-Meltdown. I just wanted to get the fuck out of here and on my way!

I grabbed Bella's laptop and phone charger, putting them both into one of the bags. I thanked Alice on behalf of myself and Bella, telling her how much she would appreciate her efforts and I headed downstairs. I stopped by my room to get my own bag and hiked down to my car fully laden, stowing everything in the trunk of the Volvo.

I left ahead of the others. The four of them were driving together in Alice's Porsche after Rose returned from her one o'clock class. I peeled out of the parking lot at twelve thirty and I made it straight through to the hospital outside of Forks in a little less than three and a half hours. Luckily it was a Trooper-free trip because I'd been flying with a lead foot on the accelerator the whole way. I'd blasted the "My Girl" playlist on my iPod, which began, fittingly enough, with "My Girl" by the Temptations. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was happy and hyper and excited to see my girl.

The problem with my overly caffeinated and frenzied state was that I arrived at the hospital before four o'clock and Bella wasn't expecting me until five. I pulled into the front parking lot an hour ahead of schedule with no way of contacting her. I could try to track her down inside the hospital, but I thought better of that potentially ugly situation.

I saw Bella's red truck. It was parked in the second row in the front lot, which was now full, except for the spaces designated for handicapped or for staff of the hospital only. I drove over to a side lot that still had quite a few empty spaces for overflow parking. I pulled into a space and sat in my car for a few minutes, listening to music, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. I looked at the clock. It was three minutes after four. I went back to drumming my fingers on the door now, as my arm hung out the open window. When I checked the time again it was eight after four. I tapped my fingers on the edge of the roof as I rested my elbow on the windowsill. I just wanted to see her. I didn't think you could feel this frantic to see someone again after just one day. I checked my cell phone. Four fourteen. _Fuck!_ The time was crawling. I ignored the clock for a bit and when I looked again it was still only four twenty and I was ready to rip my hair out. I couldn't take it anymore. I got out of the car, feeling determined, slamming the door and heading across the side lot toward the front entrance.

As I neared the side of the building I had one of those experiences where you feel like you're walking in slow motion and you're not making any progress getting to your destination. Like you're in a dream state and reality is falling away from you. You suddenly lose all awareness of your immediate surroundings because you're so focused on something that your mind can't quite grasp in the distance. It was a strange sort of telescoping of distances, and I became less and less aware of the periphery and hyper-focused on what I saw directly ahead.

Bella had appeared at the main entrance, exiting the building, but before I could call out to her, _he_ came out of the door, right behind her. She stopped and turned back to him. He looked upset and she was looking up at him, talking to him. I could see the concern on her face. She neared him and put her hand on his arm. I could feel my stomach clench as I watched her hand brush along his arm and travel up farther to his shoulder. She gave his shoulder a squeeze. I saw her face, turned up to his and I could read her lips like I was right _there_. "I'm sorry, Jake. I'm so sorry." My stomach was beginning to churn. She reached her other hand up and was wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him down towards her as he bent to hold her. By now I realized that I couldn't hear any sounds around me. All I heard was a furious pounding in my ears.

_Why is she sorry? What is she sorry about? Sorry about him and his dad? Sorry because they had split up? Why are they holding each other? Why don't they let go? What the hell are they doing? _

I had stopped walking. I was frozen in my tracks. I was right at the corner of the building and I reached out to the concrete exterior to steady myself, wondering what the hell was playing out before me. I saw him pull back and look at her. He reached up and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. He was talking to her. I could see the soft expression on his face. Suddenly he bent down and kissed her full on the mouth.

It knocked the wind out of me and I could feel the panic begin to take over my body.

_He was really fucking kissing her on the mouth! What the fuck was he doing? There was no reason for them to be kissing like that! She's not his girlfriend anymore…is she? Did they get back together?_

I couldn't breathe; I felt like I was gasping for air and getting nothing. I started to feel dizzy. The edges of my visual field were beginning to blur and darken. I quickly turned away to the side of the building, out of sight, leaning back against the cold concrete and trying to calm down so I could breathe. After a few moments I bent my torso forward, trying to get some oxygen up to my brain, struggling and finally managing to actually inhale. I was having a fucking panic attack and I was not going to let myself black out.

I gradually stood back up, able to finally catch my breath a little. I moved to look back around the corner to the entrance, leaning against the building for support. They were no longer there. I sucked in a few more shaky breaths, wondering if I'd imagined that shit, but then I saw them way out in the front parking lot, near her truck. I watched, hidden from their view, as they walked back to the main entrance talking. He opened the door, she walked inside and he followed.

_What the fuck WAS that?_

I had to get out of there. I didn't know what I had just seen. Well, that's not true; I knew exactly what I had just seen. And now I felt like a jagged hole had been ripped in my heart. My whole body sagged in defeat.

_Why? Why was she doing this with him? What happened since we spoke? What happened after her phone went dead last night? What happened between them today?_

I got back in my car and just sat there feeling numb. I finally put the key in the ignition and started it up and drove out of the lot. I drove. I just fucking drove. I didn't even know where I was going, but I just couldn't sit still. I opened all the windows so I could feel the blasts of cool air. I had an aching knot in my stomach and I felt like I might have to throw up. I ran my hand through my hair, feeling like I could just rip it out.

_Would she have called me if she could have? Would she have called to break up with me? FUCK! We had just started going out! She'd said she loved me. I was in love with her._

I was still driving aimlessly. I wanted to stop and get out of the car and run until I couldn't run anymore.

_What am I supposed to do now? This just fucking hurts like hell._

I had to go back. I had to be there like I'd said I would. I had to face whatever the hell had happened; what was happening. I had to hear whatever she was going to tell me. I'd have to face her, _with him._ And I just felt numb. So fucking numb. I felt dead inside.

I leaned over to the glove compartment and grabbed my Ray Bans. I wiped my hand across my eyes and put the sunglasses on. I fiddled with my iPod and cranked the angry music. I didn't give a shit what it was. I had to fucking go back there. It was nearly five o'clock. I made a U-turn and headed back in the direction I'd come.

I felt so thoroughly fucked over. I'd thought she was mine, but...what? They'd patched things up between them?

_Mine._

_No, not mine. She wouldn't be kissing him if she were mine._

_His. _

_I guess you win, fucker._

**BPOV**

All too soon I sensed the brightening light of day streaming in through my window. I heard the familiar sounds of Charlie moving around in his room, the shower, and then his heavy footsteps on the stairs. I heard soft male voices in conversation drifting up from downstairs. I was not going to get anymore sleep this morning. It was time to get up.

A quick hop in the shower would wake me up and help start my day. I walked into the bathroom and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror wearing Edward's shirt. I smiled at my reflection and the thought of just how much more body he had to fill out this shirt. I stripped off the shirt, my pajama pants, underwear and socks and stood there looking at a smiling girl wearing just a small silver medallion on a fine silver chain. I couldn't wait to see Edward today.

The shower definitely helped. It only takes a few moments to feel more human again. I finally went downstairs to have some coffee and make some breakfast for the three of us. The rest of the morning Jake and I kept busy until we could go back over to the hospital in the afternoon to see Billy.

Charlie's house looked like it hadn't been cleaned since I had left a little less than a month ago. I dusted and vacuumed, did a load of laundry, and I also made a meatloaf, slicing it into sections once it had cooled, to freeze the portions so Charlie would have dinners for a few nights after I was gone back to Seattle. I was pretty sure he could manage instant mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese side dishes on his own.

Because Jake's sisters would be coming home to stay for a while, we went over to his house to straighten up. We made it presentable and put clean sheets on the twin beds in the guest bedroom. It was hard for Jake to do too much by himself, since he was still favoring his injured and slowly healing left arm.

We returned the movies from the night before, ate a late lunch and finally made it back over to the hospital by three o'clock. We had to sit around and wait for a while. Jake would be allowed in to see his father, but I would have to wait outside in the waiting room. It was immediate family only for now.

I sat in the waiting room, wishing I could talk to Edward. I was anxious to see him and couldn't stop watching the clock. All day I had been counting down the hours, looking forward to my weekend in Port Angeles. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was already four. Edward would be here in an hour.

It was a quarter after four o'clock when Jacob emerged from the hallway and came walking toward me. His face was grim and he was rubbing at his temples with his hands.

"Come on, Bella," he said rather gruffly when he stood before me, "let's go grab your stuff from the truck so you can leave when your ride gets here at five."

"Jake, I won't need to leave for another forty five minutes. We can wait."

"Well, the doctor is in there now and there's a spinal injury specialist that wants to talk to my dad in a little. They want me to be in there too so there's an extra pair of ears to hear about what to expect for recovery and therapy for paraplegia. So we should go do this now, in case I'm in there when you have to leave."

I nodded and stood. We headed toward the door.

"Jake," I asked, as we exited the building, "how was he; how did he look?"

I heard a strangled little noise behind me and I turned back to look at him. He had seemed okay moments ago. Now I could see that he was falling apart with the enormity of his father's debilitating injury.

"Oh, Bella, it's just awful, all that equipment. They've got him in traction to stabilize his spine, so there's no further damage. He just looks so fragile and broken. And he's so stoic. It just hurts to see him." I saw the pain on his face and heard it in his strained voice. I realized that he'd had to hold himself together while he was in his dad's room, and now he could let it out. I rubbed his arm and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"I'm sorry, Jake. I'm just so sorry." I put my arms up to give him a hug. I could see that he was really losing it. I heard a brief, sharp cry of anguish. And then he was leaning in to me, hugging me tightly, clinging to me. I held him to me more tightly for a bit and spoke quietly to him. "It'll be easier when your sisters are here with you; it's a lot to take on all by yourself. I'm sorry I'm not more help."

He pulled back to look at my face and he tucked a flyaway hair behind my ear. "No, you've been awesome; you always are, Bella. You always know the right thing to say."

Suddenly he was kissing me. I was so startled at first I couldn't even react. And then I shoved him back, hard, and slapped him.

"No, Jake, stop! What are you doing? What are you thinking?" I glared at him for a moment then I turned and stalked off to the truck. He followed, apologizing. I wanted to run, and maybe scream. I was angry with him. I was angry with myself.

"Bella, wait! Stop! I'm sorry! Shit, I screwed up. I'm so screwed up; my emotions have been a mess. I just…. I don't know why I did it. I just thought...you looked so…I guess I misread your actions. I'm sorry."

I spun around to look at him as we got to the truck. I was furious. At both of us. Had I led him on? I'd tried to comfort him, but he was lost, confused and mistaken. "Well, don't do it again! You can't do that! Jake… I'm… with Edward now. I…I'm in love with him."

He just stared at me for a moment. I'd had to say it. He had to hear it. Had to know.

He clenched his fists at his side and looked down, abashed. "Bella, please, please forgive me. God, what an ass I am!"

I relented a little. "You _are_ an ass. Don't you dare do that again, Jacob Black."

He held his hands up in resignation. "It'll never happen again. Ever. I truly apologize."

I unlocked the truck and grabbed my bag, placing it in the truck bed. I handed him the key. "I'll leave this stuff back here for now; no one is going to bother with it. I'll grab it when Edward gets here."

"I should have figured he was the one coming for you."

I rolled my eyes. "It really isn't your business, what I do now. You have to move on now, Jake."

"I know, Bella, and I thought I was, just…in that moment…I don't know…I had a relapse or something. You were so warm and close. It was just easy to fall back into. But I get it. I'm really so sorry. I wasn't thinking; I was just reacting. I don't want you to hate me for it. Please. Just don't hate me. I don't want to lose your friendship."

He looked so genuinely ashamed and uneasy. I knew his emotions were in an uproar and I knew he was being honest with me.

"Jake, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. You'll always be my friend; I hope we'll always be close. What's done is done. Forget it. Let's both just forget it. Come on; we'd better get you get back inside in case the doctor's ready to talk to you."

When we got back inside I took a seat out in the waiting room. Edward would be here in about fifteen minutes. I was still shaken from Jake kissing me. I had been so shocked that I hadn't been able to react immediately, and that had probably made things even worse or had given Jake the wrong idea. _Shit! I should have just kept my hands to myself! The last thing Jake needed was more turmoil and confusion. _I was so ready to get out of here and away from this heavy atmosphere and get on with my weekend with Edward. I looked up at the clock and saw that it was nearly five. Jake was still in his dad's room for the consultation, but I had already told him goodbye. Edward might be here now. I picked up my purse and headed out of the hospital.

**EPOV**

I pulled back into the hospital parking lot just before five o'clock. Bella was coming out the main doors. Alone. She pointed toward her truck, so I drove over to it as she walked to meet me there. I stayed behind the wheel, watching her, trying to decide if she looked different. I left the engine running, sitting there wondering what to say. She grabbed her bag out of the truck bed, and then opened the back door of my car to put it on the back seat.

She opened the front door and got in.

"Hey you!"

"Hi, Bella." I could barely look at her. I was glad I had my sunglasses on so she couldn't see my eyes. I certainly couldn't smile at her. "You still want to come for the weekend?"

"Of course!" She smiled.

I nodded, looking out the rearview mirror as I began backing up. "You better put your seatbelt on."

I could sense her looking at me for a moment before she reached for it. I began driving, exiting the parking lot and heading out onto the main road toward Port Angeles.

"Thanks for picking me up, Edward. I'm sorry you had to drive so far out of your way."

I couldn't turn to look at her. "No big deal."

_No, the big deal had happened earlier. The big deal was built like The Hulk and had long black hair and kissed other guys' girlfriends. _

"How was traffic?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Not bad." I kept my eyes on the road.

_We're talking about the fucking traffic? For God's sake, was she not going to say anything? She's going to pretend nothing happened?_

"I've had such a busy day," she said, relaxing into her seat. "This morning I made us all a big breakfast: pancakes, bacon and eggs…."

_That's just great. The Lumberjerk Breakfast Special._

"…I cleaned up a little around my house, for my dad, you know, did some laundry, and vacuumed. I made him a meatloaf, so he'd have some home-cooked food for a few nights. Then Jake and I went to his house…"

_Fucking perfect. Let me guess, no one else was home?_

"…and I helped him clean up there because his sisters are both flying in tonight and tomorrow. We had to swing by the video store and return a couple movies we watched last night…"

_How cozy, curled up on the fucking couch together._

…then we stopped for a late lunch at a little deli…

_Nice. A romantic luncheon for two._

…before we got to the hospital."

She stopped speaking. I guess she was waiting for me to say something in response. I was too busy trying to breathe and I was waiting for her to get to the point.

"Edward, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm perfect."

_My heart is bleeding, but that's beside the point._

"And at the hospital..?" I tried to prompt her, but she just told me about his dad, and what was going on with him. I was sorry for the guy, but I was hoping to be enlightened regarding other events right now. I was so angry and so hurt. I barely responded to anything she was saying.

_Why won't she tell me what the hell is going on now? THIS FUCKING SUCKED!_

"How's _he_?" I finally asked through clenched teeth. _How is the fucker? Just say it!_

"Jake?" I could feel her eyes on me. I turned my face and looked out the side window, away from her. "He'll be okay, but this is so hard on him."

_Yeah, the fucker would probably feel a whole lot better if he could just stick his tongue down your throat. Oh that's right, he did._

She turned and looked out the window. She didn't say anything else, she didn't try to touch me or anything; she probably didn't want to anyway. I turned the music back on and we drove, mostly conversation-free, to Port Angeles.

**BPOV**

I didn't know what was wrong with Edward. Maybe it was the long drive. Maybe he was tired. A really weird vibe was rolling off of him in waves. He seemed almost angry. He was quiet and withdrawn. He probably didn't really want to hear much of anything about Jake. It was probably uncomfortable for him knowing I'd spent twenty four hours with my ex-boyfriend, which was why I figured I'd tell him what Jake and I had done together.

He barely responded to anything I said. He seemed like his former self; the way he'd been at the outset of the school year. I finally decided to just stop trying to talk. We had all weekend and whatever was bothering him would probably take care of itself.

The sun was low on the horizon by the time we got to the Cullen's home in Port Angeles. It was a lovely home; huge with several stories and a rose garden in the front, set off and away from other homes nearby. It backed onto a large wooded area.

Alice's yellow Porsche was already parked in the driveway, in front of a three-car garage. Edward parked his car next to hers and we climbed out. I grabbed my duffel bag from the backseat, and then I went to the rear of the car, where Edward was pulling out his bag and my other bags. Alice had done some extreme packing for me. I should have figured that. He carried the bags up to the house, again barely saying anything to me.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I finally asked him as we got to the front door.

"It's been a hell of a day," he said in a low, flat voice without turning around as he went inside.

Before I could ask him anything more I heard Alice's shriek.

"They're here!"

She came flitting down the stairway, stopping on the landing just above us. "You made it! Welcome to the very humble Cullen homestead, Bella."

"I'm not sure I'd call this humble. This house is huge. I might get lost."

"I'll take you on a tour. Come on! Edward, leave that stuff and join us."

"Um, no Alice, I'm going to put these things away in my room. I'm kind of wiped out. Why don't you be the tour guide?" He sounded apathetic and he turned, heading down the stairs to the level below.

"Suit yourself!" Alice looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed, questioning.

I shrugged at her. I was just as confused.

Alice took me on the grand tour. The entryway opened onto the stairway. There was a floor above and a floor below the main floor where we currently stood. On the main floor there was a large formal living room in the front of the house, all pale blue, steel gray and cream, with black wood in the furniture and accents, including the grand piano off to the corner, near the wide bay window overlooking the rose garden out front.

Through an archway, we reached a large great room that looked out on the backyard and the wooded area behind the house. The kitchen was very large, with rows of cream colored cabinets, some with ice blue glassed fronts, and dark granite countertops throughout. Through another wide doorway there was a formal dining room that held a large, dark china cabinet and a big, dark, oval table with eight chairs surrounding it. The seats were covered in ice blue raw silk.

We headed back to the stairway and the floor above. Alice showed me her bedroom. It was another large room, with a wild mix of hot pink, black and cream. The perfect over-the-top girly room. It overlooked the front rose garden. She must have seen us as we'd driven up. There was a large bathroom right next to her room. It was obviously Alice's bathroom, filled with numerous bottles of perfumes, oils and lotions, again mostly done in cream and black with hot pink accents.

We walked down the hall to a study, her father's home office, which held a large desk, numerous bookshelves and quite a few family portraits. Some of the portraits were obviously very old sepia toned photos of other relatives at distant points in time.

Emmett's room was vibrant; done in black and cream and primary colors. It felt rather cluttered with various posters and sports plaques hung on the walls and there were trophies on shelves. There was a spacious bathroom off the hall right next to it, also done in bright colors. Both rooms were boisterously lively, just like Emmett.

We retraced our steps and came to an expansive master bedroom that looked out onto the backyard and woods beyond. The colors were soft blues, tans and cream again. The on-suite bathroom reminded me of a luxurious hotel spa.

"Alice, this house is immense! It looked large from the street, but you can't even tell that it goes out toward the backyard as far as it does."

"And there's more downstairs, follow me," she said smiling. "That's where the good stuff is: Edward's bedroom and the playroom!" When she said playroom she made air quotes with her fingers. "We're too old for a playroom, but that's still what we all call it. It's where we usually hang out with our friends."

We descended the stairs and continued on down to a lower floor that hadn't even been evident from the street.

"My mom's office is in here," she said, pointing to a side room filled with designer's materials, an immense desk, and a little sitting area off to the side. "The next room is our 'playroom'." She made air quotes with her fingers again as she said it and smiled. We walked through the archway and there sat Emmett and Rose, curled up next to each other on a large L-shaped sectional couch, looking at a car magazine together. Jasper sat sprawled out nearby, watching Jeopardy on a big flatscreen TV, calling out answers. They all turned to greet me, smiles on their faces.

"Bella Actually! Ready for a Very-Cullen-Weekend?" Emmett asked.

I smiled at him. "Yeah, I've really been looking forward to this."

"Well, be prepared to get your party on tomorrow night," Jasper advised, between game show answers.

Rose nodded, adding, "And be prepared for a real showdown in the kitchen tomorrow."

"I think I can handle myself in the kitchen, Rose."

"Come on, let's go find Edward," Alice tugged on my hand and we walked down a short hall just off the playroom. We passed another large bathroom, all cream, tan and black. Very masculine and subdued. The door at the end of the hallway was closed and Alice knocked, "Edward, it's us, we're finishing up the tour and I saved the best for last!" She turned and smiled at me.

The door opened and Edward stood there, his face impassive.

Alice smiled at him. "Here she is; you take over the tour from here. See you later, Bella."He opened the door wider and Alice retreated back down the hall to the playroom.

"This is my room," he said rather flatly, standing there with his hands in his pockets and looking into the interior of the room. The walls were a rich tan with rows of black shelves, many of which contained an extensive collection of CD's and books. Two guitars and a mandolin hung on the wall above a black leather couch with tan and antique gold throw pillows. He had a large bed set right beneath a high, wide window. The headboard was black, as were the nightstands on either side and the dresser on the far wall. The comforter was a rich antique gold with varying-width thin black stripes. I noticed it looked a little rumpled; he had been lying there before we came in. My duffel bags were on the couch next to his.

"This is a really great room. You have so much music and so many books." I looked back at him. He was watching me and he looked…sad.

He looked over at the couch. "I brought your stuff down here. You can sleep here. I'll sleep on the sectional out there." He gestured toward the playroom.

I nodded, still unsure of his demeanor. "I don't want to put you out."

"It's not a big deal. You can have my bed. I'll be fine out there."

He looked pained as he sat down on the bed, his back to me.

"Edward, you don't seem okay. Did you want to rest? I can go hang out with them in the playroom if you'd like to lie down here a little."

"Yeah, sure." He nodded absently, stretching out on his bed as I left the room and closed the door quietly behind me.

I rejoined the gang in the playroom. My eyes flickered to Alice's.

"Where's Edward?" she asked.

I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb, indicating his closed door.

She frowned and came over to me. "Let's go out back, I'll show you around outside." I followed her out the French doors in the playroom. We stood on a spacious patio that looked out over the backyard. It was surrounded by flowering plants. There was a large outbuilding off to the right. I couldn't quite see it now at twilight. The yard was even bigger than I had originally thought. That portion of it hadn't been at all visible from the front.

"Alice," I could hear how distraught my own voice sounded. "I don't know what's wrong with Edward. I talked to him last night on the phone and he was fine. He seemed really happy about this weekend. But he was like a totally different person when he picked me up this afternoon."

"He seemed fine earlier today, back at school. Nothing happened, that you can think of? He didn't say anything?"

"No; I told him what I'd been doing today and nothing that would upset him. I told him the short version of what was going on with Jake and his dad, but I don't think that would have bothered him. He was like this the minute he arrived to pick me up."

"Sometimes Edward gets moody and broody about things. It's been a while, but who knows. I'll see if I can find out anything." She gave me a hug. "Don't forget you're here with me, too."

"Thanks, Alice. And thanks for bringing my clothes for me."

She smiled. "You're so welcome. Hey, I almost forgot! I have some good news for you," she said, changing the subject.

"What?"

"Emmett found out today that James has been fired from the coffee shop. There have been other complaints from two other women. Not only that, but he's been black listed for any other on-campus job. So you don't have to worry about running into him working at the library or any other food concession or store on campus." She smiled at me in triumph.

"Oh, Alice, that's awesome! I'm glad I followed Rose and Emmett's advice and turned in that complaint. That ought to send a message to that jerk. Thanks for letting me know."

She led me back inside, where Emmett was on the phone, ordering pizzas for dinner. Dr. Cullen was working a later shift at the hospital and Mrs. Cullen was meeting with clients, finishing a project so she wouldn't have to work the rest of her birthday weekend. They were meeting each other afterward for a late dinner out tonight.

Emmett hung up the phone and looked at us. "Did you tell her the news, Ali?"

Alice smiled and nodded and looked over at me.

"She told me," I said to him. "What a relief! Thanks, Big Sis!"

He grinned at me, flashing his dimples. "Gotcha covered, Little Sis!" He winked.

Rose laced her fingers through his and stretched up and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You're a good man, Emmett…a monkey-man, but you're a good man!"

When the pizza arrived Emmett banged on Edward's door. "Come on out, Edward, and play nicely with the rest of us. Pizza's here and we've got ice cold beers." He looked at me, his dimples forming. "He'll come out for pizza. Volturi's Pizza is the best in the Pacific Northwest. That and a couple beers will fix him right up!"

Edward appeared, looking much as he had earlier. We all sat down on the sectional, the pizza boxes, spare paper plates and napkins spread out on the large leather ottoman in front of us, and began eating and talking. Edward remained quiet and didn't eat or drink much.

I helped Rose clean up, carrying trash and beer bottles to the garage and extra napkins and plates back up to the kitchen. Alice winked at me as she got up and went to sit next to Edward. When Rose and I got up to the kitchen she asked in a low voice what was going on with Edward. I told her I didn't know but she must have sensed how confused I was. I was beginning to worry, wondering what was wrong with him; or even worse, what was wrong with _us._

"He was fine yesterday and this morning," Rose said. "Who knows what happened today? And if he doesn't want to say anything, we can't help him. _We're_ glad you're here. He'll come around, Bella, don't worry." She hugged me tightly for a moment.

We watched a movie on the large flatscreen. Emmett liked to turn the sound down and create his own dialog. It was funny. It would have been hilarious, if I wasn't so consumed with my concern about Edward and myself.

Dr. and Mrs. Cullen returned home just after ten o'clock. Alice took me upstairs to introduce me to them. They were both just as attractive as their children and they were very friendly and welcoming. But they claimed they'd each had a very long day and didn't want to interfere with our activities, so they said they'd see us in the morning for breakfast, told us goodnight, and headed upstairs.

Alice turned to me. "Bella, about tonight… my parents are pretty liberal. Rose is spending the night upstairs in Emmett's room; they're practically engaged, anyway. And Jasper was going to stay with me. But Jasper would sleep downstairs in the playroom if things are too weird between you and Edward. You can stay with me if you'd like."

_Holy shit! _"Your parents don't care about you sleeping with someone under their roof?" I was shocked. Charlie would have a heart attack first, shoot second and ask questions third.

"No, Emmett wore them down through the years, and as a result the bar has been set pretty low for me and Edward, especially since we turned twenty one. They figure we're adults and we're already doing whatever we're going to do; they just don't want us to be stupid. My dad is still happy to give impromptu lectures about safe sex and birth control methods at the dinner table." She rolled her eyes. "So would you prefer sleeping upstairs with me? We can have a slumber party."

"Oh, no, Alice. I'll be fine. I hate to put Edward out, though. I just wish I knew what was wrong. I'm sure it has to do with me. I just don't know what I've done. Maybe he'll unload later when we're alone."

Alice nodded thoughtfully. "I tried to ask him; he wouldn't tell me anything. It's almost like he used to be all the time, you know, after Tanya. I don't know what he's brooding about; hopefully he'll get over it by tomorrow."

I smiled, tentatively. "I sure hope so. I miss him." Alice wrapped her slender arms around me in a tight hug before we returned to the playroom.

Not long after that, Emmett and Rose disappeared upstairs and Alice and Jasper left shortly afterwards. It was just Edward and I; well, really I was practically alone, because Edward was barely there. He sat, watching TV, with a pillow clutched in front of him. There was a blanket on the sectional sofa next to him. He was as inflexible and unmoving as stone and as cold as marble.

I looked at his pale face, in the bluish light from the TV. He was aloof and detached, yet he was still so beautiful; his features so appealingly formed. If anything his sad manner seemed to impart an even more fragile beauty to his face. He looked like a tragic mythological figure. I realized this was probably what girls had seen and thought when they'd looked at him the past few years. This was the face that had shown his loss. It was almost unbearable to look at him. I wanted to fix him so badly. _What had happened?_

He had changed into flannel pants and a t-shirt, and I guessed that he was done in his room.

Finally, with a huge knot in my stomach, I got up to go to his bedroom for the night.

"I guess I'll go to bed. Goodnight, Edward." I looked at his face one last time.

"'Night." His voice was barely audible and his eyes didn't stray from the TV.

I had been tossing and turning in his bed for almost an hour. I could hear quiet sounds from the TV in the room beyond. I caught his scent, faintly, on his pillow; where his head had rested earlier in the evening. I clutched it to me. I missed him. I craved him. I could feel the tears coming before they arrived. I had a lump in my throat. This was not the weekend I wanted. This was not how things were supposed to be. I did not want to be here if I was going to feel like this.

I sat up and looked around, grabbing a handful of tissues from the nightstand, blowing my nose and wiping at my eyes. I stood up from the bed and went back out into the playroom with a small wad of tissues in my hand. The room was dark, except for the pale play of light from the TV, which was nearly silenced now.

He glanced up at me as I neared him and seemed surprised to see me. I could see his brows knit slightly when he noticed I was crying.

I stopped in front of him. I had a lump in my throat, but I had to speak up, even though I wouldn't be able to get through what I had to say without my voice cracking and tears streaming down my face.

"Edward, you have got to tell me what's wrong. I can't fix what's wrong if I don't know what to fix. I don't know what happened, but I can't stay here if you won't talk to me. You either talk to me or you take me to the bus station so I can go back to school tonight. If I had my truck here, I'd already be gone."

**A/N: Maybe you feel like you've been hit by a truck. A red truck.**

**I hope you're still speaking (well, writing) to me. I'd like to know your thoughts on the situation if you're still speaking (well, writing) to me.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	38. Say It Out Loud

**The Transfer (Revised)**

**A/N: This is a revised version of this story. It's expanded, with additional content and storylines. I have pulled the rest of the original version chapters, but I will continue uploading revised chapters. Trust me. I am only trying to bring you a better story. Please let me know what you think, whether you are reading this for the first time or for the second time around.**

Bella is now at the Cullen Homestead with a very uncommunicative Edward just so near and yet so far. It's time to do something about it. Something has to give. Hopefully, it's Edward.

Stephenie Meyer created a monster. We just can't get enough of that monster. What the heck did I do before fan fic? I didn't infringe then and I won't now.

A Very Cullen Weekend, Part II:

**Chapter 38: Say It…Out Loud (Revised)**

**EPOV**

I'd worked my shitty afternoon up into an even shittier evening.

Your mind just wanders down dark halls sometimes.

Bella had never said anything in the car about what had happened between her and Jake. She hadn't really said too much in general, either about her day today or the previous night, after her phone had died. I mean, she'd given me a quick rundown, but I couldn't help wondering if there was anything else she was maybe leaving out. And I didn't want to ask. I was afraid to ask because I didn't want to seem distrustful or insecure. I was just hoping she'd say something, without me having to feel like I was interrogating her.

I was also worried about the answers. Her answers might not be the ones I wanted. If I heard what I was afraid to hear, I thought maybe I'd hit the bottom of the pit I'd fallen into. And then there'd be no crawling back up topside anytime soon.

I didn't want her to think that I was a possessive, jealous ass. But maybe I was. For sure I was possessive and jealous. I can admit that much when it comes to her. But I really didn't want her to think I was an ass. I didn't want her to think I had gotten there early to check up on her; or spy on her behind her back, or something. I really trusted her; it was him I didn't trust. But then I had seen them kissing, so maybe I _did_ need to check up on her; maybe now it looked like I couldn't trust her.

_Why was she keeping this from me? Why not just get it over with? Why was she pretending nothing had happened?_ _Fuck! If I could just read her mind!_

I couldn't stop wondering about it.

_Why would she let him kiss her? What had led up to that? What had happened once they'd seen each other yesterday and spent time together last night?_ _With him all shaken up from the accident and his father's paralysis he'd have been vulnerable…and Bella just has a good heart…What if they'd gotten back together because of that combination?_

I wanted to know what they'd done. He was upset and needed someone that he was close to. Well, that was her, unfortunately. I knew how I had comforted her when she was upset on Wednesday night, when she'd gotten the phone call from her dad. I'd held a nearly-naked Bella in her bed all night.

_Where had he slept last night? How had she comforted him last night? Had she held him like I'd held her? I hoped her hideous pajamas had kept him away and he'd sure as shit better have been wearing all of his clothes._

All these random thoughts kept stabbing at my brain. I tried to ignore them. But the seeds had already been sown yesterday when she'd told me he was staying at her house. I couldn't ignore those thoughts; of course I worried. Bella and I had gone on one date, so she wasn't tied to me. She'd been with him for three years. Maybe three years' history with an ex-boyfriend trumped one first date with a new boyfriend. It seemed entirely plausible given what I'd seen.

I knew that I'd fallen in love with her. We'd said it to each other on the phone. We'd texted those words to each other. But we hadn't gotten the chance to say them face to face. Didn't she love me the same way I loved her? I had assumed so, but now, I don't know, maybe I was wrong. If she loved me, she wouldn't have been kissing him.

My brain was in overdrive and I was so preoccupied thinking through everything I just couldn't shut down. But this is how I am. I over-analyze every fucking thing. Then I second guess myself. And after all that shit I wonder if I need to rethink things. I wish I could just power down and shut off. _You're a fucking power tool, Cullen._

I'd kept quiet in the car. But that hadn't been the right thing to do. I'd realized far too late that I should have said something earlier. I should have said something right away. But I hadn't. I didn't know what to say without coming off sounding like I'd spied on her and didn't trust her. And now I had waited way too long to bring it up. So now I'd look like a total idiot if I asked her about it.

By the time we'd gotten to the house, I just felt sick from the anxiety. I was thankful to just turn things over to Alice once we got inside. I was a mess; I could barely think straight. I put her things in my room and just stretched out on my bed. I wanted to be by myself. Lot of fucking good that's done me in the past; but that's me; I get stuck inside myself and I can't get out. This whole day seemed like a bad dream. I wanted so desperately to fall asleep and wake up to a different reality. I just wanted to wake up and feel happy that Bella was here.

Alice brought Bella to my room at the end of her tour of the house. Yesterday I had looked forward to having her at my house, showing her around and showing her my room. She would get a little peek into what I was about. If it had been the kind of day I'd imagined, I would have met her and Alice at the door and said something like, 'You've saved the best for last!' and I would have grabbed Bella, swung the door shut and whisked her over to my bed to pounce on her and maul her. It was a moot point now. Suddenly she was here and I just felt deflated and detached.

She'd looked around my room, at my books and CDs. She'd commented on them. She'd seen the guitars and the mandolin. I'd had a hard time watching her as she looked over at my bed. I had previously imagined us lying there and now that didn't seem very realistic at all. My room was not going to be the little tucked-away retreat I'd thought it would be. I felt the pangs of loss again.

She'd noticed her bags on the couch. I told her she'd be sleeping in my room and I'd take the playroom couch. She 'hated to put me out,' she said. I'm pretty sure there was sardonic laughter in some corner of my mind. I'd been put out already. I'd been put out the moment I'd seen him try to inhale her.

I'd sat down on the bed. She thought maybe I was tired. I'd latched onto that because I just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. My room was the perfect rabbit hole. It had served me well when we'd moved down from Alaska and I was consumed by the post-Tanya trauma in which I was immersing myself. The whole reason I got the downstairs room was because my parents felt I needed a little space and I'd kept odd hours, getting up in the middle of the night to watch TV or play the guitar or listen to music, just to work through things.

As I lay on my bed I could hear the others talking out in the playroom. I heard Alice's light lilting laugh. Emmett's louder voice and trademark guffaw. Rose's snicker and a squeal; Emmett must have pinched her. Jasper and his game show answers. _How does he know all the shit he knows?_ I heard Bella's soft voice every now and then. I wondered what she was saying. _Was she talking about me? About us?_

Eventually Emmett pounded on my door because the pizza he'd ordered had arrived. I couldn't very well stay in my room the whole night. I had to go out there; I'd be sleeping out there later anyway, and maybe Bella wanted something from her bags. I remembered her phone charger was in her bag, so I fished it out and pulled her phone from the little pocket where she kept it on the front of her purse. I sighed as I plugged in that little motherfucker and left my room.

Dinner was a miserable affair. The others were talking and laughing, watching TV and making comments, kidding each other and glancing at me uneasily from time to time. I'd mumble an occasional answer to an occasional question. I felt like I was on the outside looking in and I couldn't join in. This detachment all felt so familiar. I'd had nights like this before, but that had been in the past. I thought that was all over and done with. I honestly hadn't seen myself having this kind of night this weekend.

But the evening wore on and became more and more uncomfortable. Finally everyone began heading upstairs for the night. Emmett and Rose were going up to his room together; Alice and Jasper to her room. Everyone had their own little piece of heaven, except us; our evening had become utter hell. I could barely respond when she said goodnight and left for the bathroom and bedroom, leaving me alone.

I'd changed into some flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt earlier in the evening and returned to my spot on the couch with an extra pillow and blanket from my room. I sat in front of the TV just to have something to occupy my mind for a while until I fell asleep. I figured if I turned the TV volume way down, I'd have to stay that much more focused to try to hear it. Maybe then I'd stop thinking about how fucked up this whole day had become.

I guess the volume thing worked, because I was so focused trying to hear, I'd never heard the bedroom door open. Suddenly she was standing right there in front of me. I was surprised to see her again. She'd left to go to bed nearly an hour ago.

There was a little wad of tissues in her hand and I could see that she had been, and still was, crying. _She was crying? _Her other hand was on her hip and her chin jutted forward a little defiantly. She was an angry kitten. She looked so small, standing there in her pajama pants and my damn shirt, her lower lip trembling as she spoke, gesturing with the hand that was holding the tissues.

"Edward, you've got to tell me what's wrong. I can't fix what's wrong if I don't know what to fix. And I can't stay here if you won't talk to me. You either have to talk to me or take me to the bus station so I can go back to school. If I had my truck here, I'd already be gone."

_Holy shit._

She was hurt. She was angry._ She's crying, you idiot! Of course she's hurt and angry!_

Well, I wasn't very happy myself.

_She wants to fix things? She wants to leave if I won't talk to her?_

She wanted me to take her to the damn bus station if I wouldn't talk to her.

_I couldn't take her to a damn bus station! What kind of a shit does that to his girlfriend? Or…ex-girlfriend…former girlfriend…near girlfriend…partial girlfriend, whatever the fuck!_

If she left, this would be completely done before it even really started. I didn't want that. I didn't want any of this!

_And if she'd had her own transportation, she'd already have slipped away on her own?_

I looked up at her; she was waiting for my response.

_Time to man up, Cullen, you fuckwit! The first really great thing to happen in your life and you're willing to just acknowledge defeat and let her slip through your hands? Talk to her, shithead! Hell, fight for her, if that's what has to be done!_

"Edward, please tell me what's wrong!"

I took a deep breath and plunged. "I don't know, Bella. I'm not sure what's going on with you."

She threw her arms up in the air in dismay, rolling her eyes a little and raising her voice in frustration as she spoke.

"I don't know what's going on with _you_, Edward! You have to tell me what this is. Or I have to leave."

"No!" I said a little too loudly. I took a breath and spoke more quietly. "I don't want you to leave. It's not supposed to be like this." I raked my fingers through my hair and scrubbed my face roughly with my hands.

"No, it's not really what I'd imagined either," she said softly. She sounded so sad.

_Why was she sad? I was the one who was sad! What was going on here?_

I looked up at her and grabbed the blanket that was draped across the sectional, next to where I sat. I moved it aside, clearing a spot for her, so she could sit down. She sat, turning to face me, her legs folded up on the cushions. She wiped at her eyes with the little wad of tissues. She looked so forlorn. I wanted to hold her and kiss away her tears, but she had sat down too far away. There was this space between us; physically it was about two feet, but it felt like a yawning chasm, emotionally.

I think we were about to try to bridge it.

Her voice was soft, pleading. "Edward, I really want to know what's happened. Please let me in. Why are you so upset? What have I done?"

_Shit. Where to start? This really starts way before this afternoon, doesn't it? Yes, Cullen, it starts with your fucking baggage._

I'd been sprawled on the couch with my legs resting on the leather ottoman. When she sat down I'd pulled myself more upright. Now I turned to actually face her, pulling my legs up to sit cross-legged, mirroring her. I took a deep breath. And ran both of my hands through my hair for good measure.

"Bella…I…I don't know how to do this." I waved my hands between the two of us.

"You're doing okay, you're talking; that's a start."

"No, that's not what I mean. I mean the relationship thing. I've only ever had one and I was seventeen at the time. Less than six months later Tanya took her life. In that time I tried to help her stay happy. It's hard to explain. I really cared for her but obviously I didn't know what I was doing. And when she committed suicide I went through so much shit, I decided I could never handle the responsibility of a relationship again. I didn't want to love someone because I couldn't do that again."

"You were afraid of experiencing another loss." Bella's voice was almost a whisper.

I nodded. _And I'm terrified of it again right now…with you._

"I managed fine for three years until you came along. I tried not to get involved with you, but I just…couldn't ignore you. I finally gave up trying. You meant too much to me and I got to the point where I just couldn't stay away; I needed you. I didn't realize it, as it was happening, but you also threw me a lifeline, Bella.

"But the fear of loss is still in the back of my mind. It's that fear of loss that makes me feel so protective of you. I worry about you. I can't imagine losing you. It makes me possessive of you.

"Edward, I'm not her. I don't have the issues she had to deal with."

"I know you're not her. But because I feel possessive I get jealous easily. I'm jealous of your relationship with Jake. He knows you so well; he's spent all that time with you and you have so much history with him. I don't have that with you. I've known you for less than a month. We've gone on one real date. It's so fragile. It could all disappear so easily."

"Edward," she scooted herself closer on the couch, "why do you think I'm going to disappear on you?"

I stared at her for a moment. _She wasn't going to disappear? _She seemed genuinely baffled. _I knew the feeling._

"Like I said—I don't know how to do this, Bella. And I guess I'm just really insecure. When I talked to you yesterday and you told me that Jake was staying at your house, I started worrying. I didn't want to, but you go way back as friends and you were his girlfriend for three years. And he's in a bad place right now and needs someone. You were that someone last night and today. I worried that you might, I don't know, find that you still had feelings for him. And the thing is… you just broke up with him recently. He still loves you; I know he does." _Because I happen to have gotten visual confirmation. _

I saw that little pucker between her brows. I brushed my hand through my hair again. She waited for me to continue with my paranoia. I took a deep breath before continuing.

"When you called last night and told me about your day, it all involved _him. _I mean, I understand; of course it would involve him; that's why you went home. But I couldn't help but feel envious because he was spending time with you, doing completely mundane things with you: grocery shopping and making dinner, hanging out and watching movies. He was at home in your home and those things were all familiar to him. They're all things he's shared with you. I couldn't help my jealousy, Bella, because I want all those silly mundane things with you."

"But Edward….."

I cut her off. I had to finish what I needed to say. I was on a roll now.

"I worried about last night. And I couldn't call you or text you; my thoughts started running rampant. You see how it is here at our house; Jasper is sleeping upstairs in Alice's room, Rose is in Emmett's room. I know that's not normal, but I don't know what goes on at your house. I'm sure nothing like that. But then I started thinking about what Jake has been through, how he's vulnerable and I was concerned about you being the one that's there for him. I didn't want you deciding that you miss him. I don't want you feeling comfortable with him because of what you've been to each other. In the back of my mind I'm thinking, 'What if I lose you because you went back home for him?'"

I looked up at her. She looked surprised; her clenched fist was pressed to her mouth. I guess she hadn't thought I'd feel that way. She began to slowly shake her head, but I pushed on, ready to just get it out, once and for all.

"I really rushed to get here today. I couldn't wait to see you and I wanted to know that everything was okay; that I'd just been an idiot, worrying for no reason. But then I got here early." I paused and looked back at her, to see if she had any idea where this was headed. _She was confused._ _She had no idea. _

"But Edward, you didn't get here early. I told you to pick me up at five and you were there at five."

I grimaced. "No, that was the _second_ time I pulled into the lot."

Her brow wrinkled. "The _second_ time? I don't understand. You were there before that?"

"Yes. I was there at four."

"At four? Why didn't you call…? Oh, right. My phone..."

I nodded. "But I did bring your charger—your phone's charging now." I gestured toward my bedroom with a nod of my head.

"Thanks," she said, frowning momentarily. She shook her head to get back to the discussion at hand. "Edward, why didn't you come inside the hospital to find me?"

"I thought it might be kind of uncomfortable for all of us, so I wasn't going to. But then I got all antsy just waiting and I decided, 'What the heck?' So at four twenty I headed to the main entrance…"

She waited. When I didn't continue, she prodded, "And…?" _She really wasn't hiding anything?_

"I only made it to the corner of the hospital building when you came out of the main entrance with him."

"You were there? I didn't see you. Why didn't you say something?"

"I was going to. I was still a little ways off, coming from that side parking lot. I was going to yell to you, but then Jake came out with you, and you stopped. You were talking together at the entrance and then…" I stopped and glanced up at her. My stomach was cramping up into a knot.

She waited a beat, looking at me expectantly. And then she gasped and blanched in the same moment. I saw it: realization washing over her face. And abject mortification.

"Oh, my God! He kissed me! You saw that!" She hung her head in her hands. "No, no, no, no."

I couldn't look at her. I looked down at my hands and felt ill all over again. _She was embarrassed to have been caught._

But then she quickly scooted closer to me; our knees were suddenly touching. She reached out then, taking my hands and holding them in hers as she looked up into my eyes imploringly.

"Oh, Edward, no! Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry you had to see that! There's nothing going on between me and Jake. Please believe me! That was _his_ mistake and I didn't see it coming. Honestly, I wasn't encouraging him. I was trying so hard _not_ to do anything encouraging. I don't feel anything more for him than I would for any dear friend or relative. But he was emotional and he was caught up in the moment. He misread my reaction. I didn't kiss him back. I don't love him like that anymore, Edward." Her hands tightened on mine.

_It wasn't embarrassment at having been caught? And it was all him? It was his mistake? She hadn't wanted that. And she was upset because I'd had to witness it. _

"I think it's pretty obvious that he still loves you.," I told her.

"Well, that may be true. I can't help that but I don't want that," she told me. Suddenly her brow furrowed. "Wait… Why would you think I wanted him kissing me if I shoved him and slapped him?"

"What?" _What was she talking about?_

"Once I shoved him away and slapped him, wasn't it obvious that I didn't want him kissing me? Why would you think that I still wanted to be involved with him after that?"

"What are you talking about? You didn't shove him away or hit him."

"Yes I did! Right after he kissed me! He took me by surprise, and then it took me a moment because I was so shocked. But I shoved him away and then I slapped his face. And I yelled at him too, for being an ass!"

"You yelled at him?"

"Yes! Of course!"

"I didn't see that. I didn't hear that."

"I did! I didn't want him kissing me! Why would I want that? I want _you,_ Edward! Wait…Where were you? Why didn't you see that? And why didn't I see you?"

_You want me? You really want ME? Wait…what was she just asking? Oh, right…_

"I was at the corner of the building, coming up from the side lot." I looked at her, not quite grasping what she was saying. _This was such a confusing conversation._

And then it dawned on me. I hadn't watched the _whole_ exchange. "Oh, shit… that's right!"

"What's right?" The pucker was back between her brows, and I was beginning to realize what had happened.

_Oh, holy shit. This all boiled down to series of fucked up coincidences. _

"Edward, what's 'right'? What happened?"

"I was watching, right at the corner of the building, but when you kissed…

"I didn't kiss! He kissed! I pushed and slapped! And yelled!"

I smiled a little at her intensity. "…when _he _kissed you, I started to have a…" _Oh crap! This was going to sound so fucking pathetic._

"Started to have a what?" she was leaning forward, closer to me, squeezing my hands in hers.

_Go ahead, you fucking Nancy, just tell her! _

"I don't know…I started to have some kind of a panic attack, or something. I couldn't breathe…I got dizzy; I thought I was going to black out." I shrugged, embarrassed. "I sort of flipped out and I turned back around the corner until I could catch my breath and stop feeling like I was going to pass out."

_What the hell. I was laying all the cards out on the table. That embarrassing admission was probably The Royal Flush._

"Edward, you had a panic attack, because you thought you were losing me to Jake?" Her concerned eyes were searching my own. Her thumbs were gently rubbing my knuckles.

I looked down, embarrassed and exasperated with myself. "Something like that," I muttered. _Such a girl._

**BPOV**

"Oh, Edward..."

An unbelievable series of coincidences had led to such a waste of time and misunderstanding between Edward and me today. I watched him for a moment. His eyes were downcast, framed by his long lashes. There was a pout on his Cupid's bow lips and his square jaw was visibly clenching. He was so hard on himself. I couldn't feel any anger toward him, not now that I knew how it had all played out for him. I looked down at his hands: long, expressive fingers still clasped in mine. I laced my fingers through his and scooted closer to him.

"I'm so sorry for all of the stupid things that happened that made you wonder about me or doubt how I feel about you. You have nothing to worry about. I just wish you had said something sooner. We have to be able to communicate. We can't wait for things to boil over before we finally talk to each other."

His eyes were downcast still. "I know; I'm such a big idiot." He sounded so dejected, so lost and maybe a little ashamed.

"Well, luckily for you, Edward, I sort of have a thing for big idiots." _First_ _Jake...now Edward._

He looked up at me, surprised at the change in my tone of voice, I guess. I saw his face gradually soften and the corners of his mouth lift in a little smile. His stormy, deep-sea eyes brightened perceptibly, his clenched jaw relaxed, the worry lines in his forehead smoothed and disappeared. He began to look so relieved; so thankful.

"Edward, despite what you saw, or thought you saw, or didn't see, I feel the same way about you that I did when I left yesterday morning. Nothing has changed regarding how I feel about you. The only reason I didn't tell you Jake kissed me, is that I didn't want to worry you needlessly. I never expected I'd make things far worse by not saying anything. It had no bearing on our relationship, Edward. For the past twenty four hours I have been in love with you. Exactly the same as when I left from school yesterday morning."

He exhaled in a relieved rush and reached out, pulling me into his lap and wrapping his arms around me as I wound my arms around his neck. He was crushing me against his chest; his hands rubbing my back and threading into my hair. I felt his nose nuzzling against my temple and his warm breath and a gentle kiss on my ear. His forehead came to rest against mine. We sat that way for a few moments as the anxiety ebbed from his body and mine.

When he spoke, his voice was soft, reverential. "Bella, I love you. I really do. You've become the most important thing to me now; probably the most important thing to me ever. I thought I'd lost you just when you'd become mine." He paused before he looked up at me. He spoke earnestly yet sadly, "I kept waiting all afternoon for the axe to fall; foryou to tell me we were done."

I lifted my hand to his soft scruffy cheek, caressing him as I leaned in and kissed his other cheek, holding him against me. The stubble along his jaw tickled my lips. I leaned back and looked into his eyes, cupping his beautiful, sorrow-filled, seraphic face in my hands.

"Edward, you haven't lost me; I'm not going anywhere. And we're not done, we're just beginning. I love you too."

He smiled and his grip on me tightened. He leaned toward me, his soft lips kissing just under my ear and then along my jaw to the corner of my mouth. Suddenly his lips were on mine, becoming more insistent, opening as I opened my mouth to him. I felt his soft tongue on mine, seeking, tasting, gently caressing. He moaned quietly and tightened his hold on me, clutching me to him. He finally pulled away, planting a chaste kiss on my lips, and inhaling deeply.

"I would have really missed that," he breathed, his lips curling into a little shy smile.

"Me too," I agreed breathily. "Who needs oxygen?"

He chuckled. "Oxygen is overrated."

I laughed, relaxing against him, so content in his arms; so glad to be back. I could feel his peacefulness as we held each other for a while.

"Well, since I need practice communicating," his low, musical voice murmured, "we've talked about my day. How was your day?"

I giggled, rolling my eyes at him. "You really want to know?"

He smiled. "I have to admit, I'm curious. And a lot more confident than before."

I smiled up at him. "And you're possessive?"

He smirked back, nodding. "And jealous, but less so now that I know I have no reason to be."

I wanted to tell him everything I had thought and felt since I'd talked with him briefly the previous evening. I wanted to put any doubts he had to rest, and I wanted to share with him just how much I had thought of him. I wanted to communicate since he was trying.

"Well, last night, after you and I talked on the phone, I went back downstairs to watch a movie with Jake. The evening was harder on him than the day had been. He talked a lot about how guilty he felt and of course he wishes the whole thing were a dream that he would wake up from. He was lying on the couch and I just sat near him. I didn't hug him or hold him; he's so bruised up and cut up and stitched up, it would have hurt him, probably, anyway. But it would not have been an intimate kind of hug, if I had."

I looked pointedly into Edward's eyes. "I'm saving my intimate hugs for you; you're special."

He grinned almost bashfully and shrugged, allowing that. "I can live with that."

I smiled and continued. "Jake needed some kind of physical contact, though. I'm the nearest thing to family until his sisters get there. So I just sat and smoothed his hair and listened while he was lying there talking to me."

Edward's eyes widened slightly. "The hair thing you do to me?"

I laughed softly. "No, that's something special that I just do to you. _Your__ hair_ begs to be ravaged, you know." I grinned at him. "No, the way I smoothed his hair, was more motherly, less 'ravagey'. Like this," I said as I reached up and began to smooth his hair gently.

"You're right," he agreed, "that's a very maternal move, not 'ravagey' at all. Could you do the 'ravagey' move, so I have a better basis for comparison?"

He grinned hopefully at me. I couldn't help but oblige him. You can't say no to the crooked grin. I threaded my fingers through his hair, pulling my flexed hand away, and tugging the locks through my fingers. I heard the hitch in his breath as he closed his eyes and leaned into my hand. I moved my fingers through his hair a second time eliciting a small groan from him.

He opened his darkened eyes slowly, looking into mine, his nostrils flaring slightly. He nodded and softly said, "That's the move."

"Not very motherly?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, hell no, not maternal by a long shot, completely 'ravagey'. Could I have an intimate hug to go with that?"

I grinned at my beautiful boy, lacing my arms around his neck and pressing a kiss to his neck as I pulled him close. I felt the solid thudding of his heartbeat in the pulse spot beneath my lips.

"Hmm…it's good to be special," he said as I finally pulled away. He smiled softly and looked down at me. "Go on; I didn't mean to interrupt with my neediness."

"Anyway, you're right," I told him, "Jake does still care about me. He told me he missed me, but I told him that I was with you now, that'd we'd started going out. I told him that I was really happy with you…"

"Until today. Because I was a big idiot."

"Well, things are turning around now, so have a little faith in yourself there, cute boy. Anyway I told him that you are a nice guy. He called you a lucky guy."

"I am. I'm that, more than anything else." He patted my hip and gave me a quick squeeze in his arms.

"Then," I went on, "Jake fell asleep on the couch. And no, what goes on in the Cullen household, regarding sleeping arrangements, certainly does not go on in the home of Charles Swan, Chief of Police. I can't even imagine. I'm certain gunshots would ring out if he discovered any such thing."

"I kind of like your dad and I haven't even met him." Edward grinned at me.

"Well, don't be too hasty. Wait until you meet him, and then decide."

He pulled me in against his chest and stroked my hair as I continued talking.

"Once he fell asleep, I went up to my room and crawled into my own bed. I was wearing your t-shirt and realized that I could still smell you in the fabric. It was very calming. I fell asleep thinking of you sleeping with me and holding me the night before. That was lovely."

"That _was_ lovely. _You_ were lovely," he murmured. "You _are_ lovely." He smiled down at me before kissing the top of my head.

"The next morning I got up and made breakfast for my dad, Jake and me. I was thinking about how you and I are going to spend some time this weekend shopping and cooking together for your mom. I'm looking forward to that. I like doing domestic things; it'll be entertaining doing them together. I don't even know if you know anything about cooking." I sat up a little, looked at him, curious, waiting for his response.

"Yes, I can cook...some." He seemed a little indignant. It was endearing. "I don't do a lot of cooking, but when both of your parents work, cold cereal gets less and less delicious as time goes by. So, I know how to make some things. You'll see. I'll even cook something for you this weekend."

He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. Then he looked back at me, waiting for me to go on.

"So I told you in the car that I just cleaned up around the house, made my dad a meatloaf, so he'll have something home-cooked for the weekend. Jake was on the phone talking with some of his friends while I did that stuff. And then he and I went over and cleaned up his dad's house too, for his sisters' arrival. We got lunch at a little deli and I thought about our date at The Pink Door the other night. That was a very memorable date. I want more dates with you, Edward."

"Well, I'll have to check my calendar, it fills up pretty far in advance, I'm not sure when I can squeeze you in…."

I tickled his side and found that he was indeed ticklish, trying to jerk his body away from my fingers. Edward Cullen _giggled_. It was such a welcome, wonderful sound to hear after his bleak silence of the afternoon and evening. I stopped and he settled back down, and suddenly there was a warm breath on my ear. I heard his low velvety voice, sending a shiver down my spine.

"I'd think twice about tickling me, if I were you, Isabella Swan. You're far more ticklish than I and I'm much stronger than you. I'm pretty sure I could overpower you in about two seconds."

"Okay, okay," I giggled, "point taken. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, we had gone to the hospital and I couldn't go in with Jake. It was 'immediate family only.' So I had to wait in the waiting room. When you saw us come out of the main entrance, Jake had just seen his dad and he was all upset; more so than I'd realized. That was when I told him I was sorry and I hugged him. And that was when he kissed me."

Edward's mouth had become a tight line. "That was when the rug was pulled out from under my feet. I turned away, feeling sick and dizzy."

"And that was when I shoved him away from me and slapped him. I told him to stop. I yelled at him and I told him not to do it again. And I told him that I'm in love with you."

Edward's lips relaxed from the tight line back into the Cupid's bow, then curved up slightly, and then became a full-fledged grin. "You told him you loved me?" He was practically beaming.

"Yes. He apologized profusely, calling himself an ass. I agreed with him, and told him never to do it again."

"I would have liked to have seen you slap him."

"You're getting entirely too much enjoyment out of this, Edward," I admonished.

He grinned crookedly, but didn't bother to apologize. His hand raked through his hair before moving to the nape of my neck. His fingers rubbed at my neck gently.

"You're still wearing this." He slid his finger along the chain of the necklace he's given me, until he found the medallion.

"Of course I am. It means a lot to me; like you. We're interconnected; you told me so yourself and I agree. I haven't taken it off and I don't plan to. It reminds me that I'm yours. "

His fingers laced into my hair and pulled, angling my face up to his as his mouth came down to meet my mine. His lips pressed into mine, opening together. I felt his tongue sliding against my own, pressing tentatively and and exploring me. He sank back onto the cushions, pulling me with him down onto the couch as our kiss deepened. His hand cupped the side of my face, holding my mouth to his.

He finally pulled back, looking intently at me.

"I can't believe I was so stupid. Why didn't I say something?"

His expression became serious and determined. His fingers brushed my hair back from my face and tucked it behind my ear.

"I overreacted, Bella. I should have just talked to you. I should have just asked. I'm so very sorry. I won't make that kind of a mistake again. I've wasted this entire evening, just sulking. I owe you a nice evening, love."

I rested my arm across his chest, my chin on my fist, gazing up at him. I stroked a fingertip lightly along his jaw.

"Well, I completely understand how you misunderstood what had happened. I'm sorry it happened. I'm so sorry you felt like you didn't trust me, but I think if I had been in your situation, I would have felt the same after seeing what you saw. And I think it would have been hard for me to initiate that conversation too.

"We have to be open with each other. That's how we'll learn to really trust each other. I will always be completely honest with you, and you should do the same with me. Don't ever just let yourself brood about something that we could work through."

We held each other for a while, nuzzling, cuddling, and kissing. It was awfully comforting after the day we'd both had. We were both so relieved at the way the night had turned out. It was so much better than a bus ride back to Seattle. I smiled to myself. _Edward would never have made me take a bus back to school. Of course he would opt to talk things out. I'd known that much for certain._

Finally Edward sat back up, pulling me up with him. He sighed, seeming reticent to stop our actions. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Well, I hate to say it, but it's almost two o'clock. If we don't get some sleep we're going to mess up tomorrow too. There's a lot of stuff going on, starting pretty early. We should probably go to sleep."

I stood up, a little shaky, but happy. "At least we will be able sleep. We won't have to worry about this last day anymore." I was relieved that we'd gotten back on solid ground together and could put that day behind us.

We told each other goodnight and I bent and kissed him on the lips and headed off to bed.

**EPOV**

She had just left and gone to my bedroom. I'd turned off the TV and the lights and had lain back down onto the sectional, straightening out the blanket and pulling it over me. I was so glad we had talked through everything. I felt so relieved. There had been absolutely nothing amiss the entire day. It had all been in my mind. _God, I was a dumbass!_

I was really looking forward to tomorrow and Sunday with her. We had so much catching up to do.

My phone was on the leather ottoman. It started buzzing. I picked it up and there was a text from her. She must have found her phone where I had plugged it in to recharge it.

_I love you._

I smiled. She was just in the next room; she could have just called it out and I would have heard. I texted her back.

_I love you._

A moment later my phone buzzed again.

_I washed the pajamas I slept in last night. Now this shirt_ _doesn't smell like you._

Again I smiled. I thought for a moment. Then I texted and pressed send.

_I smell like me._

I heard her faint giggle come from behind my closed door. Her response was fairly quick.

_I find that hard to believe._

I snickered, wondering if she could hear me from the other side of the door. I texted back.

_Want me to prove it?_

Her response was fairly quick.

:)

I was grinning as I threw the blanket off me and got up from the sectional. I went into my bedroom, quietly locking the door behind me. As I approached my bed I could see the smile on her face in the pale silvery moonlight that filtered in through the window above my bed. She was lying under the covers on the far side of the bed; _her _side. I lifted the blankets and slid in next to her, to the side of the bed where I usually slept; _my _side_. _Right next to_ my girl._

**A/N:** **Reviews are like sitting on Edward's lap while he's wearing soft, plaid, flannel pajama pants and an old t-shirt. Oh, and he smells like him. ;) Please drop me a line and let me know what you think.**


	39. Let the Fun Begin

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Edward has been leaning over my shoulder, watching me type, offering suggestions and telling me he didn't want to lie there too long in that bed, waiting to see if anything, _you know_, was going to happen. I just couldn't take it any longer. (So to speak. Gah!)

Do I think I'm Steph M? Nope. Am I trying to infringe? Nope.

Let's get this party started. But first...let's return to the bedroom that's just off the playroom and see what's going on behind that closed, locked door, shall we? Yes, yes we shall.

A Very Cullen Weekend Part III

**Chapter 39: Let the Fun Begin (Revised)**

**BPOV**

I went back into Edward's bedroom after we had finally talked. I was tired; worn out from the drama of the last few days but at least I was much happier than I had felt all day. It had really been two rough days, considering. When I'd gotten to Forks yesterday, my dad had been so upset, then seeing Jake in the hospital and feeling terrible for Billy as well had taken its toll, and today, right when I thought I was finally going to get some relief from all of this depressing upset, Edward shows up all unapproachable and emo-angsty. But we had ridden that out and things seemed better now; maybe even better than they had been before this whole mess.

At least I had finally found out what the problem was and we had talked through everything. He had had such a bad day, filled with so much doubt. I know he had also felt loss and I think that made me feel the saddest for him. It was a feeling he had known so well. But he hadn't really lost me, though to him it had been real; he hadn't known that I'd never stopped loving him the entire day. I was his, no one else's. I wish I'd known instantly when he picked me up. I could have laid his fears to rest right then and there. Instead they had grown and festered all throughout the day.

But at least he had finally talked to me. Really talked. And I found out things about him that I wouldn't have known or even thought of. I think this actually had wound up bringing us closer. Despite all the anguish, that little glimmer of a thought made it easier to take. And it made me look forward to more with him. Edward was a definite keeper, broodiness and all. I didn't want to lose him; I felt like we had so much to discover together.

I reached over to my phone, where he had plugged it in and laid it on the bedside table for me. He was so thoughtful. Even when he doubted me he was still taking care of me. I flipped it open and texted him. I wanted to make sure he knew.

_I love you._

A moment later his reply flashed on the screen.

_I love you._

I smiled, tucking my nose down into the neckline of his t-shirt that I was wearing. His scent was gone; I'd forgotten that I'd done laundry at home earlier today. I texted him a new message.

_I washed the pajamas I slept in last night. Now this shirt_ _doesn't smell like you._

He responded quickly again.

_I smell like me._

I couldn't hold back my giggle and my heartbeat picked up the pace. He was so funny and so, so sweet. He may not have been sure about how to "do" a relationship, but for the most part, he got it right every time. Maybe three years of avoiding relationships had compounded the potential within him and I was now reaping the benefits of that stored-up bounty. I typed a quick response to his text, smiling to myself as I did so.

_I find that hard to believe._

I heard his low laugh out in the playroom and waited for his response.

_Want me to prove it?_

_Oh my. _Thank goodness for the Cullen household's lax sleeping arrangements. My response was fairly quick.

I just sent him a smiley face.

The bedroom door opened and he shut it quietly behind himself. I heard the click of the lock on the door and then he turned, padding barefoot over to the bed. I was smiling as I watched him near the bed. He passed through a patch of silvery moonlight shining in through the window. He was achingly beautiful, happy and untroubled now; a completely lovely man-boy, inside and out. He slid under the covers next to me, one arm going under me and pulling me close. He grinned at me in the semi-darkness as he lay there on his side.

"Hi," he breathed happily.

"Hi." I smiled back at his curving Cupid's bow. "That was awfully quick; you weren't at all hesitant."

He reached his other arm around me and pulled me toward him a little more, folding me into his embrace, until we were both lying on our sides, facing each other. The soft smile on his lips broadened as he looked at me.

"No, no hesitation there. I just hope that was an invitation. This is going to be really embarrassing for me if I misinterpreted that last text." He kissed my nose and looked at me with his crooked grin and I laughed.

"Have you noticed that I always seem to invite you to me with either smiley faces or frown faces?"

"You could probably just shorten things up to a colon and skip the parenthesis and I'd show up. You don't need to add the frown or smile; just skip those; it'll save us both time."

I laughed at his smart-silly sense of humor. I had missed it all day. My cocky boy was back and he was so much more delightful than his alter ego.

"I'll keep that in mind when I'm in a hurry. And you can relax; the smiley face _was_ indeed an invitation. We spent enough time apart today, both physically and emotionally."

He smiled a slightly embarrassed smile. "Don't forget _irrationally_."

"Yeah, well, that was mostly you, you know." I lifted my face up to his and kissed his soft lips. I slid my leg up and over his hip, drawing his lower half a little nearer. His leg slid in between mine.

"We've already established the fact that I'm a big idiot; let's not belabor the point. We don't want to give me a complex and completely destroy my self-esteem." He kissed my forehead. "I'll make it up to you; I owe you a nice, angst-free evening. Anyway, I'm here now. If I remember correctly, I came in here for a specific reason. So, go ahead, take a whiff, you know you want to." He was grinning, biting his lip to keep from laughing. He pulled his head away, giving me access to his neck and collarbone.

I took my cue and leaned forward, pressing my face into the warm, soft skin between his shoulder and neck and inhaled deeply. _Mmmm…masculine, musky, spicy, man-soap-scented goodness. Gah!_

"Well…?" I heard him murmur, his head still tilted away.

"Mmm. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't smelled you with my own nose." I looked up at him as I laughed quietly once again. "You _do _smell like you! It's amazing!"

"And what does my scent say to you? Does it say, 'This guy should have hopped in the shower for better results'?"

I giggled, leaning in to his neck and inhaling once again.

"No, actually it says, 'This guy smells good, but you should see how he tastes.'"

Edward's mouth dropped open slightly and he made a little noise, somewhere halfway between a moan and a groan. And that little noise invited me in. I kissed his neck, feeling his pulse beating beneath my lips once again. I heard his shallow, shaky breaths as I pressed my tongue against his pulse point, tasting him and tracing a slow line up to his ear, sucking on his earlobe and biting down gently before tugging on it, letting go and pulling back. _Mmmm…slightly salty, purely Edward, warm, manly loveliness. Gah!_

Edward peered down at me, seemingly recovered, a slight smile tickling his lips, one eyebrow cocked, waiting for my verdict.

I nodded, smiling at him. "You're pretty damn yummy."

He grinned, leaning down to kiss me as his hand slid down to the small of my back, pulling me tighter up against him. I could feel his arousal, pressing against me now. _Oh my. Pretty damn yummy indeed. Gah!_

He pulled his head away to look at me. I raised my hand, laying my palm against his scruffy-soft cheek. My index finger stroked his sideburn.

"I'm so sorry you had such an incredibly horrible day, Edward. I wish we could do it over and fix it. I'd like to be able to get rid of it for you."

He smiled down at me. "I think things have turned around quite nicely. I'm glad we talked, Bella. I'm glad you forced me to talk to you. I told you things I hadn't even realized about myself until this evening. I think we both know each other a little better and it's nice to know that we were able to get through that disaster and come out of it okay. Thank you for being so understanding."

He leaned into me and kissed me with his soft, pouty lips. When he pulled back, he regarded me for a moment with a tender, loving gaze. He cupped my cheek with his hand, his thumb stroking lightly across my lips. He smiled as he moved up onto his elbow, leaning me back onto the bed and repositioning himself above me. He was lying stretched out next to me and partly over me, my leg was pulled up and over his hip. He seemed to be contemplating something as he looked at me. I wrapped my free arm up around his shoulder, my hand caressing the nape of his neck. He reached up and tucked my hair back behind my ear, his eyes following the movement of his hand before coming back to gaze into my eyes.

"Isabella Swan," he said softly as he looked at me, "you're a beautiful girl. You're an incredible, lovely person. You're thoughtful and loving and kind. And I thank God you crashed into me with a shopping cart and made me interact with you. I thank God for a twin sister that saw me falling in love with you long before I had any idea it was happening. And I thank God you didn't let my bullshit ruin what we'd only just started to experience. You're the best thing that's happened to me and it would devastate me to lose you. It's happened so quickly, but I love you so much. I'm going to do better for you."

He looked earnestly at me and then softly pressed his lips to mine. His kiss was a punctuation mark and a promise.

I pulled my other arm free and reached over his other shoulder, lacing my fingers together into his hair in a makeshift crown for my King of All That.

"You're the beautiful one, Edward, inside and out. I've never been treated so thoughtfully and respectfully. I know you love me, I knew it before you told me; I can see it and feel it in everything you do for me. And I love you, all of you. You're right, it happened quickly, but that doesn't lessen it. It's been kind of a bumpy road getting to where we are, and it was a rather unexpected road for us both to travel, but I think it's been a mostly good ride, and I want more."

He nodded at me."Yeah. I'm sure we'll have all kinds of days together. I think most of them will probably be quite wonderful, but some of them will probably be hard. It's nice to know we can make it through both kinds of days together."

I pulled him down to me, tasting his lips on mine once again, feeling his mouth open to mine and his tongue seeking and exploring as mine did the same. His kiss deepened, pouring out the emotion that had been bottled up within him all day. He pulled my body closer to his, pressing himself down onto me, connecting with me as much as possible with as much of our bodies as possible.

His hand had been holding me against him, but it came around to my side, moving along my ribs and down to my waist. His long, strong fingers grasped me tightly, before moving to my hip and pulling me closer and more tightly up against him. I felt his arousal against me, as insistent and probing as his tongue in my mouth. Edward's hand moved to the small of my back, and downward, over my backside, cupping me to him, his forearm holding my leg up against his hip.

"Oh, love…" he breathed against my lips, "you smell so good, you taste so good and you just feel so incredible." He let go of my hip as he repositioned himself to lie between my pajama-clad legs. I pulled his mouth back to my mine, feeling him move and position his erection against the apex of my thighs. _Oh my. He's a very happy boy. A very sturdily-built, happy boy._

His face hovered just above mine. I felt his warm breath on my skin as he peppered light little kisses along my jaw and down my neck to my collarbone. His tongue traced along my collarbone slowly as he pulled the neck of my t-shirt to the side, allowing him to find to the sensitive skin there.

I was having a hard time breathing evenly when he moved back up and over me, his rigid arousal sliding once again insistently into place at the apex of my thighs. I moved my legs apart a little more, giving him better access; feeling him more completely right where I needed him.

His darkened eyes, filled with love, were looking down at me intently. His mouth was descending back down to my own. His soft lips were parted slightly as they moved toward mine. He flexed his hips, rocking his arousal into me a little and I gasped as he rubbed against my core. My hands slipped from his shoulders up into his hair, holding him to me as his lips found mine. Our lips parted and I felt his tongue on mine, searching, deepening our kiss.

I slid my hands up under his t-shirt. His skin was so warm and smooth. I felt the muscles of his back bunching and smoothing as he flexed his hips, bucking his arousal into me for the friction that we were both seeking. I moved my hands over the muscles of his back, wanting to feel as much of his heated skin as I could. I began pulling his shirt up as we kissed and he continued rocking and flexing slowly against me, thrusting against my heat.

"Take this off," I whispered to him as I pulled up on his shirt. I wanted to feel his skin, under my hands and on my chest. I wanted to kiss his chest and the soft curling hairs there.

He pulled away a little, still rocking into me, as he looked down at me; watching me. His green-blue eyes were glittery black, focused on mine. I could feel his warm breath on my lips. He moved his arm reaching over his shoulder, to grab his bunched up shirt as we both pulled it up and over his head. I held his shirt as he pulled first one arm out of the sleeve and then shifted his weight and pulled the other arm out, grabbing the shirt from me and tossing it, discarded, onto the floor.

My hands flattened out onto his chest when he pushed himself up higher momentarily. I wanted to feel the planes of his chest and the muscles of his stomach. I touched the soft hair on his chest and traced the line of it as it dipped down below his navel as he pulled himself up slightly.

He gazed down at me, smiling, as he relaxed back into place. My hands moved over the warmth of his broad shoulders, his back, smoothing down to his narrow waist and hips, finally coming to rest on his backside and pressing him against me more encouragingly. His eyes closed slowly as he pressed his forehead to mine and resumed moving slowly against me. I closed my eyes, losing myself to the sensation of him everywhere around me.

He cupped my chin, turning my face and suddenly I felt his lips on my jawbone, kissing his way to my ear. My breathing became ragged as the lips continued their ascent along my jawbone, to the delicate spot just under my ear. Hot, shallow breaths warmed my shivering skin. I felt the tip of his tongue tasting me.

"You're mine, Bella," he murmured as he kissed my ear, tracing the shape then with the tip of his tongue, and sucking and biting gently on my earlobe. "Only mine, love."

"Only yours, Edward. I love you."

I turned my head, kissing his neck up to his ear, as he bent down to me. I felt him thrusting still, moving against me. He was grinding against me now. My breathing became ragged; or was it his breathing? And then his lips pulled away and I moaned again, because his lips had left my skin.

"I want to see you," Edward whispered huskily, as he moved off of me, rolling to the side and relaxing back down onto the bed, pulling me to lie on top of him in the same move. His hands traveled under my t-shirt, sliding up my sides and over my ribs. I felt his thumbs brushing at the underside of my breast. He pushed my body upwards, bracing me with his arms as I pulled my legs up so that I was now sitting on him, my knees on either side of his hips. I was firmly straddling his erection. Then he gently cupped my breasts, beneath my shirt.

**EPOV**

As she sat up, she'd come into even more direct contact with my dick, pressing herself hard against me. I could feel the heat between her legs as she straddled me. She pressed her hands to my chest and she rocked on me, sliding against me, her movements in opposition to mine. I closed my eyes, trying to keep it together. I didn't want this to end yet; when we were both finding a rhythm together. My hands moved to her hips. I held her, moving beneath her, sliding her against me. I heard her exhale, shakily.

I reached for the hem of her shirt, pulling it upward. I had decided that I would let her take this as far as she wanted to go. I wouldn't push her to do something she might not yet want to. I would follow her lead. If we were taking my shirt off, well, then, we'd just have to take her shirt off. If we were leaving my pants on, we would leave hers on as well. I didn't know if she was really ready for me to start waving around the lucky condom that was waiting patiently in my wallet. We hadn't even talked about where we were headed or how soon.

"Off…take this off," I said softly, as I began to pull up on the hem of her shirt. "I want to see you."

She looked down at me, a little smile on her lips. She was bathed in the pale silvery moonlight coming in from the window. She was absolutely stunning. Her arms crossed over her body as her hands gathered up the hem of her shirt. She pulled the shirt up and over her head, stretching her slender body up, and then she tossed the shirt onto the floor near my own discarded shirt.

I nearly came right then. This wasn't going to last long; I could already feel that. She was a vision: pale, creamy skin; slender, but with lovely full breasts. Her hair a messy halo framing her face and cascading down over her shoulders. Her eyes were dark and focused on my own. Her lips were puffy from our kisses. Sparkling in the moonlight, swinging rhythmically right over her heart with the movement of our bodies, was the little Celtic knot medallion I had given her; the symbol that she was mine.

"So beautiful," I finally managed to whisper up to her. "You're just so beautiful." I reached up to caress her face and brought my hands down through her hair. I moved my hands back down softly, over her breasts and to her waist and then to her hips, moving her against me, pressing her against me as I moved.

She leaned forward a little, exhaling, pressing her hand to my cheek. "You're beautiful to me." She leaned over me, down to my lips briefly and we kissed before she sat back up.

I reached up with both hands, gently brushing her breasts with my fingertips. I heard the hitch in her breath and felt her nipples tighten as I stroked them. I cupped both of her breasts and gave them a little squeeze, kneading them in my hands. They were perfect and just so lovely. She rocked harder against me and moaned as she closed her eyes and arched her back a little.

It was awfully hard to watch her do that and not lose my mind. I'd held off as long as I could and now I just wanted to really move against her; take her with me to the finish line. I gripped her tighter, sliding her against me. She was watching me, her lips parted, and she was breathing hard, matching my own ragged breaths. She began moving faster in opposition to me, creating even more friction.

I reached down, bringing my thumb to her heat, watching her face; watching her reaction as I touched her. She gasped and I knew I'd found the right little spot, hard and tight against my thumb. I began moving against her, faster, once she closed her eyes. And then I heard her moan and realized that she was really going to climax, just from our movements and my very focused thumb.

The little breathy sounds she was making as she got closer were going to push me right over the edge. I watched her as her teeth pressed into her lower lip, her brows knit slightly in concentration, feeling me, her eyes closed and she was suddenly gasping my name, writhing against my straining cock, and then she tensed up, looking down at me as she came undone, her mouth forming a soft 'o'.

That did it.

That was all it took.

The tightly coiled spring within me let loose rapid fire.

_Oh God!_

I grabbed her hips, pressing her down hard against me as I came, groaning her name...stilling momentarily…

…_for the love of…_

and then bucking up into her erratically a few times as I rode out my own climax.

…_Ohhh f-u-uck!_

I shivered at the intensity as I looked up at her.

**BPOV**

I collapsed down onto him, hugging him tightly, my head resting on his chest. His arms wrapped around me and he pressed me tightly, securely, to him. I could hear his heart thundering in his chest. My own was thumping wildly. His hand gradually moved to smooth my hair to the side, out of my face. We were both breathing hard, catching our breath. I turned to kiss his chest, the hairs tickling my lips and nose. He made a contented humming sound and I felt him stroke my hair. We stayed that way for a long while.

I finally moved off of him, to lie at his side. His arm wrapped around me, pulling me against his side and I rested my head on his shoulder. I lay my hand on his chest, just over his heart. He reached up and laced his fingers through mine. His eyes were closed as he came back down, still lying on his back.

"Wow," he murmured. "I didn't see that coming." He giggled suddenly at his poor choice of words. "You know what I mean." He turned to gaze at me after a moment. His eyes were piercing. "You were beautiful in the moonlight."

I blushed. _What a lovely thing to say. _"That _was_ rather unexpected. You made me feel beautiful." I smiled up at him. I moved to press a kiss against his neck. "So how is today shaping up, compared to yesterday?"

He snickered, his eyes closing again. "Oh, I'd say today's got yesterday beat, hands down."

We both exhaled contentedly simultaneously and then laughed at the coincidence.

"We've got to get to sleep, Bella. It's going to be morning before we know it, and that could bring siblings pounding on the bedroom door, destroying the nice little bubble we've got here at the moment."

He moved up to an elbow, leaning over me and kissing me on the lips briefly. "I'll be right back; I've got to go take care of the damage. I've got adolescent boy pants due to extreme sensory overload." I giggled as he kissed my nose and crawled out of bed, smiling wickedly, padding over to his dresser and then out to the bathroom.

_Oh my. _That had been lovely, and there was something so innocent about it. The situation had completely taken us by surprise, and suddenly there had been no stopping it. We could have done things differently, taken things farther, but I liked the thought of moving slowly through all of the possibilities in our physical relationship.

He was beautiful; of course I already knew that, but watching him, as he loved me, made him even more beautiful to me, like some erotic, ethereal angel. I reached down to the discarded shirts on the floor and picked them up. I opted for the one that he had been wearing a short while ago. It would smell like him. I pulled it on and then lay back down, sighing. I pulled the blanket up over me.

**EPOV**

_Holy shit. That was fucking incredible for what it was. _We'd had half-dressed adolescent dry-sex and it had been pretty damn amazing. Because it was with her. God, she was beautiful. The light coming in from the window, shining on her as she moved above me, her perfect breasts swaying with the movement of our bodies. I wouldn't be forgetting that image anytime soon.

The term 'dry humping' came to mind. That was just so crass. What we'd just done hadn't been crass. 'Frottage' sounded better, but maybe just because it was French it sounded sexy. We'd made love; not to completion, but that would happen at some point. We didn't have to rush things. The anticipation was kind of hot. It was awfully sexy just having done _that_ with her. I was looking forward to everything with her.

What the hell was I doing having this little cheesy conversation with myself in the bathroom, cleaning up my explosion while she was waiting in my bedroom, fifteen steps away? I was wasting valuable Bella-in-my-bed-time. _Jeez, Cullen!_ Or maybe the phrase is _'Jizz, Cullen!' _I thought to myself, as I pulled on fresh boxers and clean pajama pants. Sometimes I'm just so fucking clever. And good Lord I'm just so fucking tired!

I shut the light off as I went back out into the hall and into my bedroom, locking the door behind me once again. I tossed the incriminating evidence into the laundry basket and crawled back into bed, sliding up behind her.

"Hi," I whispered to her, pulling her toward me.

"Hi," she said softly. "I missed you."

"I'm back. I'm not going anywhere else." I kissed her temple. "I'll see you in the morning, love."

"Goodnight, my sweet Edward," she sighed as she snuggled back against me.

I'd run the gamut of emotions today. I'd been at my lowest low and had just come down from my highest high. Post-orgasmic contentment was a nice way to end it all. I buried my nose into Bella's fragrant hair and drifted off with a sigh.

**Alice's POV**

You know, when you're as small as me, you've got a bladder the size of a pea. I'd woken up at the butt-crack of dawn, needing to pee desperately. I can admit it: I'm hyper, even in my sleep. I'd already been up earlier, feeling thirsty and tiptoeing down to the kitchen in the middle of the night for a drink. So of course I would need to get up and go to the potty now.

So back to earlier, several hours earlier…I'd been about to open up the refrigerator when my curiosity got the better of me. No surprise there, right? I just had to know if things were still bad between Edward and Bella. It was get-the-hell-back-in-bed o'clock and I was searching out the detes. I tiptoed back out of the kitchen and over to the landing and headed stealthily downstairs. Peeking into the darkened playroom, I could barely make out the pale pillow on the sectional, and the darker blanket on top, but I couldn't really verify anything beyond that; couldn't make out a body lying under the blanket, so I tiptoed closer.

_No Edward! _

_Oh! _

_That's a good sign, right?_

I was about to leave, but then, I thought maybe he was just in the bathroom, so I tiptoed down the hall. There was no light visible beneath the closed door! Wait…would Edward pee in the dark? Ewww….disgusting! Emmett maybe, but not Edward, right? I began to knock so quietly on the door, but it swung open under my fist.

_Empty! _

_Yes!_

_And the toilet seat was down! Edward was such a great guy!_

Okay, I promise, I wasn't going to look if I heard anything, any single noise, and I certainly wasn't going to stick around, but I couldn't stand there and not know for sure. I moved closer to Edward's door and listened. I was going to be in such trouble if I got caught, but the adrenaline rush was too great, I had to know. I moved my ear up to the door and listened.

_Nothing!_

My hand reached out cautiously to Edward's door. I swear I wanted to slap it away and then slap myself for even being here, but shit. I. Had. To. Know. I slowly, silently wrapped my hand around the doorknob and began to turn it.

_Locked!_

_Yes! _

_They had to both be in there, right? Behind his locked door!_

And then…from inside the room…I hear Edward cough.

_Confirmation! _

_Yippee!_

_He was there!_

_With her!_

_They had to have patched things up!_

I skipped back down the hall, clapping my hands in a nearly silent golf-clap, dancing up the stairs, all the way up to my bedroom door before I remembered that I had been going to get a drink when I'd gotten side-tracked. I skipped back down the stairs to the kitchen, grabbed my water and did Rose's little shimmy-shake dance in front of the opened refrigerator door for a moment, before scampering back upstairs and sneaking back into bed.

So now, at butt-crack-o'clock, I was regretting drinking that bottle of water, because I had to pee. Tiny bladder. Figures. I hated to get up and out of bed, but it just really couldn't wait. Really. I slipped out quietly, leaving Jasper snoring away.

He's really got the cutest, most entertaining snore; it's almost like what you hear on cartoons. The problem is, if he falls asleep before me, I lie there, listening to it, giggling quietly to myself, trying not to wake him up as I imagine a variety of Jasperesque-looking cartoon characters that might snore like that.

But back to my recent potty trip. As I was leaving the bathroom I heard a faint noise from downstairs. I wondered who was up so early. I sneaked downstairs, quiet as a mouse, and peeked around the corner and into the kitchen. Edward was standing at the sink, wearing some pj pants and no shirt. He was eating a piece of toast, looking out the window onto the backyard bathed in the early light of morning. There was a glass of orange juice on the counter next to him. He was lost in thought and I knew he hadn't heard me approach.

_This would be entertaining. I'd done this to him since we were kids._

"So!,,,"

"Shit!" Edward jumped and spun around. "Alice! Don't do that! You scared the shit out of me! How do you always manage to just appear out of thin air in the mornings?" His body sagged back against the counter in post-fright relief.

"Sorry, Edward, I just hate to make noise. It's so peaceful in the morning. And I like to watch you freak out." I climbed up onto one of the barstools at the breakfast bar. "Put a slice in the toaster for me, would you, please?"

Edward put the slice of toast in his mouth for safekeeping as he opened up the loaf of bread and took out another slice. He pulled the slice back out of his mouth, took a bite, and chewed as he walked over to the toaster and put my slice in.

"So… You guys slept together, right? Did you patch things up with Bella? What the hell happened yesterday, Edward? And what happened last night?

He rolled his eyes at me as he leaned against the counter near the toaster.

"Okay, I know; one question at a time. You guys slept together in your bed, right?"

"Yes, we did." He crossed his arms over his chest and just looked at me.

_Damn, he wasn't going to elaborate. I didn't really think he would, though. I wouldn't pry about that. Edward liked to keep personal things personal. Emmett was another story. Sheesh..!_

"Next question, Alice?" he asked as he got the butter out of the refrigerator.

"Did you patch things up between you?"

The toast popped up and Edward put it on a plate, getting out a knife and opening the butter.

"Yeah, we had a really long talk. It was actually a really good talk. I think it probably brought us closer in the end." He buttered my toast and set the plate on the counter in front of me.

"Thanks, sweetie. So what the hell happened yesterday in the first place?"

He walked back over to the sink, setting the knife down, and then he covered the butter and went back to the refrigerator with it. "Orange juice?" he asked. I nodded.

"It was all a series of screwed up coincidences. When I picked her up from the hospital, I saw her with Jake, he tried to kiss her, well..he did kiss her, but I misread things. She didn't want him kissing her; he'd messed up. But I didn't know that. She slapped him, but I didn't see that, so I thought they were getting back together. I didn't know what was going on, didn't know where I stood with her or what to say. It was just a turmoil-filled day from that point on, you know? Just a shit day."

He poured the orange juice into a glass and handed it to me.

"Edward, that's just awful. No wonder you crawled inside yourself. I don't blame you one bit. So what happened last night?" I glanced up at him. I didn't want him to think I was prying into _that_ part of the night. "I mean, how did Bella get you talking?"

He leaned on the counter across from me, watching me as I ate my toast and drank my o.j. "She kicked my broody ass. She gave me an ultimatum. I had to start talking or I had to take her to the bus station so she could take a bus back to school."

I couldn't help it. I laughed my ass off. Edward just stared at me, uncomprehending.

'What?" he asked, looking irritated.

"Oh, Edward! I just love that girl! She's got you pretty well figured out, you know? She knew you'd never let her take a freaking bus back to school!" I began laughing uncontrollably again, looking at his dumbfounded expression. I could see that he was biting at his lip, and then he couldn't help it; his tight lips turned up into a grin as the realization dawned on him. He hadn't seen the humor in this earlier.

"Edward, come on, in the middle of the night? Really? A four hour bus ride? Alone?"

He began laughing. "She's pretty smart. She really has an entertaining mind, you know?"

"Yeah, she sure does. God, that's priceless!" I hopped off the barstool, picking up my plate and glass and set them in the sink. I turned around and looked at him. "You know we all took bets, don't you?"

"I should have figured as much. Who bet what?" He was grinning at me.

"Twenty bucks each. Rose thought today would be more of the same; you'd both still be here, at an uncomfortable impasse, ruining the weekend for the rest of us. Emmett figured you'd have left in the middle of the night and gone back to school so you could mope privately and not be under the microscope. Jasper took the romantic view, figuring Bella would have run away tearfully into the night and we'd spend the day today trying to find her in the forest behind the house. I had faith. I knew you'd both patch things up and be all lovey-dovey today." I smiled triumphantly at him. "What do you think I should buy with my eighty bucks?"

He laughed and shrugged. "Why would they ever bet against you? You always win."

"What can I say?" I giggled. "I'm psychic. And eighty dollars richer."

"There are those who say you're _psycho_, not _psychic_."

I smiled. "I'm that too."

He shook his head, grinning.

"Well, Edward, I'm going back to bed. This has been most enlightening and entertaining. Don't you have a cute, funny girlfriend you should be getting back to?"

His mouth twisted up into a happy smile. "Yeah, I do. I'll see you later, Alice."

I headed upstairs as he squirted some dish soap in the sink and ran the water for a moment.

**BPOV**

I woke up a little disoriented in the morning. I looked around and realized that I was in Edward's room; in his bed. Thoughts of the previous evening came flooding back into my mind. I blushed a little, and then looked over at his side of the bed. It was empty. I waited there for a minute wondering where Edward was. _What time was it? Where had he gone? _

I picked up my phone from the nightstand, looking at the time. It was still early. I sat up, listening. I moved the covers aside and got out of bed, going to the door and opening it. The playroom was deserted; the bathroom door was open and empty. I listened, then I heard a few quiet sounds coming from upstairs. I tiptoed up the stairs and became aware of the smells of food cooking. I looked around and saw no one, heard no voices. I peered around the corner into the kitchen, and there stood a shirtless Edward, his pants hanging off his hips, his back to me as he stood at the stove. On the counter nearby I saw an egg carton, opened up and missing a few, an opened package of bacon and an opened loaf of bread.

I tiptoed up behind him and wrapped my arms around him, running my hands across his bare, taut stomach, feeling the muscles of his abs clench a little involuntarily as I trailed my fingers through the line of hair down his middle. I pressed my cheek against his warm back and sighed happily against him.

He put his free hand over mine and spoke over his shoulder to me, "We're going to have to be really quiet, I've got another girl downstairs, sleeping in my bed."

I removed my arms from around him and swatted his behind. He laughed, turning to me with that devilish grin and wrapping an arm around me, kissing my forehead. He pulled me around in front of him, his arm across the front of my body now, his hand pressed flat against my stomach and holding me firmly against his bare chest. He sighed contentedly as he looked over my shoulder and continued cooking the eggs and bacon, resting his chin on my head.

"So, am I like a big grease shield to you now, or what?"

"Prettiest apron I've ever worn. You're supposed to still be sleeping."

"Well, what are you doing up? You're supposed to still be sleeping, too."

"I was starving. I hardly ate anything yesterday."

"Thinking the world has ended will do that to a person; you lose your appetite."

His voice was suddenly low and quiet, right near my ear. I could feel his warm breath, tickling. "Yeah, that's true. But being all content and satisfied and sexually optimistic takes you in the other direction. I'm feeling quite ravenous now."

I felt myself blushing uncontrollably and I shivered as he kissed my neck.

I heard his low, throaty laugh. He knew exactly what kind of an effect he had on me. "Besides, I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed."

I turned to look up at him, smiling. "Really? No one has ever brought me breakfast in bed. Well, maybe my mom did once, when I was sick, but the food was probably burnt and cold."

"Well, if you continue to distract me this might wind up burnt, but I'll still bring it to you quickly, so it shouldn't be cold. So at the very least I'll bring you a hot, burnt breakfast in bed. Why don't you just pour us some coffee and take it back downstairs and I'll meet you there in a few minutes?"

I smiled as I grabbed two cups from the counter and poured the coffee. I added the creamer to both and stirred some sugar into mine. "Are you sure you don't want me to help?"

"Yes. I'm trying to dazzle you with my cooking skills. Now go! Stop distracting!" He waved me away with a slightly greasy spatula.

I giggled as I took the coffees and left. I put the coffees on the nightstands and rushed into the bathroom to brush my hair and pull it up into a neat ponytail. I could at least do that for him.

I'd propped our pillows up against the headboard and had just gotten back into bed, with the covers pulled up smoothly, when a broadly smiling Edward appeared in the doorway.

_Shit, howdy! Just look at him! Look. At. Him._

_Pajama pants dangerously low on his hips; no shirt; messed-up, mussed-up, sexed-up, fucked-up hair;_ _carrying a tray with napkins, utensils, two glasses of orange juice and two plates of home-cooked breakfast._

_I've died and gone to heaven. Gah!_

"Surprise! Breakfast is served," he said as he toed the door shut, beaming proudly at me from across the room.

"Edward! What a lovely surprise!" I giggled, clapping like an Alice.

* * *

**A/N:**

**There once was a writer of fan fic**

**Whose chapter did end with a limerick.**

**E finally got "some"**

**'Cause B was "The One."**

**Alice begged, "Review and submit quick!" ;)**


	40. Inquiring Minds Want to Know

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: This chapter features the entire gang, Mama and Daddy C, included. Oh, and Mama C is having such a happy birthday already-she's getting to spend time with her happy boy and his little girly.

This is a fan fic entitled The Transfer. It's not Twilight. I'm bannerday, I'm not Stephenie Meyer. Look elsewhere for infringement.

So, let's get back to that breakfast in bed and see what the morning brings us.

A Very Cullen Weekend Part IV

**Chapter 40: Inquiring Minds Want to Know (Revised) **

**BPOV**

Edward and I were sitting in his bed, finishing the breakfast he had prepared for us: scrambled eggs with a little cheddar cheese mixed in, crisp bacon and buttered wheat toast accompanied by orange juice and coffee.

"This is perfect, Edward. Nothing's burnt and everything is still hot. It's not at all like my mom's home cooking. Usually everything's ruined and tastes dreadful."

He smiled broadly. "We aim to please here at the Cullen Café. I'm going to go get more coffee; would you care for a refill on your coffee, ma'am?"

I smiled, "If it's not too much trouble and if you promise to hurry back."

"Okay. Like I said, 'we aim to please'." Edward took both cups and was back just a few short minutes later.

I finished my eggs, taking my last strip of bacon and putting it on Edward's plate and offering him the rest of my wheat toast. I was stuffed. He did know how to cook breakfast, I had to admit. Nothing was burnt, the eggs were fluffy, the bacon was crisp, and the toast was buttered all the way out to the crust. It was wonderful. He was pretty wonderful too.

The Cullen Café boasted a heck of a view. too. I hadn't been able to keep from admiring Edward as he sat there cross-legged on the bed next to me. I looked at him again out of the corner of my eye as I sipped at my coffee. Of course there was the often-admired hair, and face, as well as the strong arms and long-fingered hands. They were always breathtaking, and always on display. But the less-often viewed, and currently spectacularly naked broad shoulders, developed biceps, well-defined chest and washboard abs, the beckoning happy trail and last but not least, his perfect bare feet…well, they all made up just the very best, extraordinary scenery a girl could hope to wake up to.

He had just picked up the last strip of bacon and taken a bite, when there was a quiet knock on the door.

He looked up at me, his finger going to his lips, indicating for me to be quiet.

Again we heard the little knock, followed by Emmett's voice in a stage whisper; fairly quiet for Emmett, "Edward? Are you in there?"

"Yeah?" Edward replied, looking at me, his eyebrows knitting, wondering what Emmett wanted.

Nothing further. A long pause. Edward finally shrugged at me, and finished chewing the rest of the bacon strip.

Another quiet knock. Followed by, "Bella?" Stage whisper again.

"Yeah, Emmett?"

Long pause. "Uh, never mind. Just, uh, go back to whatever it was you were both, uh...doing…together…in there."

Edward leaned over to me, whispering. "This is going to be just delightful. You know that don't you?"

I giggled. "Maybe we could just hop out your window and go about our day? Avoid them completely?"

"It's no good. They have some sort of internal homing device or GPS, I don't know what it is. They'll hunt us down, corner us, make us talk; it could get ugly."

"You're a dork. It can't be that bad." I laughed at him.

"Well, Alice already interrogated me earlier in the kitchen, so she knows the gist of what happened last night and has probably already spread the word."

I looked at him, horrified. "You _told_ her that?" I sputtered.

He was baffled momentarily. Then realizing where my mind was, he suddenly flushed. "I didn't tell her _everything_, Bella! Give me some credit. Alice is good, but she's not that good!"

_Oops! OhmyGod, I'm an idiot!_

Now I was the one turning bright red. Of course my mind had gone right to the last activity of the evening after sitting here ogling Edward's hot body over breakfast.

"Oh, right, sorry." I finally managed to squeak out. I still felt the heat from my blush.

He was smirking at me wickedly now.

"I told her it was all a big misunderstanding and that we talked and things are good now and we both slept in my room. And that was it. Oh, and she told me they all took bets on what was going to happen between us. You know, before…not…uh...after." He ran a quick hand roughly through his hair.

He rapidly went on to explain what the others had bet would be the outcome of our evening. I really had to laugh. Rose's guess went right along with her own sometimes bitchy attitude; she'd thought we'd both be too pigheaded to make any progress. Emmett took his normal dim view of Edward, figuring Edward would run off just to burrow deeper into his pit of despair. Jasper took the very romantic, somewhat eccentric view that I would run away, crying, getting lost in the woods and spending the night there. He probably saw me being befriended by Disney cartoon woodland animals as well. Alice, on the other hand, knew us both rather well. Or else she'd had a premonition of how things would turn out. She was the one that foresaw a happy ending.

"The tiny tyrant is omniscient, you know," I remarked.

He nodded at me, smiling as he ate the last of the toast. I polished off my coffee and orange juice. Edward downed his coffee and stacked the dishes, cups and glasses back onto the tray. He stood up and looked around, picking his T-shirt up off the floor.

He looked at me, confused. "I thought you wanted this T-shirt?" He held up the one he had plucked from the floor.

I shook my head. "Not anymore. It doesn't smell like you. This one smelled like you." I smiled, blushing, holding out the one I was now wearing.

He sat down carefully next to me, gently putting his hand on my knee, gazing thoughtfully at me. "Okay, let me just say that this is a bit disturbing. You only want shirts that I've already worn?"

I nodded, smiling and blushing. "They smell like you."

"So instead of tossing them into the laundry basket, I should just throw them your way?"

I nodded again, smiling more broadly.

"Can it be any kind of shirt: T-shirt, thermal, flannel?"

I nodded once more. "Any kind."

"What about shirts that I wear when I go to the gym or when I go for a run?"

I shook my head. "No, probably not those."

"Probably not those," he repeated, nodding to himself, turning it over in his mind. "Okay, I feel better about you now." He smiled, kissing the top of my head and patting my knee. "Come on. I've got to take this up to the kitchen. We might as well face the music, or cacophony, as the case might be."

He picked up the tray and went to the door. I opened it up for him and followed him out to the playroom.

They were all there. All four of them. Rose in her red velour sweatpants and matching zip-front hoodie, Emmett in a faded Denali National Park t-shirt and Seahawks logo pajama pants, Alice in her hot pink and black Victoria's Secret pajamas, and Jasper in a black muscle-man tank and black satin pajama pants to match.

Their heads all swiveled toward us simultaneously as we entered. The TV wasn't on, they weren't reading, they hadn't been talking, they had obviously all been waiting and were poised to pounce. Emmett must have alerted them all.

"Good morning!" four voices said in cheerful unison. They seemed suddenly on the edge of their seats, looking from me to Edward expectantly.

I looked up at Edward; he was shaking his head. I thought I heard him say, "Oh, for fuck's sake," but I couldn't really be sure. It could have been my imagination. Maybe it just seemed like the kind of thing he might say in this situation.

"Good morning, all," I answered for us; blushing under the circumstances.

Apparently Emmett was the group's spokesperson.

"We've been wondering what you two have been up to." He said it sweetly; he looked innocent. Inquiring minds just want to know. Even if it's not their business.

Edward spoke up. I guess he was _our_ spokesperson.

"Well… keep wondering." He had a smug look on his face as he moved farther into the room.

"What's that?" Jasper pointed to the tray in Edward's hands.

"Edward made me breakfast in bed." I smiled, suddenly proud of my guy, as I looped my arm around his waist.

Emmett looked crestfallen. And he sighed really loudly.

"You've got to stop this shit, Edward. You're just making me and Jasper look bad. Over and over again." He turned to Rose. "Come on, Rosie, I'll whip up some Lucky Charms for you, baby."

Rose's eyes glinted and she looked annoyed. "I don't see cereal bowls on the tray in Edward's hands. What did you make for Bella, Edward?" Her eyes lingered on Emmett's face even though her question was directed toward Edward. Emmett was beginning to squirm.

"Scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, wheat toast, OJ and coffee." He looked proud of himself.

"Oh hell, fine! Fine!" Emmett complained, throwing his arms up in disgust as he stood up in a huff. "Come on Ro, I'll make you a veggie omelet."

Jasper stood up and turned to Alice with a flourish, taking her hands in his and pulling her up from the couch.

"Come on baby doll, you're probably hungry too, let's go have some breakfast. Emeril Legasse's making us omelets."

Emmett growled at him. "Fine, but you're grating the cheese and chopping the vegetables, Julia Child."

Jasper frowned, but he followed a quietly cursing Emmett upstairs to the kitchen.

Alice grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her up.

"Come on, Rose, let's go watch this. It'll either be romantic or hilarious. Oh, and my mom has the perfect apron for Jasper to wear; you've got to see this!"

Edward set the tray down on the leather ottoman as they were leaving. "I'm not taking this up there yet. It'll be too crowded in the kitchen and I'll just get roped into helping them with their breakfast against my will. I'll give them a while to get started. If I wait too long, I'll somehow end up doing their dishes. It's a fine line to walk." He smiled at me.

I sat down on the sectional. "What do you want to do while we wait?"

Edward looked at me thoughtfully for a second or two before he fairly dove at me, grabbing me and carefully knocking me over, pulling me into his arms and covering me with his body as we sprawled out on the sectional.

He pulled his head back to grin crookedly at me. "I have a few ideas. That was one of them. Here's another, tell me what you think." He leaned back down to me and kissed my throat, his nose sliding along my neck. My eyelids fluttered closed.

_Oh my._ _This could just so easily get out of hand. Like last night...mmm..._

I laughed rather shakily. "You do have some really good ideas, I must say, but you know they're coming back. We probably need to get our story straight while we have the chance."

Suddenly I felt his warm breath on my ear and I felt his teeth on my earlobe. A tug. A kiss. A tongue tracing the shell of my ear. _Holy hell! _I shivered.

"I can't believe you're trying to ruin the mood," he said in that low, velvety voice.

I blushed, feeling awfully hot suddenly. But he was already sitting up, pulling me up with him and onto his lap, his mouth a sexy smirk. He turned and glanced up the stairway. He looked back at me with a conspiratorial glint in his eyes.

"You're probably right, though and I have an idea."

"What?"

"I'm sure Alice must have given them the rundown of what happened yesterday. But you know if we don't say anything more, they're going to try and corner us individually to find out exactly what happened between us last night. Right?"

"Oh, for sure; especially given the change in your disposition between yesterday and this morning." I smiled at his sudden little frown. "So what's your idea?"

"Well, I think we should tell them different creative stories, and then when they get together to compare notes, they'll realize they didn't get the information they thought they were getting."

I giggled. "I kind of like that. What should we tell them?"

"Exactly what they want to hear."

"Okay; I'm not sure I follow."

He took my hand in his, lacing his fingers through mine and then he looked back toward the steps to make sure we were alone. "Well, we have to make sure we both tell the _same_ person the _same_ story, just in case we're both asked."

"I think I can manage that. I'm a college student, you know."

"Oh, that's right. UDub, right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, pointing at me.

"Right," I answered. "I've seen you around campus; you're hard to miss."

"Really?" He smiled, pulling me close and kissing me. He made a happy little humming noise as we kissed.

A moment later he leaned back, pushing me a bit farther away on his lap, putting a little space between us.

"You get me all sidetracked so easily," he murmured. Then he kind of shook it off. "Okay, let's concentrate, story lines. Well, so, what does Emmett want to hear?"

"That you're inept?"

He laughed instantly. "You've picked up on that about him, have you? You catch on quickly, smart girl. Shall we tell him that you slept under the blankets and I slept on top of them?"

I laughed. "That's perfect. He'll think you're so pathetic at having a girl in your bed. Let's say we slept facing opposite directions as well, just to be certain we kept things chaste."

"All right," he laughed, "then there's Rose. What do you think? Any ideas?"

I blushed, and looked down, inspecting our entwined fingers closely, shaking my head.

He smirked. "What? Go ahead. You can say it."

I shook my head. "Never mind."

"Tell me!" He was very demanding. It felt like his fingers were poised to tickle.

"We could tell her that we had sweaty animal sex all night." I could feel the heat rising in my face as I said it, but I knew it would be exactly what Rose would want to hear.

Edward's mouth dropped open in surprise, then he cleared his throat, swallowed loudly, and finally he ran his hand through his hair. Twice. Then he shifted in his seat a little. He swallowed once more and then finally seemed composed. "Sweaty, animal sex all night." He finally chuckled. "Yeah, Rose would like to hear that. That's perfect. Very primal. Somehow it'll make her irritated with Emmett, and that's always a good source of entertainment."

I laughed at that. Edward wanted to see Rose go off on Emmett just for the fun of it. Edward and Emmett were always giving each other crap but you knew inside they really cared about each other. They were close behind all of the nonsense.

"What should we tell Jasper? I asked him. "What would he like to hear?"

"Hmm. I think we should tell him that we just read each other poetry all night."

I nodded, giggling. "That's good. I think it needs some tweaking, though. How about if we said that we did that _naked_?"

Edward seemed caught by surprise and laughed loudly. "I'm impressed, love. This stuff is coming quite naturally to you. It worries me a little. You're much naughtier than I would have expected."

"You expected me to be somewhat naughty, then?"

"Well, I had hoped…It's very welcomed, you know."

I giggled as he hugged me and lunged into my neck with a fake bite.

"But what about Alice?" I asked him. "That's going to be difficult. I hate to lie to her."

"Well, maybe you just tell her the truth."

I stared at him in shock. "You want me to tell her _exactly_ what we…?"

"No! That's not what I meant!" He ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the strands. "Didn't we already have this conversation? I just meant in _general terms_! Tell her we talked and made up. Tell her our text conversation; she'd be all over that. She'll probably combust if you tell her about the ILYs in the texts and face to face." He smiled at me.

I grinned. He knew his twin so well. "Aww, that would be nice for Alice, Edward. She'd want the happily-ever-after. She's responsible for _us_, anyway."

"Okay then, I think we're good to go. We've got our stories straight. I've got to take this tray up and wash these dishes."

"I'll come with you; I'll do the dishes; you cooked. That was very nice, Edward. Thank you." I leaned over and kissed his scruffy jaw.

We climbed the stairs and entered the kitchen. The chatting that we'd heard as we walked up the stairs ceased immediately. I looked at the table. There were place settings for six people. Edward's mom and dad were sitting at the table with Alice and Rose. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen both had on big fluffy white robes and their hair looked damp. They were both smiling at us.

Emmett and Jasper were still in the kitchen making omelets for everyone. Jasper was wearing an apron that appeared to be a pleated tuxedo shirtfront with bow tie, small onyx buttons, red cummerbund, giving way to black pants below. Jasper was quite the debonair sous chef. Emmett was apron-less, sautéing chopped onions and bell peppers in a pan. Jasper added chopped mushrooms to the pan then turned back to the cutting board to begin chopping up some fresh spinach.

"Good morning, Edward, Bella." Edward's mom called to us. "Come join us. There's more coffee. Dad just made a fresh pot."

We both said good morning and I joined them at the table. Edward took the tray to the kitchen counter and returned with our two coffee cups, now refilled. Edward sat down next to me, putting my cup in front of me. His warm hand went to my lower thigh under the table.

"So, Edward, your dad and I got to meet Bella last night; Alice introduced us. We're very glad she's here for the weekend." She glanced at me and smiled warmly." And we hear you already made breakfast for you and Bella earlier this morning. That was very nice, dear. I hope everything turned out okay?"

"Yeah, I just made some eggs, bacon and toast. Everything came out fine." I could feel Edward's hand rubbing my thigh lightly beneath the table. He was making little circles with his fingertips.

"He did it partly to impress Bella and partly to put Jasper and me to shame," Emmett called from his location, stoveside.

Jasper looked over and nodded in agreement. "Amen to that," he said.

Edward's mom and dad both laughed. Edward gave my leg a little squeeze and he smirked at me.

"He did a great job, Mrs. Cullen. I was impressed." His mom smiled at me.

"Bella, dear, please just call me Esme; the other kids do."

"And I'm just Carlisle," Edward's dad added. "No titles. You don't need to be formal with us."

I smiled at them both. "All right, Esme, Carlisle, I wanted to thank you both for having me here this weekend. I've really been looking forward to it."

Edward patted my thigh under the table, and then I felt his fingertips, brushing against my thigh, slightly higher now.

Esme smiled. "You're entirely welcome. We're glad to have the chance to meet you. And you just let us know if there's anything you need."

"Okay, thank you."

"Were you able to sleep okay in Edward's bed, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

Edward suddenly had my leg in a vise grip under the table.

**EPOV**

I stared at my dad in disbelief.

_Holy shit! What are you fucking thinking? Don't do this to her!_

I realized that I was probably bruising Bella's thigh under the table. Her own hand was swatting lightly at mine. I relaxed my grip, but I was tempted to sweep her up and run out of the room with her.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked back and forth between me and Bella. She blushed slightly. I wondered if she was thinking what I was imagining. I wondered how my dad would react to a frank reply. "_Oh sure, Carlisle, I slept quite well, half-naked in bed with your horny son. Oh, and he rubbed up against me until we shared a mutual orgasm. Thanks so much for asking!"_

But instead she smoothly answered. "Yes, thanks, I slept really well. It had been a long day and I was very tired. I fell asleep almost immediately once my head hit the pillow."

I finally exhaled. I wondered just how high my blood pressure had spiked.

And thank fuck Emmett was occupied in the kitchen and had kept his trap shut for once in his life. I'd have had to throw my coffee cup at him if he'd given me any shit about delivering my package. I could see Alice biting her lip, to keep from smiling but she wouldn't say anything.

"Wonderful, dear," my mom smiled. "Well, thank you for coming to my birthday celebration. I always consider myself very lucky with this party. I get the day off, everyone finds something fun to cook and I know I'm loved. It's a great gift. I hope you enjoy yourself; I know I will. It would be hard not to, with these crazy kids involved."

Emeril Legasse and Julia Child were finally done making omelets for everyone. They brought plates of omelet out and served them around the table.

"Starting your B-day off right Esme. The no-cooking has begun!" Jasper said as he set a plate down in front of my mom.

"Thanks, Jasper. I can hardly wait to see what tonight's feast will be." My mom looked up at me. "Edward, what course are you and Bella preparing?" She looked as happy as a clam every time she said Bella's name.

"Well, Bella likes making desserts, so we're the grand finale. I'm not sure what we're making; she's in charge. You'll just have to wait and see. I trust her." I winked at Bella.

My dad opened his mouth to speak and I cringed for a moment. But he just wanted to get the day organized.

"Okay gang, well here's the plan for the day. Mom and I went for a swim this morning. The pool temperature is perfect, the Jacuzzi is all warmed up, too. If you all want to go swimming for a while first, we can go to the store later, right after lunch. We'll buy our ingredients for tonight's dinner, come back, and start whipping up the feast in shifts."

"Pool house in a half an hour?" Emmett asked, looking from face to face with a big kid grin. The dimples were out in full force. Emmett still really liked playtime with his little friends.

Naturally we all agreed at once.

Alice looked over at me. "Oh, shoot, that reminds me. Edward, I have something for you." But then she waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, well, never mind. I'll make sure you get it later. Don't worry about it. Hey, how about us ladies do the clean-up now, since the boys all cooked this morning?" Alice asked Rose and Bella.

No complaints from the girls. No argument from us guys.

They chased us out of the kitchen.

**BPOV**

I stayed behind with Alice and Rose to clean up. Esme sat on a barstool at the kitchen counter, drinking another cup of coffee and chatting with us. I volunteered to wash the dishes, Rose dried them, and Alice put everything back in its place.

I had almost finished washing when Esme said, "Bella, I have to thank you. Edward hasn't been this happy in a long time. I know it's mostly because of you. Alice has told us a lot about you, since you're her roommate, and of course Edward has mentioned you to us on the phone as well. We're really glad we're getting the chance to get to know you firsthand a little bit this weekend."

_Edward talked to them about me? What had he told them?_

"Um, thank you Esme. I'm glad I'm getting the chance to get to know both you and your husband this weekend. I sure have a great time with all three of your children, so it's nice to meet the parents that raised them."

Alice hugged me. "She's the perfect roomie, the perfect friend, and the perfect girlfriend for Edward. We all love her."

Rose nodded, turning to Esme. "Oh, and you should see how cute Edward is with her at school, Esme. He just dotes on her. I've never seen him act so goofy and moonstruck."

Esme beamed, raising her eyebrows and waiting for further information.

I was blushing furiously, but I was also smiling. "He's a pretty great guy. You raised him right, Esme. He's such a gentleman to me and he's so sweet and funny. I have so much fun with this whole little group, really. They feel liked family; like the siblings I never had."

"Did Alice tell you about their first real date the other night?" Rose asked. "It looked like they were going to prom; both of them all dressed up…"

"Oh, yes, I got the pictures Alice took! I printed a few of them up. They're in my office if you want to get them later, Alice, in case Edward or Bella would like copies. I made a few. I'm sorry Rosalie, I interrupted, finish telling me about this dazzling date."

"Well, Edward bought her roses; he gave her one beforehand and had the rest in a vase waiting at the table at the restaurant as a surprise."

Alice picked up the thread of the conversation "…and he had them put all these little candle votives on the table; also a surprise."

I looked at both of them in surprise. I realized that I had never told Alice and Rose about that evening, because I had left for Forks immediately the next morning. _Edward had told them all about our date! _ I'd have to fill them in, because Edward couldn't possibly have told them everything. _Could he have?_

"Bella!" Rose looked at me suddenly, "Let's see the necklace! Did you bring it with you? Edward told us he gave you one."

Esme was on the edge of her seat, beaming at me. "Oh, my, he's really taken with you!"

I blushed. "It was really romantic. It was a lovely way to be treated. Here's the necklace," I said as I pulled the fine chain out from my, or rather Edward's T-shirt. They all moved in close for inspection and admired it.

Esme had gotten up to look as well. She put her hands on my shoulders then and looked at me warmly. "I can see that you are very special to Edward, dear, and that makes you very special to Carlisle and me. You're welcome here anytime. I hope we get to see a lot more of you."

"Thanks, Esme. I hope so too." I smiled at her. I meant it.

We had finished up the dishes, cleaned up, and put everything back in its place.

"Okay, you girls had better get going if you're going for a swim with the boys. I don't want to keep you. I'll see you later. I have a relaxing day to look forward to." Esme smiled at us as she left the kitchen.

Alice grabbed my hand and led me upstairs with her and Rose. "Come with me, girlfriend, I've got something for you and Edward in my room."

Rose went to Emmett's room and I went with Alice to hers. She shut the door and turned to me, leaning back against the door, barring my exit.

"Spill it, Bella! What the heck happened between last night, when Edward sat on the couch like a stone, and this morning, when he couldn't keep his hands off you under the table?" She rolled her eyes at my sudden surprised expression. "Yes, I saw that and I'm sure my parents did too. And believe me, they loved seeing it. So, Edward told me the guy's version of what happened yesterday and last evening but I want the girl's version, because you know guys leave out important stuff." She was smiling her pixie smile.

"I gave him an ultimatum last evening. I had already gone to bed, but then I came back out, after everyone else had left. I couldn't sleep and I just felt really uncomfortable about staying here the entire weekend if things were going to be strained and weird, I told him if he wouldn't talk to me and tell me what was wrong; I wanted him to take me to the bus station then and there, so I could go back to school."

Alice laughed her signature bell-like laugh. "Bella, that's hilarious! Edward actually already told me that, but it's just as funny hearing it from you a second time! Like he'd let you take a bus anywhere!" She snorted a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief.

I grinned at her. "Yeah, it worked. We finally had a long talk. But I found out that the situation for him had been pretty terrible, Alice. No wonder he was so out of it."

"Because of the whole Jake thing at the hospital," she said knowingly.

"Yesss! Ohmygod! I couldn't believe it when he told me he'd seen Jake kissing me. I didn't even realize it was coming, you know? He just kissed me because he was all emotional and upset and I guess confused. And Edward saw it and thought that Jake and I had gotten back together. He kept waiting for me to tell him I was breaking up with him yesterday."

She looked horrified. "Poor Edward…"

"Yeah, but the worst thing was, he had turned away, around the side of the building because he was so upset and didn't get to see me shove Jake off of me and slap him. And then I yelled at Jake for doing it. I told him I was dating Edward and I told Jake that I'm in love with Edward."

"What?" Alice squealed, grabbing me and jumping up and down with me in her arms. I was forced to jump with her. I was afraid I'd chip a tooth. "You told Jake you're in love with Edward?" she asked gleefully.

I nodded as we bounced. "Yes, I did."

"Does Edward know you love him?"

I grinned at her obvious delight. "Yes, I told him."

"And…? Don't leave me hanging, girlfriend!"

"And he loves me. He told me."

"I KNEW IT!

It was one of the shrillest noises I think I'd ever heard, and a second later Alice had let go of me to jump up onto her bed where she was now bouncing about, chanting, "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" I worried she'd hit her head on the ceiling and knock herself unconscious. But she didn't. She eventually bounced down to her butt, springing off the bed and smack into me, hugging me tightly.

"Ooooooh! This is so totally fantastic, Bella! I am so happy for both of you! I think the world of Edward and I'm so happy that you are officially his other half! And…so then...the making up was good?" She looked so hopeful, so freakin' nosy, but so very hopeful.

I told her about our late-night text conversation. I related the ILY's, the t-shirt that didn't smell like him, the him that did smell like him, the fact that I found it hard to believe that he would smell like himself and that he was willing to prove it to me. Then I told her about the smiley invitation that resulted in a great make-out session. I just didn't go into vivid detail. Alice didn't ask; she did have some boundaries.

"So now things are totally back to normal? Because I could tell he was grabbing you under the table at breakfast to give you moral support and for a little touchy-feely for himself." She grinned.

I giggled at her. "Yes, we're totally fine."

"Awesome. The two of you! In love!" She beamed like a little sunshine and wrapped her slender arms around herself in an embrace.

There was a knock at the door. Alice opened it and Rose stood there in an amazing red bikini. She was a knockout.

"Did you give it to her yet?" Rose asked Alice as she glanced at me.

"I was just about to. Come on in." Alice waved Rose through the door. She walked over to several bags that were piled on her floor, bent down and picked up a little shopping bag.

"Here. This is just the thing to celebrate this special occasion!"

"What is it?"

"Open it. It's a gift for you and Edward."

I opened the bag and pulled out the tissue paper wrapped bundle inside. I opened it up, took one look, and began giggling uncontrollably.

"You bought this for me _and Edward_?"

She nodded, smirking and turned to look at Rose who was also smirking.

"But, Alice, I already have one. Couldn't you find it?"

"That other one was so hideous! That one is for you, _maaaybeee,_ but it's definitely not for Edward. _This one_ was bought with him in mind."

Rose interrupted Alice. "Bella, Alice came running over to my dorm Thursday afternoon with your green one-piece bathing suit, showing it to me in disgust. We honestly don't know what you were thinking when you bought that thing. She made me go shopping with her right then and there to look for a two piece for you. And when we found this little bikini, well, she had the typical Alice shop-gasm right there in the store. So, you got yourself a new bathing suit. And Edward's got an eyeful to look at and deal with." Rose was smirking now. "It's good to drive your man crazy." She wiggled her hips for emphasis.

I blushed as I held it up. It was the world's tiniest peacock blue bikini. Edward would definitely appreciate this bathing suit more than the dark green one-piece suit I already owned. I just wondered if I had the courage to wear it.

"I don't know, Alice. I think I'll be a little uncomfortable wearing this. It's the size of a postage stamp. It's a Postage Stampkini. It certainly is…um…" I was at a loss for words.

"…_titillating_?" Alice finished for me, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Well, we want to make sure Edward is _titillated_!"

Rose snorted, "Somehow I don't think Edward will be _titillated_ so much as he will be _cock-elated_."

I blushed furiously and Alice rolled her eyes. "Rose, you spend _waaaaay_ to much time in conversation with Emmett. I would say 'He's beginning to rub off on you," but I know that would just lead us down a road we really don't want to take. So, puh-leez, just don't say anymore."

Rose shrugged, agreeing as she giggled. She made the silent zip motion across her lips with her hand, indicating that she was done.

_Titillating? Cock-elating? Sweet Jesus, get me a wetsuit!_

Alice turned to me and grinned mischievously. "Well, Bella, here's a little trick that comes in handy. If you catch yourself feeling uncomfortable in this, all you have to do is think about how uncomfortable it's making _him._ That'll make it much easier to bear. Or 'bare', in this case."

"You didn't bring the other suit, did you?" I asked, already knowing Alice's answer.

She shook her head smugly.

"Okay. I guess I don't have a choice, do I? I'll give it a shot. I guess I can stay under the water mostly anyway." I put the teeny bikini back in its bag. "Thanks Alice. I guess. You really are a sweetie. And thanks for getting all of my stuff together for me for this weekend. I wasn't even thinking about it when I left in such a hurry on Thursday morning."

"No problem. I love clothing-related assignments. Now go get changed so we can head over to the pool house and thrill some horny boys."

"I can't believe your family has a pool house. You can go swimming anytime you want, all year round."

"It's why my mom wanted to buy this house in the first place, when we moved down here from Alaska. She loved the yard, the pool house. She gutted the interior of the house, and added on. So now it's home. And you'll come here often, so it'll be your home away from dorm away from home. Now go get changed; I can't wait to see Edward's face when he sees you in your Postage Stampkini. This is going to be even better than his reaction to the Miss Fire Bomb dress!"

I smiled and headed out into the hall.

"I'll be right back," Rose said to Alice as she followed me out the door, shutting it behind her.

I felt better about my Postage Stampkini, once again realizing what Rose was wearing.

"Bella, wait," she called to me as I began to head down the hall. I paused and she caught up to me.

"What?" I asked, quietly.

"So what happened with you and Edward last night? He seems like he's back to normal; well, his new normal, the way he is with you, not the normal he was when he was not normal at all. Tell me!"

"Rose, the way to get a man to open up to you when you're having problems is to engage in wild, sweaty animal sex, don't you think?"

She stood stock still, her eyes flung wide, her mouth gaping open, not saying a word. I hadn't told her a lie. I had just made a statement. I couldn't help it if she thought the statement applied to me and Edward.

"Rose, I'll see you in a few minutes; I've got to go change, okay?"

She nodded slowly, ever so slightly, her expression unchanging. I hoped she was breathing or she might pass out.

I hurried down to Edward's room. He, Jasper and Emmett were hanging out in the playroom, wearing sweatshirts and board shorts. They were each holding a couple of towels for themselves and for us.

"I'll be right there," I told them as I ducked into Edward's room. "Alice and Rose are on their way down any moment. Just give me a few minutes."

I went into Edward's room and changed, checking out my reflection in his mirror. _Holy hell!_ I was _waaaaay_ out of my comfort zone again. But that had been a good thing in the Miss Fire Bomb dress. It would probably be good in my Postage Stampkini too. I heard the voices of Alice and Rose in the playroom; they had joined the guys. It was now or never. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

**EPOV**

The door to my room opened and Bella came out.

I nearly dropped to my knees. We could have met my jaw down there on the floor.

_Oh Lord, have mercy on my soul!_

_What the hell is she wearing?_

_Not a whole heck of a lot, that's for damn sure._

_Thank you, Captain Obvious!_

It's really too bad that there were all these other people hanging around, because I just wanted to gawk and drool at her in that ridiculously tiny bathing suit. The one that barely covered anything. The one that put it all on display right there before my starving eyes and made me want to rip those little scraps of fabric off and greedily consume her. The one that made me want to feast on her like a carnivorous beast.

I clutched our towels more tightly in front of me. I might have moaned. I vaguely heard Emmett chuckle. I think Jasper whistled. I couldn't stop gawking at her. I must have looked like a complete fool.

_Praise the Lord!_

_No, you idiot, not 'praise the Lord'! More like… damnation! Eternal damnation!_

_But it's just a harmless little blue bikini!_

_No! No, it's not harmless! It's lethal! Look at the lack of size of that thing! Think about what you're wearing! Think about where you're going!_

_Oh… Oh, no! …I'm sooooo screwed!_

_Damn skippy, Cullen! You are seriously, anatomically screwed!_

_Oh, fuck me!_

_Duh! Good luck hiding that boner in a wet bathing suit! _

A/N: **No limerick. This time it's a haiku.**

** _Breakfast together_**

** _A peacock blue postage stamp_**

** _Towels clutched tightly_**

**That was my best effort. :) What did you think of the first morning at the Cullen Compound? And how about my haiku? Sums up the high points, no?**


	41. Heating Up the Pool

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Poor Edward, suffering some kind of meltdown, where his inner monolog became an inner dialogue, having an argument with itself about the merits and drawbacks of a Peacock Blue Postage Stampkini. He continues having difficulties in this chapter.

Stephenie Meyer and are are twins who were separated at birth. She wrote Twilight, I on the other hand, did not. I would never infringe.

Time for Edward to have some conversations with Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett.

A Very Cullen Weekend Part V

**Chapter 41: Heating up the Pool (Revised)**

**BPOV**

I walked into the playroom feeling rather self conscious in my Postage Stampkini, but when I looked up at Edward's face, it was all worth it. His eyes widened, his lips parted and his jaw went slack as he looked me over. He just sort of gaped at me. A small, incoherent sound escaped from his lips and I heard Emmett, standing right beside him, chuckle. Jasper did a low wolf-whistle and Alice spun around to him.

"Hello? Excuse me? You're supposed to whistle at _me_, not my brother's girlfriend! Less of that, please!"

"Well I know how hot you look, my little bumblebee! I get the privilege of seeing your mighty fine hotness quite regularly. I'm still thanking my lucky stars on a daily basis for that, my sweetness. I'm just trying to help Edward out here a bit. Look at him; he's barely capable of breathing. Those tiny little slips of cloth Bella's wearing have left him damn near incapacitated."

Emmett laughed loudly then. "Edward, roll your tongue up and put it back in your mouth and quit drooling! It's just a nearly-naked girl; no cause for alarm." He paused and his face got suddenly serious, the big, protective brother in him kicking in. "You are breathing, aren't you, Edward?"

Edward snapped out of it, giving us all an eye roll. "I'm suffering cardiac arrest here and you all are just ridiculing me. Must you do this kind of thing to me constantly?"

Four laughing voices replied simultaneously, "Yes!" And then there was an awful lot of giggling and a few guffaws in the mix.

The entire conversation had left me blushing, but feeling a little better about the bathing suit I had on.

I noticed Alice's bathing suit for the first time. She was wearing a black and white checked mono-kini that looked fabulous on her but would be difficult for most girls to wear well. It was the kind of thing that would only suit a quirky person with a great body. That was Alice. Hands down.

I had already checked out Rose's fire-engine-red bikini earlier, but I only just now noticed the tiny, silver skull and crossbones that dangled from the center of her top and from both of her hips. Yeah, Rose was the dangerous one all right.

I looked to see what the guys were wearing.

Emmett's bathing suit, like Emmett himself, was bright and boisterous. It was primary colors: red, dark blue and yellow in a random, splotchy, paint-spatter design. I thought about how Emmett's room, bathroom and bathing suit, all in primary colors, all screamed the same thing: big kindergartener!

Jasper's suit was very appropriately _Jasper-like_. It was black, primarily, but with leaping yellow, orange and red flames that began at the hem of his shorts and reached up the legs to his hips and groin. For as generally calm and calming as Jasper's demeanor was, his clothing choices often extended to the bizarre and flamboyant. I would bet ten dollars that Alice referred to these board shorts, with their flames licking at his essentials, as his "hot pants."

Edward's shorts were a gun-metal-gray background with very tiny dots of color in varying shades starting up top with a deep blue gradually lightening in color towards the bottom of his suit from a dark turquoise, to a light turquoise, and finally sea green dots on the lower pant legs. The dots were all of the colors that I had ever seen in Edward's eyes, depending upon his mood and the lighting. The pattern and colors of his suit were subdued and that seemed like Edward to me. We were a lot alike in that respect. We were definitely the more subdued pair in this little group. His suit had the color of my suit in it. I realized Alice had purchased mine to match his suit. Plus, blue was Edward's favorite color; I already knew that.

He stood there, clutching our towels in front of him, smiling a goofy smile at me. I suddenly knew just exactly why those towels were being held so tightly in his hands at exactly _that point_ in front of him. Emmett and Jasper were used to the phenomenon of a naked or nearly naked girlfriend. They were in control of themselves. Edward, not so much. He was still adjusting to the whole girlfriend thing in the first place, and at the moment, shifting his body a little uncomfortably as he stood there, he seemed to indeed be adjusting.

_Oh my!_

I began to blush.

_He thinks I look…hot._

I'd never really thought of myself as pretty, and certainly not hot. I knew I looked okay, even better with a little make-up and I knew I had good skin. I'd never had the problems with my complexion that other teenagers are often plagued with. I'd been lucky. My hair, though often uncooperative, could usually be tamed into submission, at least with a ponytail or bun. And although I didn't have the knockout body that Rose had, I knew I was healthy, strong and toned, with the right shapes in the right places and I wasn't carrying around excess weight.

I knew Edward thought me pretty the night of our date. I'd been decked out in quite the outfit, with my hair and make up done up by near-experts and he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of me. But now, I was just me, barely wearing two very small swatches of blue material. For the first time in my life, looking into Edward's eyes, I realized someone thought I looked hot. _Me! My face…my body. _And I knew this flustered, flushed, handsome boy loved me; he wasn't just attracted to my appearance. He would never need another orange rose to tell me. It was right there in his eyes. I saw the enchantment and desire.

Alice and Rose flitted back upstairs to grab sweatshirts since the morning air was so cool outside. They'd come back into the playroom and were pulling them on for the walk over to the pool house. Edward went back into his room and brought out a sweatshirt for me. Instead of grabbing one of my hoodies from my bag, he had gotten one of his own. It would look like a dress on me.

"Edward, this is way too big. Let me just go get one of my own."

"No, just wear this one, Bella. It's easier this way; believe me." He had a slightly pained expression on his face as he began pulling it over my head with a sigh.

_Oh!_

We all filed out the French doors of the playroom, across the expansive patio and headed in the direction of the pool house. Edward and I trailed behind the rest of the group. I watched him from the corner of my eye.

His hand reached for mine and he pulled me back to walk a little more slowly next to him. He pulled my hand back around behind him and disentangled his hand from mine so he could put his arm around me. He inhaled deeply and exhaled in a long, low, contented-sounding hum. My hand slid up inside his sweatshirt, resting on the warm smooth skin of his curving, lower back, just above the line of his shorts. I felt the muscles of his lower back flexing beneath my hand as he walked. He spoke to me in that low, melodic voice.

"I must admit I was caught off guard when you came out in that bathing suit. You look amazing, Bella. Amazingly, dangerously sexy." His eyes darkened and he made a low growling noise as his nostrils flared. He stooped down toward me slightly and his hand went under the bottom edge of the sweatshirt, a long finger sliding under the back edge of the suit and snapping the band of the bikini bottom against the skin of my hip.

I jumped and made a little yelping noise as the band snapped. I suddenly felt warm. I was looking forward to a dip in the cool water. I think we both were in need of some cooling down.

"I'm glad to know you're so appreciative." I smiled at him. "It's not the kind of bathing suit I would normally buy for myself. It was a gift from Alice; to both of us. She mentioned at breakfast that she had something for you. Why do I get the feeling that this was what she was referring to?"

Edward threw his head back and burst into laughter. "I'm sure you're right." Then he yelled up ahead to the others, "Hey, Alice, thanks! I like my gift!"

She turned back, smiling broadly and waved, making an O.K. sign with her fingers. Jasper looked back, smirking over his shoulder as he walked with an arm around her.

"Oh, I almost forgot," I told him, "I told Alice and Rose their stories about last night."

"Perfect, I told Emmett and Jasper their versions."

**EPOV**

Earlier, when we had finished breakfast and the girls announced they would take care of clean up in the kitchen, Emmett had practically run upstairs to his room, just like an eight year old, to get changed for the pool. Jasper had been sitting near my mom and they were still in conversation. I had been about to head down to my room when I heard my dad's voice calling me from the next room.

"Edward? A word with you please?" He was in the living room, still in his post-pool-trip white robe, seated near the big bay window. He had picked up the newspaper and was organizing it the way he usually did.

"Yeah, Dad?"

He glanced past me, out toward the kitchen, and then he met my eyes with a smile.

"Bella sure is a pretty little thing, and she seems very sweet. I'm glad you brought her along for the weekend. I take it she's become more than just a friend at this point?"

I smiled nervously. "Uh, yeah…I guess so." _This had better not be headed where I think it's headed._

"I just wanted to remind you…"

_Oh, fuck, not this shit again._ I groaned inwardly.

"…to be responsible…"

"I know, Dad, I am." _Just shut it off right now, please!_

"…to her and to yourself…"

"I know! I am…I mean, I'm not yet…I will be…I mean at some point, I guess." _Jesus H. Christ! Can we please just talk about something else? _

"It's nice to see you smiling and happy, Edward. You should try to relax and just let yourself have some fun for a change. You missed out on some of that." He looked back down at the newspapers he had begun folding and arranging.

_Wow. That was not the direction I thought this was headed._

"Uh, thanks. Yeah, okay; I'll try."

I started to turn and walk away, but then I looked back at him as he sat there with his reading glasses perched on his nose. I thought about all that my parents had gone through with me and how painful that must have been for them, especially him, being a doctor and not being able to "cure" me very easily. And I had been such an unapproachable nightmare for so long afterward.

"Dad?"

He turned his head and looked over the tops of his glasses at me, eyebrows raised, waiting for me to continue.

"I am really happy. I guess getting to know Bella has been…really…good for me."

He smiled at me and then looked back at his newspaper.

"Thought so. You making and bringing her breakfast in bed, and then grabbing her repeatedly under the table at breakfast kind of gave me that feeling."

_Shit!_ _I though I had been pretty covert_.

He looked back over at me, smirking at me. _Smirking! My own father!_

"Edward, I may seem old to you, but I remember being young. Let me know if there's anything…anything at all, that you need, or any concerns that you have. Don't hesitate to ask. Now, go ahead and get out of here; don't you have to get changed for the pool?" He smiled at me, as he looked once more over the tops of his reading glasses.

I smiled and nodded, finally turning and heading downstairs. _Well, that was different._

I wondered for a moment how wild my dad had been when he was younger. He couldn't have been too wild. _Could he? I mean, he was my dad, after all. _I really didn't want to be thinking about this. I shuddered as I headed toward my room.

I had just gotten to my hallway when I heard hurried footsteps shuffling down the stairs and into the playroom. Jasper came around the corner and put on the brakes before he ran into me.

"So Edward," he whispered loudly, "what's the deal? What happened between you and your little girly during the night? You were a complete asshat last evening and yet you're both looking pretty cuddly this morning. And I couldn't help noticing she's currently wearing the selfsame T-shirt you had on last evening. There's been an exchange of clothing and generally speaking, nudity goes hand in hand with that. So what happened between you two?" He bit his lip, smiling hopefully.

I had to turn away and bite my own lip so I wouldn't guffaw like an Emmett. I couldn't have set this up any better myself. Just as Bella and I had expected, they were going to seek us out individually to try and pry loose information about last evening's activities, and it was currently happening.

'Well, as I'm sure Alice already told you, Bella and I had a long talk. It was really good; turns out it brought us even closer. Final result, we, uh, moved into my room for the night, and well, you know how Bella's an English major, right?

"Yeah." Jasper scooted closer, crossing his arms over his chest, looking at me knowingly, grinning, expecting the story to get better, waiting for the details.

I lowered my voice. "Well, uh, I started reading her some poetry, and before I knew it, she was reading some back to me, and well, one thing lead to another and the clothing just sort of got lost somewhere between the odes and the sonnets. I had no idea reading poetry in the nude could be _such _a turn on." I shook my head like I was amazed and raised my eyebrows pointedly at him.

I was so close to bursting into laughter when Jasper's reply silenced me like a slap.

"Oh yeah, isn't that just the best? Say no more, Edward!"

_What. The. Fuck?_

Jasper started backing down the hallway, grinning at me. "Well, I'm glad things have turned out okay. It was looking pretty grim for you two yesterday. I'll be back. I've got to go change." He tapped the wall twice for punctuation and disappeared around the corner.

So once more… _What the fuck? Jeez, Jasper! Eww, Alice! Fuck! Too much information! Really? Shit!_

I was wondering how I was going to bleach that image from my brain when a pool-ready Emmett came skipping down to the playroom.

"Hey, Edward! Oh, hey wait…Edward?"

_Second Act, here we go._

"Give me a minute, Em, I want to change."

I quickly shut my bedroom door before he could say another word and dug out my bathing suit, stripped, and pulled it on. Then, glancing back at the bed I realized I had to set the stage. I quickly pulled up the comforter on my side of the bed, smoothing it out, fixing it neatly and putting the pillow on top. I left Bella's side messy with the covers and sheets thrown back. Then I went back to the door and opened it, looking toward Emmett, parked out on the sectional.

"Yeah, Emmett, did you need something? You can come in."

He came bounding over to my room in an instant.

He was in my face immediately, talking in a low voice. "So, Baby Bro, what gives? What did you and Bella Actually get up to last night? Anybody I know 'deliver' any 'packages'?" He grinned wildly as he said it and made air quotes with his fingers..

"Emmett, seriously, is that really any of your business?"

"Edward, as your…"

"I know, I know, as my Resident blah, blah, blah, 'cause that's never going to get old, Emmett. What?"

"So, I just wanna know! Did you get some?" He was waggling his eyebrows hopefully.

_Yes and no, but you certainly don't need to know that._

"Emmett, Bella is a sweet girl with fine moral standards. She's very traditional and believes in the importance of saving herself for marriage." I indicated my bed. "She slept under the covers on that side and I slept on top on my side. We had a nice conversation, kissed goodnight chastely, and slept facing opposite directions so the temptation wouldn't be too great."

Emmett was dumbfounded. I could barely maintain my composure looking at his expression. I was ready to sink to the floor and laugh myself stupid.

He shut the door to my bedroom, obviously wanting to discuss this turn of events more privately. "And you're okay with that?" he asked me quietly, his brow furrowing.

"Well, what choice do I have, Emmett? I'm afraid to make advances. What can I do to sway her?"

I had to turn away: I couldn't look at him or I'd burst out laughing. _"I'm afraid to make advances." What twenty-one year old says that shit?_

"Well, maybe you should take a little more initiative, Edward. She seems like she wants you, you know? I mean, from all indications I've seen, she seems pretty normal."

"I guess I just don't know how to approach the issue." _I was really going to split a gut with this shit!_

"Edward, maybe you should, I dunno, try to envision what _I _would do in the situation, and try to act the way that _I _would, or as close to that as you're comfortable with. I'm a little bolder than you, you know?"

_Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh! _"I'm afraid to do that. I might scare her off. Or she might slap the crap out of me, you know?"

He was visibly stumped. "Well, that could be kind of fun, too, you know. I guess whatever makes you two happy; you know? Whatever works for you." He opened the door back up then, willing to finally admit defeat.

We'd headed back out into the playroom after that to wait for the others. I couldn't believe I'd made it through both of those conversations without dying and giving it all away. _What a relief!_

That had all happened earlier, before Bella had come downstairs and changed into the Devil's blue bikini from the fires of hell, just to torment me and my best friend, Dick. I wondered now, as I walked with a less-provocative, covered-up Bella over to the pool house, what the girls had thought of the stories she'd told them.

"So how did the girls react?" I asked her.

**BPOV**

"Well, Rose completely shut down; she just sort of stopped dead in her tracks, did the jaw-drop, the wide, glassy eyes, shallow breathing thing. I just left her standing there in the hallway and came downstairs to get changed. I couldn't stay there, because I was afraid I'd give it away."

He snickered. "Yeah, I felt the same way with the guys. Now what about Alice?" he asked.

"Oh my gosh, Edward! Didn't you hear Alice shrieking? We jumped up and down for a few minutes, hugging, when I told her that I'd told Jake I loved you. And then, when I told her you and I had exchanged 'I love yous' she shrieked and bounced on the bed for a while, before bouncing down and hugging me again."

"That sounds like Alice," he chuckled. "I told you she'd combust."

"So tell me about the guys," I asked. "What were their reactions?"

"Well Emmett tried to counsel me, telling me I had to try to take a little more initiative."

I laughed at that; poor Edward. How does he keep it in and not go crazy at them?

He continued, "He told me I should envision what _he_ would do in a similar situation and I should try to behave as close to that as possible. I told him you'd probably slap the crap out of me if I did that. Then he shook his head at me and said, 'Whatever makes you two happy.'"

I laughed again. "Somehow I can't see myself slapping the crap out of you for anything you tried to do."

"Hmm," he said, raising an eyebrow suggestively, "That's very encouraging. I'll keep that in mind."

I smiled up at him. "Try to stay focused, Edward. What about Jasper? What did he say?"

Edward grimaced. "You're not going to believe this."

"What?" I asked.

"Well I told him we read poetry last night, and got carried away to the point where we stripped and that it was a complete turn on…" Edward paused, looking at me a little flushed and uncomfortably.

"A-and?" I stuttered, feeling the heat waft through my face. Now I was flushed and squirming.

His voice was a little thick as he gazed at me. "And…what?" He just continued gazing, his eyes kind of unfocused. Finally he shook his head and cleared his throat a little "Oh, right…and Jasper said, ' yeah, isn't that just the best? Say no more, Edward!'"

I clapped both of my hands over my mouth so I wouldn't shriek with laughter.

"You're kidding me!" I finally managed, gasping for breath and trying to stifle my giggles.

Edward was smiling broadly. "I wish I were. Now I'll never get that image out of my mind. And it's especially upsetting for two reasons. First, this is _my sister_ he's talking about and secondly because, with Jasper, who the heck knows, poetry to him could be Doctor Seuss books."

I chuckled as we walked into the pool house.

Emmett's voice boomed across the room, echoing. "Did you two get lost, or what?"

"We were coming!" I yelled back. _Oh hell! _As soon as the words left my lips I knew I had set us up for Emmett. Before the "sorry," intended for Edward, even left my mouth, Emmett's voice was booming back across the pool and bouncing off the walls.

"God I'd hoped you two would get around to _coming!_ For Edward's sake, if not for yours!" Thankfully Rose squished his lips together with her fingers before he could continue. I saw her shaking her head at him menacingly. I couldn't even look at Edward after that.

I heard him sigh loudly next to me. It almost sounded like a long, drawn out, "shhhhhhit!"

Jasper and Alice were both just smiling, trying to contain their laughter, at least they didn't make eye contact with us.

I looked around at the interior of the pool house. Music was playing through speakers in the ceiling and at both ends of the room. The pool was a beautiful deep blue, darker than your typical pool. The floor was tiled with some type of natural stone in a variety of deep colors and random shapes. The back wall that faced the woods was all glass and the view was beautiful. You would still feel outdoors, even though you were inside the pool house. You could swim here in the winter, sit in the spa and look at the snow outside. How lovely, I thought.

In the corner at this end there was a fairly large Jacuzzi. The steam was rising off of it invitingly.

At the far end of the pool there was an area for entertaining. In one corner, there was a large fireplace, opposite that, on the other side of a doorway that led to a hall beyond, was a bar with six barstools and a small kitchen behind the bar. There were numerous chairs, small tables and chaise lounges throughout, covered with overstuffed, comfortable-looking cushions. Two of the chaise lounges were double the normal width, designed for two people to share at once.

I turned back to Edward. He had taken his sweatshirt off and just stood there, watching me with a big grin on his face. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Holy crow, Edward! This place is awesome! What a great place to hang out or for parties. No wonder your mom fell in love with this house!"

"And back there, down the hallway," he pointed a long finger between the fireplace sitting area and the kitchen, "there are two bathrooms and two shower rooms."

I pulled off my sweatshirt and tossed it onto the chair where Edward had put his sweatshirt and our towels. I turned back to him in time to see him gaping at me once again.

I smirked at him. "Is there a problem?"

He grinned crookedly. "You'd better believe it." He pretended to clutch at his heart and staggered, rolling his eyes like he was about to have a coronary.

Just then we heard a scream behind us. Rose had been kicking water up at Emmett with her toes from the edge of the pool. We turned around in time to see Emmett hugging a struggling and shrieking Rose tightly around the thighs, picking her up and tossing her easily into the water. He dove in after her. Alice was laughing loudly, pointing at Rose, who was now sputtering and gasping through her laughter in the pool.

"Jasper!" Rose yelled, "You're not going to let your girlfriend laugh at your sister like that are you? Come on! What about the importance of family?"

Alice jumped up and tried to dodge an advancing, wild-eyed Jasper but he swooped in, picking her up and easily throwing her over his shoulder. He took her to the edge of the pool as she yelped and struggled.

"Sorry, ladybug, family comes first!" He unceremoniously dumped Alice in and did a flip into the water after her. When he came back up to the surface he looked at us, grinning as he raked his wet hair back off of his face.

"Come on Edward, we're having a caveman moment. Don't ruin it. Peer pressure and all that, you know?"

A split second later Edward had caught me in his arms and picking me up bridal style, walked me to the edge of the pool.

"Sorry love, you heard the man, 'peer pressure.' You know how it is." His eyes were bright, devilish. He began swinging me towards and away from the pool, gathering momentum and counting loudly as I squealed.

"One!…Two!…"

I laughed, squirming. "That's okay, baby. You'll get yours!"

He raised his eyebrows at that, but he had already been in mid-swing, so he completed the motion with a "…Threeeeee!" and tossed me into the water.

I came back up to the surface to see him bobbing up right in front of me a split second later. He must have jumped in instantly after he'd thrown me in.

"Baby?" he asked, grinning, picking up the conversation that he had interrupted with a girlfriend-toss.

I nodded, smoothing my hair back out of my face and wiping the water from my eyes.

"And I'll get mine?" he asked, still grinning that devil's smile.

I smirked back at him.

_Yes, Edward. And oh, you are in such trouble now! Let's just make that grin disappear._

I moved toward him, my eyes on his, and touched his collarbones lightly with the fingertips of both hands. Then, when I was sure I had his attention, I raked my nails downward very slowly, very lightly, down his chest, over his abdomen to his navel, at which point I stopped, still staring him right in the eye. I heard the hitch in his breath as I traced a slow circle around his navel with one fingernail before continuing with that solitary nail, down through his happy trail to where his bathing suit interfered and my movement finally quit. I leaned in to his ear as I listened to his heavy breathing.

"You _will_ get yours…_baby_," I told him quietly; breathily.

The grin was gone. His eyes were dark and unfocused. He looked like he might faint.

**EPOV**

I felt like I might faint. I had just been holding that tight, little body in my arms, with that tiny, barely-there bathing suit, feeling all of that skin against mine arms and my stomach. Then she calls me "baby" as I'm about to drop her in the pool, telling me that I'm "going to get mine."

Of course I couldn't let that go, so I dropped right into the pool after her, so I'd be right in front of her when she came up.

I was all cocky when she surfaced. I thought this was all fun and games.I was ready to pursue the conversation, but she didn't say a word. She let her fingers do the talking. And then it was her fingernails that were whispering sexy thoughts to my body as she raked them slowly down to my belly button. The fun and games was gone; this was serious shit now.

And then, _Christ Almighty_, that one lone fingernail that she dragged from my bellybutton to where my shorts stopped her progress...just…_Hot. Fucking. Damn!_ That was so fucking sexy. She leaned in to me then, her eyes all dark and sparkly, her breasts brushing against my chest, and finally she whispered, "And _you'll_ get yours."

_Dear God, I fervently hope so! _

And then she swam away smiling a sexy smile.

I realized I was being yelled at and tried really hard to focus on my surroundings. The surroundings that didn't involve Bella and her nearly non-existent bikini and her sex-nails.

"Come on, Edward!" It was Rose, standing up on the edge of the pool with Emmett and Jasper. She was waving at me. "We're going to race; join us!" Rose was very competitive. She'd swum competitively for years, though she no longer did.

At the moment, it was an impossibility for me to join in. Normally I would but right now I was in a serious pre_dick_ament. _Lord, I'm a witty fucker. But I'm also currently joke and ridicule material if I get out of the pool._

"I'm sitting this one out! I'll be the judge; let me get up to the other end!" I called back.

I turned around and saw Bella right behind me, looking all kinds of sexy. Two can play at this game, I decided. I grabbed her hand and started swimming for the shallow end. She started kicking and swimming along and I let go of her hand. I swam ahead a bit, then rolled over and angled myself downward, so that I was below the path her swimming would take her, and I was looking up at her from the bottom of the pool. As she swam above me I pushed off the bottom, headed upward, grabbing her hips with both hands and I kissed her, underwater, just below the belly button. I felt her buck when I made contact, and now I was sliding my lips up in a straight line along her body, pulling her downward at the same time. I continued up over her stomach, her abdomen, between her breasts, ending with a kiss just over her heart. I came up out of the water for air, still kicking, with her clutched to my chest. She was beyond surprised and I could see the telltale pink blush on her skin.

_Take that, sex-nails!_

"You're going to get yours, too, love." I smiled at her wickedly.

Her eyes were dark, her breath shaky, and she didn't say anything as I pulled her to the side of the pool. I looked down the other end to where Rose, Emmett and Jasper were still waiting on the pool's edge, horsing around. Alice had walked down to the far side of this end of the pool to sit in a chair and watch their approach.

I yelled out to them, "Okay, ready? On your mark, get set, go!" They all dove in at once and began swimming for this end. I suddenly felt Bella's fingers raking through my wet hair and I turned to look at her. Her eyes were still darkened and her lips were parted. I pulled her toward me and bent to kiss her lips as she moved in front of me. I relaxed back against the side of the pool, sinking down into the water somewhat, my knees bent out in front of me, as though I was sitting on an invisible chair. I pulled her forward to me and she was suddenly straddling my lap. I could feel her flush up against me and I pulled her closer, so she would know just exactly how I felt about her. I knew she could feel me.

Her breath hitched and her eyes were back on my mouth and then she was leaning in again for another kiss, pressing against me, where it would do us both the most good, and her hands were in my hair.

"So who won, Edward?" I heard Emmett bellow.

_Who gives a shit who won? Can't you see we're busy? Leave us the fuck alone!_

"Edward's busy!"

_Alice to the rescue. Thank you Alice!_

"Rose won!" Alice was saying. "Rose always wins. Rose was in the Junior Olympics with her freestyle. How could you possibly think you're going to ever beat her, Emmett?"

"Well, if we were wrestling, I'd win."

"Yes, you would Emmett, and Rose prefers it that way." Alice giggled.

"Come on, Em, want to try to pin me?" Rose called out seductively.

We heard a loud splash that must have been Emmett diving in her direction. I heard the four of them horsing around for a while then.

They ignored us and played amongst themselves for a while. Good, because I was not done with Bella's mouth and she was still pretty focused, working on mine. My hands were busy, off on an adventure, exploring on their own. My thumbs were brushing against the outer swell of her breasts. And maybe sneaking inside the outer edges of her top. _Well, not maybe, more like definitely._ And then my hands moved down her body to her lower back, over her tight little butt and my fingertips slid inside the lower edges of her bikini bottom.

Suddenly there was a tidal wave splash right next to us. Emmett had just executed a cannonball and Jasper followed in perfect jackknife formation on the other side.

_Okay, so we weren't going to be left alone._ I had actually forgotten that there were others around us.

Bella laughed, drenched again, wiping water out of her eyes and sputtering as she got up off of my lap and aching groin. She's a good sport; she goes along with whatever shenanigans they dream up. She swam over to Alice and they start doing handstands with Rose while Jasper tickled their feet.

Emmett swam over to me where I was trying to decide whether to review the periodic table of the elements or conjugate a Spanish verb in every tense I had ever learned, just to think about something other than Bella's mouth, tongue, breasts and ass.

"Well, Edward, there's nothing quite like having a cute girl straddling your lap, is there?"

I shook my head a little at his audacity, but then I smiled and had to laugh. I did have to agree with him. "Nope, there's nothing quite like it." I felt a little twinge of guilt about telling him a ridiculous story about Bella before, but it would come out sooner or later. He and Jasper would probably both think it was pretty funny the way we were working them.

Emmett smiled at my honesty now. "It's good to see you getting all handsy with a girl again finally. And I know you really cared for Tanya, but I just gotta say, Bella kicks ass. She's something else. She comes across all shy, but she really isn't. And I was really getting tired of defending you to others and trying to convince them you weren't queer. Now, thanks to her, I don't have to deal with that noise."

I nodded, grinning. I'd heard the gay rumblings from him before. _No, not gay. At all. Just closed for business. But now there'd been a Grand Re-opening!_

"Would you be terribly disappointed if I told you Bella was a guy in drag?" I asked him.

"No shit? She is one curvy dude!" He looked over at her in her skimpy bathing suit, which was now wet and even more clingy. "Can't say I blame you for going over to the dark side." He burst out in his loud, booming laugh and I couldn't help but join him.

I looked over at my curvy dude, giggling in the water with Alice. I'm glad I have her. She fits right in and they all really like her. And I really like her. I winked at Emmett and submerged, pushing myself off the side and swimming under the water where she didn't see me approaching behind her. I grabbed her ribs as I was about to surface and I could hear her shriek from underwater. I came up out of the water, flipping my hair back off my face with a quick jerk of my head and I pulled her backwards into me as she laughed and struggled to get free. I backed away from the others, carrying her off, back over to the side of the pool that had been working out really well for me, just a short while ago.

**BPOV**

I didn't know what was in the pool water, but it had a heck of an effect on Edward. Actually, the thing that was affecting him in this pool was probably my Postage Stampkini. He couldn't keep his hands off of me, and that was perfectly fine because I couldn't really get enough of him, either and I kind of liked that hot and flustered look I kept seeing in his face as his hands roamed over me. I have no doubt that if we had been completely alone we would have been all over each other and our bathing suits probably wouldn't have.

He was backing away to the side of the pool, pulling my back up against his stomach and chest and I could feel how turned on he was. Once we got to the side of the pool he pulled me onto his lap and I felt his fingers pushing my hair to the side, off the back of my neck. One arm was wrapped around my waist pulling me against his hard length. I was having a hard time breathing suddenly, and that was before he began kissing the nape of my neck. I was starting to feel rather dizzy and it only got worse when I felt his teeth, biting me lightly.

I couldn't help it. I moaned quietly. I felt him twitch beneath and behind me with the sound. He stopped and I could feel him resting his forehead against the nape of my neck. I heard his low, husky voice; pure velvet nearly whispering in my ear.

"I think I'm going to lose my mind."

I climbed off his lap and turned to him. He almost looked drugged. I put my hands up to the sides of his face, brushing his sideburns as I leaned my forehead against his.

"Well, you won't be alone. This is making me crazy, too." I leaned in and kissed his nose.

He smiled and kissed my forehead. Then he looked up and saw that they'd all gone over to the Jacuzzi.

"We should probably join them so we're not the topic of discussion."

I nodded and he lifted me up onto the edge of the pool. I stood up, waiting for him to climb out too.

"Come on."

"All in good time," he said up to me, making a face and then looking away, just hanging onto the side of the pool.

"Oh," I paused… "sensory…"

"…overload, yes. Ha ha. You're very funny, Bella." He splashed up at me, smiling, then he pushed away from the edge, back first, kicking as he moved backwards out into the pool, towards the opposite end. His arousal was evident as he floated on his back, away from me. I blushed when I realized his darkened eyes had been watching me carefully. It was really difficult to breathe and I felt the heat of my blush overtake me once again. _The Edward Cullen effect._

After a moment I turned and walked to the Jacuzzi, sashaying my hips a little as I went, looking over my shoulder at him.

"Not helping!" he yelled after me from the middle of the pool. He rolled over in the water and began swimming strongly to the far end of the pool.

I climbed into the Jacuzzi. It was hot, the jets were bubbling, and it was so relaxing. Alice was on Jasper's lap and Rose was sitting sideways, leaning back against Emmett.

A short while and several laps later Edward joined us, stepping down into the hot water gingerly and scooting up next to me. He draped his arm around my shoulders and rested his elbow on the rim of the spa.

Suddenly the four of them were sitting opposite us. It was the Spanish Inquisition group all over again. The tension was high and silly and they all looked a little cranky in a funny sort of way. They had obviously compared notes.

"What?" Edward laughed. "What's wrong with you guys?" He looked at me smugly.

Alice was the first one to speak up. "Very funny, Edward, and Bella. We're not happy. We know we've been played." She looked at both of us with a mock evil expression on her face. "You're both scammers."

I laughed.

"So, Edward," Emmett began, "I'm hoping that what you told me was a lie. Neither you nor Bella can possibly be that straight-laced to have her lie in your bed, underneath the covers while you lie on top of the covers, facing opposite directions all night. That's seriously fucked up. Just sayin'."

Everyone burst out laughing. Edward nodded, smirking. "It was a lie. Shit, what kind of a loser do you think I am, Em?"

"And Bella?" Emmett asked, "she's completely normal, right?"

"Well…let's not go overboard," I said, and earned a little splash in the face from Bella.

Emmett breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God! You don't know how worried I was about you. And I felt bad for Bella. I really didn't want to be thinking that my own brother was a prim, old woman."

Rose cleared her throat. "And I'm guessing that there was no wild, sweaty, animal sex last night, either."

"No," we both said simultaneously. "Well, not _yet_," Edward clarified hopefully, with such a wicked smirk at me. I scooped a handful of water up into his face. He threw his head back and laughed, shaking off the remaining water droplets, then he sheepishly re-clarified, "Maybe not ever, now. I think I might have just killed that."

I giggled with the rest of them.

"And the naked poetry readings…," Jasper began, hopefully. Edward and I both burst out laughing. I quickly covered my mouth and glanced at a stricken Alice.

Edward was not as well-mannered. "Alice, I'm surprised!" His eyes danced merrily.

"Jasper!" she shrieked, splashing two handfuls of water up into his face. She turned back to us. "Once! It happened once!" Then she turned to glare at Jasper, dousing him with another handful of water. "It'll probably never happen again!"

Jasper just sputtered the water out of his face and drawled, "Oh, it'll happen again, and you know it, sweet pea!"

That got everyone laughing, much to Alice's dismay.

"Jasper," Edward interrupted in a serious voice, "do you have any Doctor Seuss books?"

"Yeah, why?"

Edward and I both began laughing convulsively. No one else got it and we didn't bother to explain. They all just looked confused and like maybe the two of us were just weird and made for each other.

When we finally calmed back down, and I wiped the tears out of my eyes, Alice continued the inquest.

"So what about what you told me, Bella? Was that a lie too?" She looked rather pouty.

"No, Alice, your story was the real deal. We just decided to tell each of you what we thought you might like to hear the most. We knew you would want the truth the most."

Alice was suddenly all sunny again. "Edward and Bella are in _love_!" she crowed happily.

Everyone just sat there smiling for a moment. It was probably what they had all really hoped for us deep down inside anyway.

"So, Edward," Jasper finally interrupted, "you dreamed all of this up and made Bella be your accomplice?"

"Actually, no. Bella was instrumental in the creation of these lies. What I told Emmett, was all me; what Bella told Rose, was all Bella. What we told you, the poetry reading, that was me, but Bella added the nudity factor." Edward looked at me proudly.

"Bella, I'm impressed," Emmett said. "You've got real potential, girl!" He reached his fist toward me. "Pound it, babe!"

I grinned at him and did the fist bump he was waiting for.

Edward turned to Alice. "And we decided that Alice most wanted to hear the truth, and it was a happy ending kind of story, so we just went with the real deal and didn't embellish it."

Alice looked quite pleased. She had earned it for all the time and effort she had put into forcing us together. And it had worked out so well in the long run.

Emmett spoke up. "Okay, well, now that we've sorted out Edward's and Bella's elaborate and thought-provoking prank, I guess it's shower time. We've got to get rolling. It's nearly lunchtime and we've still got to get to the store before we can fix Mom's dinner."

Emmett climbed out of the Jacuzzi and Rose followed him. They picked up their towels and disappeared down the hall to one of the showers.

"Do you guys want to go first?" Alice asked Edward.

"Nah, that's okay. I just got into the Jacuzzi. You two go ahead. We'll go after you."

Alice and Jasper climbed out of the Jacuzzi, picking up their towels, and headed down the hallway hand in hand to the other shower room.

Edward slouched down into the water, I felt his hand on mine and his fingers laced through mine. He closed his eyes as he relaxed.

"That went over well." I said to him. "Except maybe for Jasper."

He looked over at me, grinning. "Alice will probably spank him when she gets him alone. I can just hear Dr. Seuss now: 'One fish,… _smack_!… two fish, …_smack_! …red fish,…_smack_!…blue fish,…_smack_!"

I giggled. "Naturally that will be done in the nude."

"Naturally," he chuckled.

Emmett and Rose were the first ones to come back from the shower. Rose was wrapping a towel around her hair.

"Our turn," Edward said, standing and following me up the steps of the Jacuzzi. He picked up our towels and we headed toward the hall as Alice and Jasper reappeared, drying themselves off. Rose and Emmett were just leaving the pool house.

"Edward, make sure to turn off the lights and the music when you leave!" Emmett called from the doorway.

"Will do!" Edward yelled in response.

"We'll see you back at the house!" Alice called, waving, pulling on her sweatshirt and heading to the door with Jasper.

Edward waved to them in acknowledgment. He took my hand, leading me down the hallway and into one of the large shower rooms, locking the door behind us.

**A/N:****Edward and Bella in a shower together. Why does that seem so familiar to me?**

**What did you think? Share your thoughts! It would certainly make me squee.**


	42. Cleanliness is Next to Ohmygodliness

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Thanks for continuing to read. I know I'm drawing out the lemony goodness, but that's how I roll. I sure do like foreplaying with you. I think you'll find a little relief here. Someone does, anyway. ;)

Stephenie Meyer should have put lemons in Twilight. But then again, she's not us and we're not her. No infringement intended.

So, the shower door has shut and locked. Alone at last. Let's be voyeurs shall we?

A Very Cullen Weekend Part VI

**Chapter 42: Cleanliness is Next to Ohmygodliness (Revised)**

**EPOV**

"_And you'll get yours."_

I couldn't stop thinking about those four words. Maybe five words. I couldn't decide if a contraction counted as one word or two. Maybe it was a word and a half. In that case, I couldn't stop thinking about those four and a half words Bella had spoken to me.

What had she meant? Had she meant something specific that I would "get"? Or was it just something she'd said in general terms? Had she simply meant a punishment of sorts, for having thrown her in the pool? Or was there something more exciting behind that little threat? I probably wouldn't have been driving myself crazy mulling this over and over if it hadn't been for the sex-nails thing she did to my chest and stomach earlier.

_So. Fucking. Hot._

She'd raked those nails down my chest and then that lone nail tickled around my belly button and then down, ever so fucking slowly, halfway to my groin at the edge of my shorts. So now I couldn't stay focused on much of anything besides her and her body and what I wanted to do with her and her body. It was that lone nail that had really messed with my mind.

As I'd gotten to know Bella, I'd learned many things about her and her personality. I'd seen her in a lot of different situations; I seen her many faces. I seen her be kind and sweet, she'd been friendly and funny and amiable, she could be a force to be reckoned with and she could be positively easygoing. I'd seen her sad and upset and I'd seen her be a good sport. Last night, leading up to our long talk about the shitstorm of a day it had been, I'd seen her distraught and demanding. After we'd talked I'd seen her look at me with love in her eyes. And late last night I'd even gotten to see her in the throes of her climax. That had been lovely and insanely exciting to watch. Insanely exciting to the point where I'd been pushed over my own edge just watching her.

But today I'd seen something new. Something I hadn't really expected from her or even thought about happening until it did. It was a heck of a surprise. I'd seen her be erotic. Decisively so. To me.

_So. Fucking. Hot._

My mind was officially gone. I was operating on base instincts. Very base.

From that point on I just couldn't leave her alone. I couldn't keep from grabbing her and touching her and feeling her wet, slick, little body. I couldn't stop kissing her. As I watched her, swimming around, sputtering the water out of her face, using her hands to brush her long wet hair back, laughing and splashing, playing with Alice and Rose and Jasper, I couldn't bring myself to just join in and play. I just wanted to watch her in her skimpy little bathing suit with that big smile on her face and look at her interacting with the others. She was glorious. And she was mine. And I wanted her as soon as possible if not sooner.

In my mind I kept hearing the little sounds she'd made earlier. The involuntary sounds. The ones I'd heard as we were kissing and my hands traced over the outer edges of her top, feeling the swell of her breasts and again as I was sliding my thumbs inside and over her tight little nipples. I'd heard the hitch in her breath and a very quiet moan. I thought about how she had leaned into the sensation of me touching her and I felt her breasts swell just a little more with her intake of breath.

All too soon we'd been interrupted by Emmett and Jasper splash-bombing us.

_Thanks, shitheads. Like you couldn't figure out what kind of a moment you were ruining. Or maybe that's precisely why you chose that moment. Shitheads._

Bella had moved away then, laughing. I remained where I was. Hard as a rock and crying on the inside. It was probably just as well; it gave me a chance to simmer down.

Emmett had hung out with me at the side of the pool then, giving me the Happy-For-You big brother talk. As ridiculous as my Resident Advisor and brother often was, it had been nice to know exactly what he thought of Bella. At first, when he'd said, "There's nothing quite like having a cute girl straddling your lap, is there?" I'd figured I was about to get an earful of his usual lewdness. But when I finally laughed and agreed, the conversation took a gentler tone than Emmett's usual line of banter. He essentially told me he was glad for me; he just thought Bella "kicked ass." He said she was "something else." He liked her and for some reason, that made me very happy.

I knew Alice really liked Bella and thought she was wonderful, by herself and for me. Alice could be picky and didn't waste her time on people that she wasn't drawn to. She had an innate ability to perceive the very core of a person, it seemed. Emmett was less picky, the kind of guy that could be friendly and outgoing to just about anybody. A real schmoozer. But he didn't _have_ to tell me that he liked her; and I knew he wouldn't have if he hadn't truly meant it. And to have said that she "kicked ass," was like bestowing a first place medal on her. It was Emmett's highest rating. Bella had won the gold.

Suddenly it hit me how happy I was just feeling normal again. _A guy with a girlfriend._

I was no longer the fifth wheel. The outsider.

And they all really liked her. Even Rosalie, who didn't usually like anyone or anything. That's not actually true, Rose just came off like such a bitch, but she had a good heart.

I finally had what they all had with their significant others. I had someone fun and lovely. I was having fun and I was in love. And she was in love. With me.

And with that realization, I'd just had to go grab her again.

By the time I'd carted my beautiful prey back over to my lair at the pool's edge, I was experiencing Lead Pipe Pants once again. I knew she felt me against her backside. I was ready to explode. And then I'd moved her hair off of her neck and kissed the nape of her neck as I held her back up against me. I went from kissing to licking, and finally I was actually biting her, lightly. She made a little sound then, a whimper or a moan, and I nearly came right then and there. I was a twitch and a half away. If she'd moved on me-squirmed at all, it would have been a done deal. It was all I could do to just pull away and try to calm myself as I leaned my head down against her bare neck.

_Deep breaths. Find your center._

I softly told her I thought I was going to lose my mind. I didn't tell her, though she might have sensed, that I thought I was about to lose my load as well. She climbed gingerly off my lap and turned to me, putting her hands on the side of my face, caressing my face as she leaned her forehead against mine. She told me I wouldn't be alone if I lost my mind; this was making her crazy as well. Then she leaned in and kissed my nose.

I looked up at her carefully. Her eyes were dark and heavy lidded. I could see that she spoke the truth. I smiled, happy knowing that I was making her just as sexually miserable as she was making me.

We stayed there for a few more moments before I realized that the others had all gone over to the Jacuzzi and that we should probably join them before they began making rude comments about us or to us. I lifted her up and out of the pool, and she stood there, waiting for me to climb out too.

I couldn't. I was still so hard. There was no way I was getting out of this pool anytime soon. She was confused at first, when I told her, "All in good time." Then she realized what the problem was and referred to it as my "sensory overload." I splashed her, but really, it made me smile; we had our own little code words. She knew exactly what she did to me.

I wondered exactly what I did to her. I pushed away from the edge, back first, kicking as I moved out into the pool backwards. My eyes were trained on hers as I moved. I watched as her eyes traveled to my groin. I was still at full mast. Her darkened eyes widened slightly, I saw her lips part and then she looked up at my eyes and blushed furiously when she realized I'd been watching her check me out. I had caught her looking. Of course that just made me impossibly harder. From the look on her face she was just as affected by me as I was by her.

_So. Fucking. Hot._

And then she turned after a moment, headed in the direction of the Jacuzzi, wiggling her little ass. _Serves me right._ I yelled to her that she wasn't helping matters, and I could see her giggling a little to herself. I really needed to swim some laps hard and fast.

After concentrating on my form a little to start, I thought I could try to concentrate on some Spanish verb conjugation, then I switched over to a few math problems and finally I listed the United Sates in alphabetical order. It took a number of laps before I was finally able to get out of the pool and be socially acceptable and join the rest of the group.

When I got into the Jacuzzi I was almost immediately sidetracked by the discussion. They had all figured out that Bella and I had been playing them. They wanted to know which stories were true or partly true. That had been really entertaining. For once, I was part of a team, and my cute little teammate and I had pulled off a really great prank on some of the best pranksters I knew.

It was just like that morning in the dining hall after Bella and I had been caught making out in the shower. They all wanted answers. We were there for an inquisition. Crabby Alice led the attack.

Emmett was relieved to find out that I was normal; that I hadn't slept on top of the covers with Bella beneath them. He seemed to be relieved to know that Bella was normal as well. I think he had high hopes for the both of us.

Rose was disappointed that there had been no wild, sweaty animal sex. Truth be told, I was disappointed too. When I'd made the comment that it hadn't happened _yet_, Bella splashed me in the face. As I laughed and wiped the water out of my eyes I added that it would maybe never happen now. We were all laughing at that point but I was still secretly hopeful.

_It's good to have goals._

Jasper didn't seem too upset to learn that there hadn't been any nude poetry readings, but Alice was mortified that their little secret was out of the bag. That really had gotten the biggest laugh. Alice would get over it, or spank the living shit out of Jasper at the next poetry reading. Whatever. To each his own. And maybe someday…who knows, maybe we'd even give it a shot; Bella was an English major, after all. She could probably find some pretty stimulating stuff.

We admitted that Alice had gotten the true story out of us and of course she was happy as a clam. She made sure to announce that Bella and I were in love. Everyone just looked happy about that. We all sat there with silly, dopey smiles for a moment or two. That was kind of nice.

It was finally time to get on with our day. Emmett and Rose took off to shower first. Alice asked if we wanted to go ahead, but since I'd just gotten into the spa, I wasn't ready to get out yet. Once they'd all taken off, leaving Bella and me in the spa, I reached over for Bella's hand and just sat there enjoying the peace and quiet with her.

And that's when it hit me that we'd be alone in the pool house as soon as the others left.

_Oh hell yeah!_

**BPOV**

I didn't think anything of waiting our turn to use the shower. There were three pairs of us and only two large shower rooms.

Edward had had an earlier board short dilemma due to his "sensory overload." It had prevented him from joining us in the Jacuzzi right away. I had observed that highly aroused state as he swam away from the edge of the pool where I'd been standing. He had been very obviously erect. It had left me in a highly aroused state myself. There was a lot of that going on between us this morning in the pool.

We stayed in the spa for a while longer, waiting for all of the others to finish so we could hop in the shower. We were relaxing and enjoying the heat and the bubbles and chuckling about our successful prank, and the four people we'd enjoyed pranking. We'd giggled a little more about Jasper's and Alice's experimentation in nude poetry readings. Or reading, singular, if you were to believe Alice, and I really wasn't so sure I believed her. I bet it had happened more than once.

And even as they all returned, drying themselves off, Alice and Rose wrapping towels around their hair and putting the sweatshirts back on, it still didn't dawn on me that Edward maybe had ulterior motives when he told them to go ahead before us.

But once he took my hand and pulled me down the hall toward the showers, I finally began to suspect something was…up. I began to wonder if this was premeditated or coincidental.

I looked past Edward, ahead into the shower area, as we neared it. I couldn't see into the other shower room, but I assumed it was the same as this one. Inside the door there was a large changing area with a cabinet, bench and several shelves, all made of beautiful, rich teak wood. Pale, creamy, natural stone tiles were on the walls and floors. The tiles were smooth, yet not slippery, under my feet. The lighting was soft, and slightly muted, not the bright white fluorescent lighting you might normally expect.

Beyond the changing area was a spacious shower stall. The walls and floors were the same creamy tiles as the rest of the room. There were four rows of tiny, deep blue glass tiles, the color of the pool itself, that ran around the shower stall about three quarters of the way up the wall. In addition to those rows, individual, small, dark blue glass tiles were placed randomly throughout. There was a large bench seat on each end, numerous shower heads on the wall, a large rainshower head hanging from the ceiling above, and dispensers on the wall, probably filled with shampoo and body wash.

Edward paused behind me and reached back to shut the door into the shower area. I heard the lock on the door click into place. I turned to look up at him after I had finished inspecting the shower, but he was looking away, setting the towels up on a shelf, just outside of the stall. He finally turned and looked over at me and smiled a little uncertainly, raking his fingers through his damp hair. He seemed to be thinking something over. I returned his smile as he finally neared me slowly, wrapping his arms around me and pulling my body in to his.

**EPOV**

_That click was so fucking loud!_

_It kind of made me feel like a dick._

_What was she thinking of me right now? Did she know she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to do? She probably thinks I'm an idiot because I locked the fucking door._

_Did she think I was assuming? _

_Nothing had to happen; we just needed to shower._

Maybe that click had sent the wrong message. I just locked the door because I didn't know if one of them would come back for some reason, and I didn't want them coming in if…well, if something _were_ to happen. You never know; it's good to be prepared.

_Boy scout much?_

But now I felt like a total idiot because I was just standing there and I wasn't saying anything as I hung the towels up. And I didn't quite know what to say, and now the pregnant pause was stretching out. _And I didn't really just think the word 'pregnant' did I?_ I turned and looked at her and smiled, but I felt uncomfortable. Did she think I was going to jump her? I kind of wanted to, of course, but it was her choice.

I ran my fingers through my hair as I looked at her. She had a quirky little smile on her lips and I finally just went to her and took hold of her, hugging her little body to mine. I looked down at her. It seemed like she was biting back a laugh and her eyes had a soft, sort of tender, amused look to them. I was coming completely undone, just looking at her; just looking at those dark chocolate eyes.

"What?" I finally asked, confused by her expression. _What was so funny?_

"You," she replied, her lips curling upwards a little more. "I can tell you're thinking too much. You're over-analyzing, like you do."

"I'm that obvious?"

"To me, yeah." Her eyes were dancing in the low light.

"You must think you know me pretty well." I smiled, because I knew it was true; we hadn't known each other that long, but she was definitely onto me.

**BPOV**

Of course I'd heard the click of the lock, and it was pretty loud. It sort of echoed off the tile in the room, and that made it seem much louder than it probably really was. And I knew exactly what Edward was thinking. He was worried I might be offended that he was locking the door; that I would think he had made the decision that we were going to get carried away and didn't want to be interrupted. He smiled a little tentatively, then started with the nervous fingers through the wet, wild hair. I also saw the muscles of his jaw working, as he clenched his teeth.

I smiled at him as he came to me; I was biting the inside of my lip, trying not to laugh. I knew what he was agonizing over, and to me he was just adorable for it. I told him I knew that he was thinking too much; over-analyzing. He was surprised at first, but then he realized, I think, that I had already begun figuring him out.

"That kind of made a statement, didn't it?" he asked, somewhat nervously; seeming rather chagrined. He was holding me, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"Do you mean the lock clicking?" I smiled, knowing instantly to what he was referring.

I felt him nod and he continued, as he took a step back to look levelly at me "I think it sounded rather decisive, but I didn't mean it to sound like that. Obviously I'm not the only one involved here. You have a say in this as well. I mean, I really want to be with you, Bella, and it's hard to keep my hands off of you, but I don't want you to feel pressured to rush anything. I only want to do what you feel comfortable doing. And I don't want you to feel like something has to happen right now, between us, because it doesn't. It really does not." His eyebrows quirked up and his brow furrowed as he searched my eyes to make sure I understood.

I had been looking up at him as he talked. I saw the uncertainty and concern in his beautiful sea-green eyes; I watched the shapes his pouty lips made, as he formed the words he felt he needed to say to me. His fingers raked nervously through his hair once again; and then his hands finally came to rest lightly on my shoulders, running down the length of my arms and grasping both of my hands in his.

"Edward?"

"Yes, love?" He was looking at me intently. He looked worried.

"I'm glad that it's important to you that I'm comfortable. But if I'm not okay with something, I promise I'll let you know. You're sweet to worry, but you don't need to." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his pouty lips. "Now, we should probably take a shower, right?"

He grinned somewhat sheepishly at me and nodded. "That's why we're here." He reached in and turned on the faucet. Water fell from the rainshower head above. He reached in, testing the temperature and making a few adjustments.

"This is familiar, somehow," I said to him, grinning as we stepped into the stall.

He laughed. "Yeah, a very pleasant deja vu. Best first kiss situation ever."

"I must say, though, the dorm shower stalls have got nothing on your mom's pool house shower stalls."

"A little more room to maneuver, no?" He was smiling.

We both had stepped under the dripping water; it felt like we had been caught in the rain.

He pointed to the dispensers on the wall. "This is shampoo and conditioner together, the other one is body wash."

I stood, wetting down my hair, then I moved aside for him to wet his hair. I turned to the dispenser and pumped the shampoo into my hand, and then into his, as he reached forward. He washed his hair quickly, looking down at me as his long fingers worked their way through his hair.

"You know," he said, with that silly lopsided grin, "I think I owe you a shampoo. You took such good care of me on Pepper Spray Night, it's probably the least I can do for you and I don't know that I'll often get the chance at reciprocating."

I laughed as his fingers joined mine, massaging shampoo into my hair.

"Just so long as you don't feel the need to spray pepper spray into my eyes first."

**EPOV**

I stood there washing her hair with her, smiling to myself, thinking about how she had fallen into me the night she'd helped me wash pepper spray out of my eyes and hair. Our first kiss. An odd situation, but it made for a very memorable first kiss. I looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and she looked relaxed, content. My eyes dropped to her lips; they were a beautiful shape, slightly parted, and they looked so soft and inviting. I realized that she was no longer helping me to wash her hair; her hands had fallen away and her arms hung limply at her sides as she relaxed so completely into what I was doing for her. My movements slowed and became a little less hygienic scrub, a lot more sensual massage as I watched her serene face.

Just as Dick and I were thinking that the atmosphere had changed in the room, she opened her eyes and looked up at me. She just gazed at me with those liquid chocolate eyes. They were a very dark chocolate. She seemed to be waiting.

"That feels so good," she said softly.

I smiled. "Step back a little," I said to her in a low voice.

She moved backward a step and I moved forward. Now we were both under the rainshower spray coming from above. I tipped my head upward and slicked my hand through my hair several times, washing out the shampoo quickly, keeping my other hand on her shoulder. I looked back down at her and ran my fingertips through her hair, rinsing out the shampoo, massaging, and then tugging on the strands a little; sort of like what she was always doing to my hair. Her head was tipped upward into the spray, her eyes still closed and her face all relaxed and soft and lovely. I ran my hands through her hair a few more times; smoothing it out and pulling it back over her shoulder. She sort of sighed and her hands moved forward to my waist, holding onto me, pressing her fingers and palms against me as she kept her balance.

It was her neck that called to me. There was something about the curve of her neck. With her head tipped back like that, her neck just seemed so vulnerable and exposed. I bent to kiss the little hollow, just at the base, and then I traced up the curve with my tongue, slowly, kissing her as I went. When I got to her chin, she tipped her head down a little, opening her eyes slowly to meet mine, and then she brought her mouth to mine. I had thirsted for her the entire time we were in the pool and now I had her to myself. I kissed her hard and she responded in kind, our tongues meeting and sliding together. She finally pulled away a little, looking up at me; her gaze smoldering. I could see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

I reached past her, beyond her, and pumped body wash into my hand from the dispenser. I pulled her toward me then, out from under the overhead spray and began to slowly soap her shoulders, massaging them and then working my way down her arms. Her skin was so slick and smooth, her flesh so soft. I turned her around, to massage the soap into her upper back and then I slowly worked my way down to her lower back and to her hips.

I moved in close behind her. I bent my lips to her ear.

"Bella, you were making me crazy in the pool, watching you in this little bathing suit."

She turned around to me, smiling, her eyes a little mischievous. She reached behind herself with both hands and suddenly her top was untied and she was lifting it off over the top of her head.

_Oh fuck me!_

Her mouth was curving up into a smile. I'm sure my jaw hit the floor because she really took me by surprise.

"Is this better, Edward, if there's less of it there to bother you?" She was looking up at me, waiting for an answer, her eyebrow cocked.

I know I groaned initially, but then I managed a smile and a few words. "Yeah, that's a lot better." _Could she hear how strained my voice was?_

Dick was straining too.

I closed the space between us, until my body was touching hers, her breasts just barely brushing against my chest. I reached behind her and pumped more of that wonderful soap into my hands.

It was time to get started on her front.

**BPOV**

Oh. My. God!

_I can't believe I just did that! And said that! That's so not me! But what a reaction out of Edward! _

His face, when I took off my top, was priceless. He was surprised, that was a certainty. If the shower hadn't been so steamy, maybe I would have noticed that he even blushed. His mouth hung open and his eyes were as big as saucers.

That was just an awfully ballsy move for me and I don't think I even blushed.

When Edward had first begun shampooing my hair it was all innocent enough, but then his fingers just began working more and more slowly and erotically. I felt like I was going to melt. When he began rinsing my hair he was pulling it a little, kind of like what I always do to him. Now I know why he gets so worked up when I do that. It was sexy as hell.

It had surprised me when he began kissing my neck. I'd had my eyes closed and suddenly I felt him kissing me slowly, working his way up my neck until we were making out under the water. By the time he had started washing me with body wash, I was the one who was all worked up. His hands on me were gentle and yet firm. I needed him touching me like this and I most certainly wanted to feel him.

_Amen sister!_

That was when I took off my top.

Things heated up significantly after that.

I'm looking up at Edward now and I've never seen anything quite so sexy. His face is lust. His eyes are pitch black and he's looking at me like I am something to eat; like he has stalked me here and now I am cornered and he's ready to devour me. I am suddenly aching for him to touch me as I face him.

He gathers more soap and rubs his hands together slowly. I see his Adam's apple bob as he swallows thickly. His dark eyes move to mine. I watch him, barely able to breathe as he lays his long-fingered, soapy hands on me and he's rubbing gently into my neck and out over my collarbones, his hands slide slowly down my sides, along the outside of my breasts and down over my hips. His touch is driving me crazy. His hands are on my belly and I can't take my eyes off of his beautiful face. I can see his need in his eyes; I'm sure it mirrors mine.

His hands are sliding back up my torso gently. I feel the backs of his knuckles as he grazes my breasts and I arch involuntarily toward him, sucking in a deep ragged breath. His hands are on my breasts then, cupping me; then just his fingertips, light and gentle, grazing the tips. His lips find mine as he repeats his movements, cupping me and lightly stroking me, and then tugging gently. I can barely take it, it is so tantalizing. It feels so good; Edward is making me feel so good. And he's _my_ Edward.

And in the midst of feeling carried away, as he is touching and stroking my breasts, I suddenly realize that, more than anything, I want this to be about him right now. I want him to feel good, because of all the times that he has gone to such effort, just to take care of me and do something to make me happy. And of course I am also thinking about how long he has gone without this kind of a relationship; without someone loving him emotionally and expressing that physically. My needs and desires suddenly take a backseat because I want him to feel really good, for the first time in a long time, because someone loves him. I love him.

I suddenly feel a little overcome with emotion. I find myself wondering in amazement at the fates that have led me to be the one who has crept into Edward's heart, even as he has crept into mine.

**EPOV**

It's gotten a lot steamier in the shower now that Bella's top is lying on the floor. I think for a second that I might be lying on the floor before long, too. I'm touching her perfect breasts and she is moaning a little, arching her back, pressing herself more fully into my hands, filling my hands more completely. She has lovely breasts and I don't know whether I want to look at my hands holding them or look at her beautiful face; watch her reactions as I touch her.

She pulls away from me. I can hear her shaky breaths. I'm wondering what's wrong when she suddenly turns around to the body wash, pumping some into her hand. I worry briefly that we might run out of that shit before we're done with whatever the hell we're doing. I say a silent prayer to the Body Wash God and hope that he's a benevolent god.

She turns back and her dark eyes with their heavy lids are watching me.

"Turn around, Edward," she says in a voice that seems lower, sultry.

Of course I do as she says and I can feel inside that my heartbeat has picked up the pace, as I wonder where this is headed. I am suddenly so grateful for my boy scout preparedness and the fact that I locked the door when we entered. I feel Bella's hands, slick with soap, as she spreads soap over my shoulders as she stands behind me. I feel her hands on me, kneading the muscles and working her way down my back, massaging and kneading with her fingertips, working her way down to my lower back. Her small hands are surprisingly strong and I relax into the sensation.

Then I hear the sound of the soap pump once more, and I feel her push me gently, to turn me around, and I am facing her once again, watching her face as she looks up at me. She rubs her hands together a little, creating a lather and then she reaches both hands up to my shoulders in the front, soaping up my collarbone and neck and working her way down over my chest and stomach. She's so intent on what she's doing.

My heart is pounding within me in anticipation. She is taking my hand and pulling me gently under the spray of the shower. She moves toward me and her naked breasts are against me as her arms wrap around my waist. My arms surround her, pulling her more tightly into me and I hear her soft voice as she lays her cheek against my chest.

"You mean so much to me, Edward. I love you."

I am hugging her tightly to me, feeling her naked skin against mine and kissing the top of her head as I stroke her long, wet hair down her back.

"Oh, my love, you have no idea how much you mean to me."

I bend to kiss her again; her mouth invites me in, makes me feel complete. We are one this way.

One of her arms stays wrapped around me, pressing against my lower back. Her other hand slowly snakes around to the front, down my stomach, her nails raking lightly through the hair there; lower still, until I feel her hand on the outside of my bathing suit. She is a bit tentative at first, but she suddenly becomes more resolved, and I feel her hand on my erection. I gasp slightly at the sensation. If she had any doubts before about me having a dick, she absolutely knows for certain I have one now, because her hand is grasping me and moving against me.

"Oh, fuck," I manage to groan, my stomach muscles clenching involuntarily, as I feel her hand on me, sliding up and down my length slowly. She unties the string and wrestles with the Velcro, and suddenly I am free as she pushes the suit down past my hips. I didn't intend to say 'oh, fuck,' I only meant to think it, but I have very little control over anything at this point, and who really gives a shit at a time like this?

More body wash. God bless body wash. Her slick hand is on me, sliding, tightening, loosening, and sliding again. I'm flexing my hips a bit, thrusting myself up into her hand and I close my eyes because I just want to feel how fucking wonderful this is.And then, after a moment, I think about how I don't want to miss this, so I open my eyes again and look down at her. She's watching her hand as she strokes me, but then she looks up into my eyes with those deep, liquid eyes of hers. I look at her rather small hand on me, moving from the tip to the base and back. I move my own hand to her breast, cupping her, feeling her nipple tighten underneath my palm, stroking her lightly with my thumb.

"I want you to feel good," she says softly. "Show me."

"Shit, love, you're doing just fine," I rasp against her. I realize I've just sworn again, and think for a split second that I don't want to be swearing at Bella while she is doing this to me. I bring my mouth back to hers and as we kiss, long and slow, I realize this won't take long. I'm already on the edge and she's doing fine and fucking dandy.

I can feel myself starting to get shaky and trembly, as she continues pumping, tightening and relaxing and I have a brief thought about how I might collapse on her or just sink to the floor when I come, because I'm definitely going to come. Probably quite violently. Unless she stops._ Oh, God, no! Please don't stop!_ I reach forward, pressing my hand to the wall behind her, to brace myself, and keep my other arm wrapped around her.

**BPOV**

When Edward moved closer to me, to hug me tightly as I was hugging him, I felt his erection, hard and insistent up against me. I want to feel him; I want to see him. I hear him suck in a quick breath when I first touch him and feel him. And then I hear his low groan and hear him swear. I begin to undo his bathing suit tie and the Velcro closure to free him.

One of the first thoughts I had ever had, regarding Edward Cullen, was that he was, without a doubt, the most attractive guy I had ever seen, hands down. So I knew he had been blessed with good genes. And looking at Esme and Carlisle Cullen, it was easy to see how he had come by his good looks. But looking down, now, at Edward's straining erection, it is easy to see that, yes, he has definitely been blessed with good genes.

_Holy. Freaking. Crow!_

_Edward Cullen doesn't have a single physical imperfection. Every last bit of him is awe-inspiring._

I reach for more body wash, to keep the general theme of things going. I begin touching him and then stroking his hard, thick length. He has closed his eyes and tipped his head back, groaning again, and I watch my hand holding him. Even this part of him is perfect and sculptural. After a while I realize that I can hear and feel his breath on my cheek. He is looking down, watching. And so I look up into his eyes, to watch him as I stroke him.

He reaches out then, to touch my breast, but I really just want him to show me what would please him. He tells me, thickly, that I am doing just fine. I smile to myself at that. He is coming unglued, hard and fast. He kisses me deeply then and I can feel him beginning to quiver as I stroke him. His hand that has been caressing my breasts moves to the tile wall behind me, supporting him as I continue; his other arm is still wrapped firmly around me, holding me to him. His feet shift slightly; his stance widening as he gets closer to his release.

**EPOV**

"Show me," she says once again, quietly, and it's an awfully sexy thing for her to demand, and that just makes me groan involuntarily. And so I bring my hand to cover hers and we're working my cock together, faster, as I rock my hips, flexing and thrusting into her hand, with mine wrapped around it, until I feel myself twitching in her hand suddenly and get that tensing sensation way down in the pit of my stomach.

_Oh holy fuck!_

I find her mouth once again quickly with my own, stroking my tongue against hers as I feel myself hit the edge. A few more pumps and my kiss becomes a low growl into her mouth.

"Oh, Bella…"

It's almost instantaneous. I'm coming and stilling and jerking and yelling as I release hard.

"Holy fuck!…Jesus...Christ!..."

I can feel my body shiver convulsively as I finally let go of her hand and wrap my arm around her tightly, leaning hard into my arm that is supporting me against the tiles.

"Oh my God!" I pant into her hair, tightening my hold on her.

_Holy shit!_

I'm gasping for breath. My mind has melted. My legs are all weak and shaky. I'm not sure how I manage to stay upright. It's probably divine intervention because I just had a religious experience.

Somehow I pull her down with me as I collapse onto the bench seat, because I don't trust myself to remain standing. I squeeze her to me, kissing her forehead and nose and mouth. I reach an arm up, grasping the shower head that has a hose attached to it, and I dislodge it from its hook, turning it on and spraying both of us, chasing the last of the body wash and the evidence of my Earth shattering orgasm down the drain.

"That was fucking excellent," I rasp shakily and grin stupidly, closing my eyes.

_Very nice, Cullen._

I am now slumped against her, all shaky and spent, still breathing kind of hard and smiling. I am clutching her to me as she giggles, sitting on my lap and holding me, kissing my cheek softly, her arms wrapped tightly around me. Her eyes are shining when I look up at her. And in those shining, loving eyes, I see more fucking excellence in our future.

"You say the nicest things," she smiles and I smile bashfully back at her because I can't quite believe I just said that, but then again, I'm working with a melted brain over here, so what can she expect?

"I wanted to make you feel good," she adds almost shyly.

"Yeah? Well, that was _okay_, maybe with a little practice I might learn to relax and enjoy myself." I smirk at her, but she has already punched me softly in the shoulder as she laughs.

"Well, Edward, I don't mean to presume too much, but you seemed to enjoy yourself."

I smile as I hug her tightly for a moment and kiss her forehead because it's within reach and I don't have to go to very much effort, because right now, I really can't.

"That was incredible, love," I murmur to her contentedly and kiss her again.

We sit comfortably for a few minutes as I come back down from the clouds.

"Edward," she says after a while, "I think we'd better get back to the house. I don't know what time it is, but the others left quite a while ago. I don't think we should be late."

"We don't have to go yet," I tell her, running my knuckles across the tip of her breast. "I want you to feel good, too." _I just have to gather my strength. _She grasps my hand and flattens it over her breast, and then covers my hand with her own, putting a halt to my actions.

"Edward, think about it, we still have to get dressed, find a recipe for dessert, shop for ingredients and make whatever we're making before dinner."

"Screw dessert. We'll buy a carton of ice cream." I smile at her lazily, hopeful that she likes my idea and we can just stay here for a while because there's unfinished business between us. I want to give her what she just gave me. Maybe twice.

She laughs. "We can't just dish up ice cream. Besides, I have a feeling someone is either going to come looking for us, or they've already decided what we must be doing, or they've given up completely and already left for the store. And I'll never be able to come back to your parents' house again because I'll be too embarrassed."

I sit up straighter, kissing her cheek, chuckling as I wrap my arms securely around her. I don't want her to leave.

"You're probably right, but it doesn't seem very fair, and I'm an equal opportunity kind of guy." I smile wickedly at her.

She tips her head back and laughs. "That's good; somehow I feel pretty certain that there will be other opportunities in the near future."

"In the very near future?" I ask hopefully.

"I hope so," she smiles as I resignedly help her to get up off of my lap.

I stand up and make myself presentable, tugging my shorts back up over my very satisfied groin, Velcro-ing and tying. We both duck under the shower one more time, quickly finishing, because we had gotten sidetracked before. I shut the water off finally, surprised that there is still any warm water left.

Bella had picked up her bathing suit top, rinsed it out and is now about to put it back on.

"I'm going to miss these guys," I say to her, smiling, as I cup her breasts one last time.

"You'll get to see them again," she promises, her eyes sparkling. "They're spending the night tonight."

I laugh as I turn her and tie the strings of her top for her. She's just so damn cute sometimes. No, _all _the time. All the fucking day long. And she's mine and I just can't get over that fact. This beautiful, lively, lovely, loving girl is mine and she loves me like I've never been loved before. And the really amazing thing is we've only just begun this wonderful thing we have; there's still so much ahead of us.

We both dry off, wrap our towels around our waists, and grab our sweatshirts, pulling them on. I turn off the music and the lights, shut and lock the door behind us as we leave. And then I chase her back to the house, playfully growling and snarling at her, loving the sound of her giggle as she tries to evade me and my butt-pinching fingers.

**A/N: Relief? Release? Review? Yes. Review please. If you're reading this far along, surely you must have something to say. I'd love to hear from you.**


	43. Miles of Aisles

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: If you're a repeat reader, there is a new character in this chapter. I think you'll like her. Let me know what you think. And yes, yes, yes, of course the Cullens have a ginormous water heater behind that pool house! You know Carlisle and Esme get their freak on when the kids are off at school. This is a work of fiction-where hot water heaters are the size of the State of Washington! :)

Stephenie Meyer led the way with the real stuff. We're following behind with the ridiculous/sexy/smutty versions of that stuff. We're not infringing. We're sillifying and sexifying.

A post-orgasmic Edward is a happy Edward. Until he goes shopping. Then he's an embarrassed Edward. Let's watch!

A Very Cullen Weekend Part VII

**Chapter 43: Miles of Aisles (Revised)**

**BPOV **

Edward and I left the pool house in a hurry to get back and change. I had no idea what time it was and I was feeling a little worried. What if we'd taken too long and the others were waiting impatiently for us to go to the store? I felt embarrassed wondering what they would think. Would they wonder what had taken us so long? Would they guess at what we had been doing? With this group, yes, they would most certainly be guessing. And probably laying bets as well. And then cornering us and interrogating us. This was going to be embarrassing.

As soon as Edward had locked and shut the door to the pool house he had turned around to me with a sort of wild, silly expression on his face.

"Mine," he had growled as he grabbed at my butt, making me jump and squeal. "All mine," he had growled again as his hand grabbed at another handful of ass. That was enough to start me running and giggling across the huge yard, with him in hot pursuit, growling and laughing and snarling as he tried repeatedly to pinch my behind.

By the time we had reached the French doors that led into the playroom, I was laughing hysterically, hardly able to breathe and there was a madman right behind me. Edward's arms wrapped around my waist, hoisting me up as he opened the door and carrying me laughing and struggling through the playroom and into his bedroom, kicking the door shut and dropping me onto his bed. In an instant he was on top of me, still growling like a crazed beast into my neck as I laughed my head off. He had somehow managed to gather both of my wrists into one of his hands and held my two arms pinioned above my head.

"Stop, stop! I can't breathe!" I began shrieking as he laughed and made tickling raspberry noises on my neck, punctuating them with an occasional 'mine.' "Pee! Pee! I've got to pee! Edward Cullen, I swear I'll pee your bed if you don't stop right now!" I managed to gasp between giggles and shrieks.

He abruptly rolled off of me, lying at my side out of breath and laughing at me as I giggled, panted and tried to calm back down and catch my breath.

"Okay, love, you're free to go. You said the safeword." He was smirking at me.

"'Pee' is the safeword?"

"Of course 'pee' is the safeword when you use it in conjunction with doing it in my bed." He snickered at me. "Sorry, love, you bring out the wild beast in me, I guess." His eyes twinkled as he looked over at me. I think I was twinkling right back at him.

"I just might have to buy a whip if I'm going to have to deal with wild beast behavior from you, Edward." I took a few more deep breaths, looking at his cocked eyebrows and intrigued and interested sea-green eyes. "Wait until I tell Rosalie; she'll be jealous."

He waggled his eyebrows at me. "Wild? Sweaty? Animal?…"

"Just shut it right there, Edward, we've got to get out of here and you're not helping the situation. Now I've really got to go pee."

He chuckled as he sat up, pulling me up as well.

"Okay, okay; I'll behave. I'll go throw these towels in the laundry room and see what the plan is. The bathroom is all yours," he told me as he finally stood, removing the towel from around his waist and bending down to pick up mine from the floor where it had fallen during my struggles.

As we headed out of his room he gave my butt a light smack and quietly said "mine" as I headed into the bathroom. I shut the door and took a few deep breaths before sitting down on the pot. Edward had certainly become rather exuberant since our shower.

And I. Knew. Why.

I smiled to myself. I was glad I'd put him first. He'd been due that gesture although if it was going to turn him into a lunatic, I might think twice about doing that in the future. _Oh, who the hell am I kidding? We'll definitely do that again. _I finished up quickly in the bathroom and returned to his room to get my clothes.

I walked over to his couch, where my bags sat, and sorted through my clothing, pulling out a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved chocolate brown henly shirt, a cream-colored, lacy bra and matching panties and a pair of socks. I also grabbed my brush and a ponytail elastic for my hair.

Just as I was about to start pulling off my bathing suit, Edward knocked at the door and called my name cautiously as he slowly opened the door. He looked a little anxious.

"Bella, they've already left," he said, looking at me a little worriedly. "Don't be upset, okay? We'll get dressed and meet them over at the store. We couldn't have all gone in one car anyway. I'll make up an excuse to tell them. Things will be fine, okay? Don't worry."

He was pleading. Pleading and begging.

I'll admit, I was a little perturbed, but only because of the nonsense we would be dealing with. But the longer I looked at Edward's naughty little boy face, all worried that he'd gotten into big trouble, the funnier the situation became. Everything he did, he was constantly worrying about how I would feel, not wanting to upset me, not wanting to presume to know what I would want or not want. He was adorable, and yes, he could be a real dork. He was my adorkable boyfriend. I suddenly burst out laughing, much to his obvious relief.

"So, you're not mad?" he asked shyly, hopefully and a little surprised. His pouty lips curled up into a bashful schoolboy smile.

"I think we've survived a few embarrassing moments. What the hell is one more?"

He chuckled as he strode across the room smiling and hugged me briefly. "You're right. We're becoming professionals at this. We'll probably catch a truckload of shit about it but what's one more embarrassing ordeal?"

"Exactly. We'll hardly notice additional mortification."

Edward chuckled as he released me and moved to his dresser, opening the top drawer and taking out a pair of gray boxer briefs and from the second drawer a pair of white socks. He opened his closet then and grabbed a pair of worn, light blue jeans.

"I'll let you change in here. I've got to hit the bathroom anyway and do the do," he said, pointing to his still-damp hair and grinning crookedly. He headed to the door with his clothes in his arm.

"Wait, Edward…while you're in there, start thinking about what kind of a dessert you'd like to make for your mom. Just in general terms. And then I can see what I can find on my laptop once we're on our way."

"Oh, okay," he said, nodding a little uncertainly, shutting the door. I got the feeling from his expression that my little helper might not be too much help in the kitchen.

As I took off my bathing suit I thought about recent steamy events. Edward had been all anxious wondering how I would perceive him locking the door to the shower room. Turns out it was a good call on his part, even though no one actually did show up to interrupt. I began putting on my underwear as I thought about how gentle and erotic it had felt when he had been washing me and then touching my breasts. I stood there thinking about touching him, feeling him all heavy and hot in my hand. As I hooked my bra I thought about every single aspect of those moments; the sounds he'd made, the words he'd said, the expressions on his face and the reactions of his body to it all. I felt myself heat uncontrollably at the thought of him coming undone as he had. Because of me.

_He was just so fuckhot sexy! _

I heard the sound of the blow dryer in the bathroom and it made me smile.

_Ohh yeaahhh! He's working on the famous Edward Cullen disheveled sex coif! _

As I pulled on my jeans I thought about the moment that was by far the sexiest. It was the moment just as he came, when he bent to kiss me hard, making me a part of his orgasm. It wasn't him feeling it and experiencing it alone; it was like he wanted to pull me with him as he fell off that cliff. I wondered what it would be like if we made love and fell from that cliff together like that.

_Something to look forward to, hopefully._

I realized I was just standing there in the bedroom, getting all hot and bothered thinking about being all hot and bothered. And now I had quite the blush to go with those thoughts.

And Edward was suddenly walking back into the room.

**EPOV**

I'd just headed into the bathroom and I'd started thinking again about how freakishly hot that shower had been. And we're not talking temperature here.

It had all been my fault. Well, it was actually the fault of shampoo and body wash. If there hadn't been any body wash and shampoo in those dispensers, it's likely nothing would have happened between us.

_Oh fuck that noise; we would have been all over each other, no matter what! _

_Holy shit. She really turned me inside out._

So, admittedly, it had all been my fault.

In my mind I saw Bella's reactions when I'd begun shampooing her hair, and then washing her body. I imagined her breasts as she had stood there with the water washing down over her perfection. I imagined the way they'd felt, smooth and sleek with all that body wash. I hadn't expected her to suddenly take off her top. I hadn't expected her to delve into my boardshorts for my manly goods either. But hell, she's an enterprising little thing and she's mine.

_Beautiful chocolate eyes and hair, cute upturned nose, full lips._

_Mine._

_Perky breasts with taut nipples. _

_Mine._

_Little waist, great legs and a tight ass._

_Mine._

_Soft hands, with a firm grip, pumping my raging hard-on until I came like a fucking runaway freight train._

_Mine. All fucking mine._

_And speaking of hard-ons…Hellloooo! _

_Shit!_

_And yeah, it's 'mine' too._

_Fuuucckk! _

I came in to the bathroom partly because I really had to take a piss, especially after hearing about her nearly peeing my bed. And now I would have to wait for Dick to get over his illusions of grandeur and settle back down into obscurity before I could take that piss. I sighed and pulled on my boxer briefs and jeans, not bothering to pull everything up the whole way or try to button up yet, because at some point I was hoping to be able to take that piss.

_The hair. I could concentrate on the hair. And dessert…I was given an assignment to contemplate dessert._

I looked at the assortment of hair gels and waxes and goops in the medicine chest.

_What did she mean 'think about what kind of dessert to make' for my mom's birthday? Shouldn't it be a cake? A birthday cake?_

I grabbed one of the hair products.

_Was she thinking I'd want to make my mom a birthday pudding? Or a birthday custard? Or a birthday strudel? It had to be a damn cake for a birthday, didn't it? Seriously._

I put some of the hair product in my hand and worked it into my still-damp hair.

_A cake. It had to be chocolate. I mean look at our history… double chocolate chocolate chip overload ice cream, Oreos and hot cocoa on the rooftop, m&m's in my bed, Godiva chocolate cheesecake for her birthday at the street fair. We were going with chocolate; "dangerously chocolaty."_

I was finally capable of pissing and then buttoning up my jeans. Thank goodness for the Great Birthday-Dessert Internal Debate. Dick thanks you and I thank you.

I washed up and blow dried my hair, fixing it the way I do…if that can be called "fixed." It's all in the fingers. Magic fingers.

"_That's what she said." _

_No, actually, doofus, it's more like, "That's what she has." _

_Oh, hell yes!_

I realized I had to get out of the bathroom before I got stuck in there with insistent Dick again.

I went back to my room, opening the door to find Bella standing there in her jeans and a ridiculously sexy creamy white bra and the sharply contrasting remnants of a blush, dissipating from her features.

_What's that all about?_

_Oh, for fuck's sake! Like you don't know!_

_Down! Down boy!_

**BPOV**

There was a light knock at the door as he came back into the room from the bathroom, his hair all dry and spiky in its usual crazy reckless abandon. He had put on his boxers and jeans.

_No shirt. Oh. My. Gah! What is it about old faded button-flys hanging off slim hips and no shirt? Well, let's see, it's the broad shoulders, the biceps, the six-pack abs, the happy trail, and of course there's the very masculine and erotic "v" divining rod that points to the Divine Rod. _

_Just. So. Hot. _

_Oh damn, I'm not drooling am I?_

His eyes widened as soon as he looked across at me, standing there in my jeans and just a bra. No shirt yet. I'd been too stupefied and sidetracked thinking about the hotness that was Edward Cullen unraveling at the seams.

_And thinking of the devil, here he is, Mr. Exhibit A._

"What are you blushing at in here?" he asked as he came in, smirking, because he probably guessed where my mind had been.

I re-blushed, unwilling to tell him; just shaking my head. He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me back against him, and turned us toward the mirror on his dresser. We looked like two people in love. Exactly like that.

"You're not going to tell me?" he murmured against my ear, kissing me, all the while looking at our reflection in the mirror.

I shook my head. "Maybe tonight; not right now."

His eyes darkened as he looked back at me in the mirror.

_He's looking at my boobs._

"So I'm going to have to wait the rest of the afternoon and evening, and be wondering about what made you blush before you _maybe_ tell me? And I'll be thinking about you wearing this underwear under whatever clothing you put on top of it, and you won't show me _any_ mercy?"

He pressed me tighter against him as he pressed his lips to my shoulder. I could feel his arousal behind me. I think I swooned a little.

_Come off it! You swooned a lot!_

"That sounds about right, Edward." I smiled weakly at him but I could still see the pink on my cheeks.

"Okay, then Bella. But no mercy for you either." He smirked at me as he dropped his arms and strolled to his closet. I looked at his smooth expanse of back and the dimples at either side of his lower back.

I picked up my T-shirt as he looked in the closet and pulled out a white thermal shirt. He turned around to face me and began to put the shirt on. Slowly. All of his lovely muscles flexing and contracting with the movements necessary. His pants sagged down a little lower as he stretched his arms into the sleeves. I looked at his chest and abs and that lovely happy trail and 'v' one last time as it all disappeared as he slowly pulled that shirt down while smirking at me.

_Oh, but that shirt fit him so perfectly snugly!_

Two could play at this game. I pulled my henly T-shirt on over my head slowly while I stared at him. Once it was on I bit my lip and I unbuttoned two additional buttons.

_Take that, Edward Sexface Cullen! You're looking kind of flushed, boy!_

Okay, so he would be imagining my underwear and I would be thinking happy thoughts about happy trails leading to even happier places.

We both took a deep breath and then put on our socks and shoes. I grabbed my purse and laptop. And we headed upstairs.

There was a folded note addressed to Edward and me, taped to the wall half-way up the steps. Edward peeled it carefully off the wall and opened it, holding it so we could both read it.

_Edward Dearest and Bella Darling,_

_Sandwiches are in the refrigerator in the kitchen. Enjoy! _

_See you at the store? Unless you're too busy. *wink*_

_-Alice_

_P.S. Rose is wondering if there was a case of WSAS in the shower._

_P.P.S. Hope Bella enjoyed sitting by the fire in the pool house_

_after your shower. *wink, wink*_

_(Just a suggestion. Got your backs 'cause you're cute!)_

"What the heck is WSAS,? Edward asked. "'Rose is wondering if there was a case of WSAS...' what does she mean?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "I'm pretty sure it must stand for 'wild, sweaty, animal sex."

"Oh, right, right." Edward agreed nodding. "That would be on Rose's mind."

We stopped by the kitchen and found two paper plates in the refrigerator, each one holding a croissant stuffed with curried chicken salad, which Alice had made for us. Edward grabbed a bottle of water and then grabbed the sandwich plates, taking a big bite out of one sandwich as we headed out to the Volvo.

In the car I juggled the laptop and plate and took a bite of my sandwich.

"So should we do a cake, Edward?" I asked as I began looking at a list of cake recipes I had collected.

"I think so. Have you ever heard of a birthday strudel? Or pudding? A birthday custard? souffle? flan? pie?" He took a big bite of his sandwich and chewed it thoughtfully.

I rolled my eyes at him as I scrolled through recipes and had another bite of croissant.

"Alice makes a mean chicken salad croissant," I told him.

"Yes, she does," he agreed with a mouthful of sandwich.

"Didn't you tell me that Emmett made Mediterranean Brownies last year? I didn't know if maybe you wanted to make brownies."

Edward choked down his bite of sandwich. "Oh, good God, don't make me hurl! Those were wretched." Edward shivered involuntarily. "Nope," he continued, "let's make a birthday cake. Let's stick with tradition."

"Okay. Flavor?"

"Chocolate. Dangerously chocolaty." He glanced at me with a soft smile.

I looked over at him and smiled about our ice cream shopping trip. He'd made that comment about his ice cream flavor preference. That seemed so long ago, but it had only been a couple weeks.

I began looking at a list of cake recipes I had collected and had on file. Some I had already made, others I hadn't yet, but they sounded good. I began reading chocolate cake recipe names off to Edward as I worked on my sandwich. He drove, eating and asking questions about choices and their ingredients.

He finished his sandwich and had the last two bites of mine, grabbed the water bottle and handed it to me. I uncapped it, taking several swallows before handing it to him to polish off.

By the time we got to the store we had made our dessert decision and I had written a list of ingredients we needed to buy. We parked in an empty spot right next to Alice's Porsche. I set my laptop on the floor and was about to open the door when Edward's hand reached over and took hold of mine, stopping me.

"Uh…wait a second, Bella."

_Uh oh, fingers raking through hair. Someone's worried. What's up? _

"What, Edward? What's wrong?"

"Um, Bella, I thought maybe I should find out from you… uh, where you feel we're headed or when you think we might get to where we're headed. I mean, I don't know if…uh, I mean we're here at the store and uh…at home, I don't have any uh…I don't know if maybe I should be buying…"

_Oh!_

"Condoms, Edward?"

He finally exhaled. "Yeah, condoms. We haven't talked about it, but after this morning, I don't know, it seems like it's something we should maybe talk about. But I don't want you to think that…I mean, it's totally up to you and I would never push you or try to talk you into…"

_Here we go with the over analyzing!_

He looked so anxious. I smiled at him.

"Edward, stop. I think it's safe to say that it's something we need to talk about. I'd say we're headed in that direction. I'm not sure how quickly we'll be there. I feel really weird about doing that under your parents' roof while they're there. But, um, you should know that I'm on the pill…"

_A little flicker of… what? Disappointment? Oh…Jake? Well, there's more to it, maybe this will soften the fact…_

"Um, I've been on the pill since early in high school; I had problems with my period and it helped to regulate that. And, um…I should tell you that Jake and I were each other's firsts and we were monogamous, and we always used a condom too because he was a little paranoid. What about you? What are your thoughts?"

**EPOV**

"Well," I snorted a little, "there's not much to tell. Tanya was my one and only. We were each other's firsts and we were monogamous as well. She wasn't on any birth control; we just always used a condom."

She nodded her head at the information. I hated that we were talking about our past experiences.

"So, um, if you want to use condoms, Edward, that's fine. If you'd rather not use them, I'm okay with that. I'm confident with the pill I take and I trust you."

I nodded at that. Inside I was doing back flips. And throwing confetti. And singing songs from musicals. Maybe dancing a little too.

I have to say that it bugs me to know for sure about her and Jake, but that's just stupid of me to focus on that. She wouldn't be who she is now if she hadn't had the relationship with him that she had. And it's not like I'm wearing virginal white either. I have to face the fact that she was with someone who really loved her and cared for her, just like my relationship with Tanya, though for a much shorter time, was very real and important to me and that relationship helped to form me into the person I am now.

What I've got to really focus on is the good news. She's with me now and we're talking about making love at some point in the near future. And when we get there it will just be all us and nothing coming between us. And that's something neither of us has had with anyone else.

"Are you sure about that?" I ask. "About not using condoms?"

She smiles and nods. "I'm sure."

I cup her chin in my hand and pull her toward me and kiss her thoroughly.

"I love you," I tell her.

"I love you, too," she responds, smiling.

"Are you sure about _that_?" I ask, smiling, as I kiss her softly once more on her lips.

Her smile broadens and her eyes are soft. "Positive. What about you?" she murmurs.

"Not a doubt in my mind." I kiss her nose for emphasis as I release her.

"Let's go shopping," I suggest.

"Let's go shopping, but not for condoms."

I smile and shake my head. "Not for condoms."

We get out of the car and I take her hand and walk with her towards the store. I wonder how badly I'd hurt myself on the asphalt if I tried to do a back flip for the first time in my life.

When we get inside, my job is to carry the basket and navigate the store, telling her where we'll find the ingredients we need. As we walk through the store there are Cullens and Hales everywhere. There's no avoiding them, and after a short while, I'd really like to be avoiding them. They've been put on this earth to embarrass me and today that's happening in a public place.

First there's my dad. He looks up and waves to us from the far end of the first aisle; the first aid, medicines and sanitary supplies aisle. As we walk in the door he's motioning us toward him.

"Hey there! What took you two so long?" he asks cheerfully.

_Have you lost your mind? Weren't you ever young?_

I realize that Bella's saying, "Hi" to him and I quickly improvise before she says anything else.

"It was Bella's fault." I smile at her. "She took a really long time in the shower at the pool house and then she wanted to sit by the fireplace."

She turns so that he can't see her face and she glares at me, but I know she's not angry.

"Okay, well, I'm glad to see that you both made it. I still have quite a few things to pick up. The other kids are here somewhere, I'm sure you'll see them."

"Okay, well we'll go start picking up what we need," I tell him as I drag her away. She turns back and looks over her shoulder and sees that Carlisle is facing the other direction and she swats my butt.

"What's that for?" I ask, grinning, as we turn the corner and go down the next aisle. But I already know why I deserved a swat.

"Blaming our late arrival on me," she hisses at me but her eyes are twinkling.

"Well, you're a guest. He can't very well be upset at a guest taking a long time in the shower or wanting to sit by the fire. Besides, would you rather I tell him the real reason it took so long?"

_Instant blush._

And now I'm smirking at her.

She clears her throat. "Well, I didn't think…_it…_ took that long in the shower."

_Really? Seriously? That's just mean._

Now she's smirking at me.

_Smirking at me! Okay, let's bring on the blush again. _

I put my arm around her, my fingers are on the nape of her neck, I bend my face so my lips are right at her ear, I lower and deepen my voice, because I know that gets to her, and I tell her, "With lots of varied practice it will take longer, last longer, and be more fulfilling."

_And... she's crimson. Yessss! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!_

**BPOV**

_Oh good Lord! _

_Does he want me to faint right here in the supermarket? _

I stop and turn to him, smiling. "It's really hard to do my grocery shopping and listen to your pornography at the same time."

He's got that devilish smile licking at his lips, and I would like to lick at his lips and he leans toward me and quietly says, "Yes, it _is_ really hard."

"Okay," I tell him, covering my ears with my hands, "I'm going to go find our ingredients."

He laughs and I see Carlisle come around the corner, calling out to Edward. I take the basket from him. I wave as I move down the aisle with the basket, smiling at the monster I've created.

**EPOV**

My dad comes striding up to me pushing his grocery cart.

"Edward, I was wondering if maybe I should pick these up for you." He points into the kiddie seat of the cart and there is a package of condoms sitting there.

_No! What the hell is the matter with you? Leave my sex life the fuck alone!_

But before I can say anything he is picking them up and telling me their attributes and reading off the package as other shoppers pass us by. I am ready to curl up and die.

That's when it occurs to me that Emmett, and Alice to a lesser degree, have inherited this trait that they have, the need to embarrass me, from our father. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; and Emmett and Alice haven't. However my apple is trying to roll downhill and as far away from the tree as possible. And if you listen very closely to my apple, it is screaming the whole way.

I have to believe that if there is a God, he is currently punishing me for embarrassing Bella moments ago. I sincerely repent.

"Okay, Dad, just stop!" I make a face at him and look around wondering how much the opposing shoppers have overheard. "Dad, I'm twenty one years old. I can buy them for myself if I need them. Just go put them back. I appreciate the thought and the concern. Just, don't try to help me like that. I don't want this conversation."

I walk away and hear his parting words, along with three women who happen to be shopping in the same aisle.

"It's just important that you don't have unprotected sex!"

_Maybe I'll just go lie down out in the car._

My phone suddenly buzzes shortly after I've entered the paper goods aisle and I take it from my pocket, flipping it open, expecting to see a message from Bella. But it's Emmett.

_Booze aisle. Now!_

I leave the paper goods aisle that I'm in, and go two aisles over, to where Emmett is perusing the spirits. Of course this would be where he would be found.

"Oh, hey, there you are, Edward! Say, do you want me to buy you these?" He holds up a box of condoms. Not the same brand my father had been partial to; a different brand, with different attributes. He starts listing their finer points, but I interrupt him.

"Why the hell would you think I'd want you to buy me condoms?"

"I dunno, Edward, just a thought. Just concerned for your safety and your potential paternity."

"Well, my dick and I don't need your help. But thanks for the thought. Just put them back."

Emmett tucks them into one of the six packs of beer that is still on the shelf.

"Gift with purchase?" He shrugs hopefully at me.

I sigh.

Then Emmett remembers something else he wanted to ask.

"What do you think, Edward? Should we get Mom the pink champagne or the regular color?"

"I think we should get some of each. Maybe even get something else as well, something sweeter, like an Asti?" I ask, pondering. "The girls might like that."

I realize that he is staring at me, the dimples have formed, and I'm about to suffer an assault from his sharp wit.

"So, you're trying to get Bella looped?" He grins hopefully.

"No, I'm not trying to get her looped!"

"They're more cooperative when they're looped." He waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"I don't need Bella to be more cooperative!"

_Oh, what the hell is wrong with me? _

Emmett is looking at me, with the biggest grin that I think has ever graced his face, and of course he can't shut up, because I invited him in with that last line.

"So, your headache is gone, then, right?"

_What?_ _What the fuck is he babbling about now?_

"What headache? What are you talking about, Emmett?"

"Looked to me like you probably had quite the _head-_ache in the pool." More eyebrow waggles. "How'd you relieve it? What did she let you do?"

I wonder for a moment when the last time was that this grocery store had a knock down, drag out fight, in one of its aisles. Then I just start backing away from him, like you would if you found out someone had some dreaded contagious disease. Whatever he is suffering from, I don't want it.

"Come on, you can tell me," he pleads with me, as I near the end of the aisle. "Come on, Edward, talk to me. I'm your bro," he begs, "not to mention your Resident Advisor…"

I shake my head in disgust, and then I point to the bottles in front of him and call out, "Get a few of each of those. Pink, regular, and Asti." And then I sprint around the corner before he can say anything else disturbing to me.

Bella is in the next aisle over. The baking goods aisle. She doesn't see me coming. She is standing on her tip toes, trying to reach something on the uppermost shelf, but the boxes are all toward the back of the shelf. I see her look down and put her foot on the bottom shelf.

_Oh, no, no! This could be disastrous! The entire shelf could tip! She could wind up buried under box mixes!_

I quickly move up behind her, grab her around the waist and hold her back to me as I ask, "May I assist you miss?"

She squeals at first, in surprise, but then she is giggling, relaxing into me. Then she turns her head sideways and speaks over her shoulder.

"Meet me in the stockroom in five minutes, and we have to be quick about it, before my boyfriend suspects anything."

It's my turn to swat her on the butt.

"Hey!" she yelps, covering her behind with her hands protectively.

I reach up, still holding her flush up against me, and grab what she had been trying to reach a moment ago. As I hand the chocolate cake mix to her I hear a woman's voice behind us.

"Excuse me, young man, I wonder if you could reach something for me?"

"Sure, what can I get for you?" I ask as I'm turning around.

"Why, Edward Cullen! I should have recognized that wild shock of hair! How are you?"

"Oh, hey, Mrs. Cope. I'm fine, thanks. Um, how are you?"

It's Shelly Cope, the neighborhood cougar. She's wearing black yoga pants, a leopard print velour zip-up hoody that's not very zipped and lots of gold jewelry, which may or may not be real. She's got red nails and very brilliant red hair, which may or may not be her real color. And she has excessively made up her face, which has features that may or may not be real. But that's fine because her overly large breasts match all that and there's no way in hell they're real. And she's moving in for a hug. _Crap!_

"Oh, I'm fine, Edward. It's so nice to see you! Give us a hug!"

By "us" I think she must mean herself, her right tit and her left tit. She's hugging me waaay too long and I mouth a "_Help!_" over Mrs. Cope's shoulder at Bella, who is stifling a giggle.

Bella clears her throat and Mrs. Cope finally lets me loose due to the "Ahem" she just heard.

"Edward, aren't you going to introduce me?" Bella asks sweetly, batting her eyelashes and biting her lip as Mrs. Cope turns to see who is with me.

"Um, Mrs. Cope, this is my girlfriend, Isabella Swan; Bella, this is Mrs. Cope, one of our neighbors."

"Nice to meet you," Bella says, extending her hand.

"Nice to meet you dear," Mrs. Cope says as she shakes Bella's hand briefly. She turns and flashes her overly white, overly perfect teeth at me in a big smile. They may or may not be real either. "So, what brings you home, Edward?" she asks, gazing at me, smiling, and looking me over in a slightly creepy way. I suddenly feel like a giant pork loin and she's contemplating having me for dinner.

"Uh, Alice and Emmett are home too. We all came home this weekend for Mom's birthday and we're all shopping for ingredients to make her birthday dinner with Dad this evening."

"Your father is here, too?" She began craning her neck looking down both ends of the row, scouting for the good doctor.

_I'll have to warn my dad._

"Yeah, he's here somewhere. Uh, did you need me to get something down for you, Mrs. Cope? We're kind of in a hurry. We've got to get home and start cooking."

"Oh, yes, that's right. Silly me, I got all sidetracked seeing you. Can you reach the chocolate syrup up there on that top shelf for me?"

"Sure, not a problem."

_I shudder to think what the plans for that chocolate syrup might be. _

I turn and reach up and have the oddest sensation that Mrs. Cope is checking out my ass and as I turn with the chocolate syrup, sure enough her gaze is rising back up to my eyes. "Here you go." I can feel the heat rising to my face.

"Thanks, sweetie! I'll let you get going. Tell your mother 'Happy Birthday' for me and be sure and tell your father I said 'Hello.' It was nice to meet you, Bella; you take care of Edward. And Edward, you stop by for a visit sometime, okay?"

"Uh, sure Mrs. Cope. Take care. Goodbye."

I grab Bella's arm and take the basket from her as I usher her out of the row just as quickly as I can. We turn the corner at the end of the aisle and as we start down the next aisle Bella bursts into laughter and is doubled over instantly, unable to continue on.

"Just shut it now, Bella." I mutter, mildly disgusted that she finds humor in my discomfort.

"Oh, Edward," she giggles, "You've got significantly older women hitting on you and eyeing your ass!"

"Shhh! It's not just me!" I whisper loudly at her. "I think Mrs. Cope is the president of the Cougars for Team Cullen Infatuation Society. She's always asking me and Emmett to come over and do yardwork and she just sits on her porch checking us out as we sweat. Or she's got some imaginary ailment that she needs to discuss with my dad. She was checking out my ass, wasn't she?"

Bella nods, giggling.

"I knew it!"

"It _is _an _exceptionally_ nice ass," Bella points out, grinning at me.

I roll my eyes at her. It's just an ass.

"Is she for real, Edward?" Bella still has the giggles and now it's making me giggle because Shelly Cope really is rather ridiculous.

"Bella, you saw that woman, there's very little chance that any part of her is for real." I use finger quotes on that last phrase and we both begin laughing hysterically.

I loop my arm through Bella's and start us down the aisle when a thought occurs to me. I lean down toward Bella's ear and in that voice that makes her blush I remind her of something Mrs. Cope said.

"You know, she told you to 'take care of me'." Bella turns and looks up at me, slightly wide eyed and a little flushed from my tone of voice. "Coming from her, I can only assume she meant 'sexually.'" Bella's blush deepens and then I feel a resounding smack on my _exceptionally_ nice ass and we both begin laughing like fools again.

We are halfway down the jams and jellies and canned goods aisle when my phone buzzes. Bella is putting a jar of jam into the basket as I grab my phone out of my pocket. It's a text from Emmett. I flip it open and read Emmett's text, pinching the bridge of my nose in extreme annoyance.

_Let the embarrassing moment/truckload of shit/extreme mortification begin!_

Bella takes my phone out of my hand and reads the text.

_Did B let you boink her in the shower?_

I'm shocked at him. Bella just sputters a laugh and suddenly begins to text him back.

_No, not that._

She looks up at me and winks and we wait. The phone buzzes. She flips it open.

_Mouth to head resucitation?_

She puts her hand over her mouth and bursts into giggles. I just sigh hopelessly, wishing the linoleum would swallow me up.

_No, not that._

A pause while we wait for Emmett to respond.

_Jacking the Beanstalk?_

I am absolutely horrified. I hang my head in my hands and then I rake my fingers through my hair, digging into my scalp for good measure. Emmett needs to be silenced. I am wondering which aisle holds the kitchen knives, meat-cleavers, and hatchet cutlery items.

But Bella has whipped out her own phone, and is about to text a message to Emmett that would be coming from her phone, not from mine. A smile begins to spread over my face as I look at hers. She has a definite devious smile curling at the corners of her lips. She is evil. And I love it. She grabs my hand and pulls me along, running to another aisle as she begins to text Emmett.

"Did Emmett take French in high school?" she asks over her shoulder as we run. I am holding a handful of her T-shirt because I'm certain she's going to take a dive or crash into someone or get hit by a cart.

"No, we both took Spanish." I wonder why that is important at the moment.

We stop running and she shows me what she has texted him.

_Hi Em, B here. What I let Edward do to me, it has a French name._

I look at her, baffled as to where she is going with this. She doesn't say a word. She is too focused. We are in the hair product aisle and she is quickly scanning the shampoos. She picks one up, reading the back of the bottle, and finishes her text to Emmett.

_It's called 'le cuir chevelu et les cheveux'_

She shows me the text.

"You speak French?" I ask her, but she shakes her head and presses 'send.'

"What does that mean?" I ask her.

"I'm pretty sure it means 'scalp and hair'. And I haven't lied; you _did_ do my scalp and hair. See?" She shows me the bottle. It has information on the back of it in English, French and Spanish. I look at the French segment and find the matching segment in the English section.

I burst out laughing and grab her hand, running back to find Emmett.

He is in the candy aisle now. Emmett's two most favorite aisles are the booze aisle and the candy aisle. At the moment, however, he isn't shopping. He is apparently reading and rereading the text on his phone.

"Hey, Em!" I yell to him, from our end of the aisle, where we stand side by side, our arms wrapped around each other. I set the grocery basket down on the floor.

He looks up, appearing to be shell-shocked. I make a rather suggestive face, indicating Bella with a hook of my thumb, while she points to me and does a two thumbs up gesture. Then she turns to me, takes my face in her hands and kisses me passionately. I happily respond in kind and then I wrap my arms around her and dip her, low to the ground, for good measure as we kiss like we're both going to suck each other's face off.

When we stand back up we look back at Emmett. His mouth is hanging open, his eyes are wide and glazed over and he simply turns around, numbly, and exits the aisle at the far end like he is in a fog.

We're both laughing hard and I pick our basket back up and I hug Bella with my free arm. She's just such a feisty little thing. _My_ feisty little thing.

Bella's phone buzzes and she takes it out and looks at it.

"It's Alice. She wants me to ride back with her and Rose. She wants an update."

I nod. "That means I get Emmett and Jasper. I think I'll be okay. I think you shut Emmett down; that looked like a short-circuit to me. If anything starts up I'll just have him show the text to Jasper. That'll keep them busy for the ride back."

"Okay, well I think I managed to find everything I needed for dessert. It's all here in the basket. I just want to go pick out some flowers to give to your mom. I'll let Alice help me pick them out."

"I'll take you to find her and Rose."

We look down the rows as we walk along the end of the market. Alice and Rose are in the fresh produce section with Jasper. He turns back to their cart when he sees us, reaching in and picking something up. As Bella begins walking toward Alice and Rose, Jasper walks toward me, proudly displaying a box of condoms, a third variety, no less.

As he approaches I step aside and with slitted eyes and an icy voice say, "Just keep going, put them back in aisle number one where they belong, and don't come back until you've done that."

My voice and facial expression must truly frighten him, because he never falters, speaks or bats an eyelash. He just keeps walking, proudly displaying those condoms, all the way to the opposite end of the store.

I take the basket up to the front of the store after Bella adds a little package of fresh raspberries to our other dessert ingredients. Bella, Alice and Rose go to the florist's section of the market and look at the flowers and speak with the florist. Emmett and Jasper both join me shortly afterward up front and my dad gets there just as we are done putting our purchases on the conveyor belt.

We all hit the parking lot at the same time. I look across the roof of my car over to where Bella is about to get into Alice's yellow Porsche.

"Good luck with that!" she calls to me, grinning.

"Hey, you too! I reply, laughing.

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all the Cougars out there, hopelessly addicted to fan fic and all that Culleny Goodness and Hotness. I can do this. I'm a Team Cullen Cougar. Rooaarrr, meeeoooow, puuuuurrrr. )**

**So, thoughts? giggles? guffaws? Favorite goofball? Favorite embarrassing moment? Make a writer happy and leave a review.**


	44. Just Desserts

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: With age comes the knowledge that you have to grab for all the gusto you can, or at the very least, ogle what you'd like to grab with gusto! Shelly Cope's motto is: "Ogle _and _Grab. With Gusto."

Stephenie Meyer's motto is: "I wrote a heck of a saga if I do say so myself." My motto is: "Write crazy, silly, angsty, romantic, smutty nonsense, just not for profit or for the sake of infringing."

The following is about an additional run-in with Mrs. Cope, a ridiculous drive home, and the effects of baking a cake when your boyfriend is far hotter than the oven that's at 350 degrees.

A Very Cullen Weekend Part VIII (Who'd have thought there'd be this many parts? And the best thing is...there's still more to _come_.)

**Chapter 44: Just Desserts (Revised)**

**EPOV**

I had just said goodbye to Bella. Well, actually, we had both just wished each other luck, because she now had to deal with Alice and Rose and whatever the heck they were dying to know. _As if I didn't know_. And I was left in charge of the childish, evil twins, Emmett and Jasper. I already knew what was coming from Emmett. It was just a matter of time.

I hit the button on my car alarm, unlocking the doors for us. Jasper had followed me over to my side of the car to climb in back. Emmett would ride shotgun; of course he called it, but Jasper would have given it to him anyway. Em was just way too bulky to sit in the backseat and Jasper must have been some kind of a freaking yoga master, because he could fold himself up like a pretzel, despite being as tall as he was.

"Edward…check it out," Emmett's low voice carried across the roof of the car to where I stood, about to open my door.

I glanced across at him to see the subtle eyebrow flick and head tilt in the direction of my father's black Mercedes, parked a few cars down in the opposite row. I immediately burst into a fit of suppressed laughter as I saw what was unfolding.

_My poor father!_

"Carlisle, oh Carlisle!" Mrs. Cope's lilting voice carried over to us as she wiggled her way quickly over to my dad's car, pushing her shopping cart ahead of her. It was a little like watching a big-breasted, flame-haired vulture swoop in on its brick-shitting prey.

My dad had seen her coming, it appeared; he was trying to furiously throw his grocery bags into the car but he just wasn't fast enough. I imagined him cursing under his breath.

"Who's that lady?" Jasper asked as we all stood there watching.

"That's no lady, that's Mrs. _Grope_," Emmett snorted.

"It's a neighbor," I explained, "Her name is actually Mrs. Cope,but _Grope_ is more apt.

"Shit," I said turning back to Emmett, "I feel bad I didn't warn him. I should have known she'd hunt him down. She cornered me in the store and made me get chocolate syrup down from the top shelf for her." I chuckled as we watched Dad uncomfortably chat with her as he was slowly trying to distance himself and climb into his car.

"Did she try to feel up your biceps?" Emmett asked with a smirk.

"No, she checked out my ass. And hugged me. And Bella was standing right there, not being at all helpful."

"She usually cops a feel of my biceps," Emmett mused, glancing down at his arm and flexing for himself. He seemed impressed with the results.

"Well, you've got the better biceps. I've got the better ass," I told him honestly.

We watched as my dad rolled down his window and looked up at Mrs. Cope from the safety of the interior of his securely locked car. He glanced over at us for a split second, glaring, then he was looking back at her, nodding at her.

"I think she just asked him if he wanted a spritzing of chocolate syrup on his naked chest and he said yes," Emmett guessed.

The three of us doubled over in fits of laughter.

When we looked back over, Mrs. Cope was leaning down over the handle of her grocery cart, probably to give him a better view of her leopard-print, velour-covered implants.

"In the store she asked me what I thought of her melons," Jasper quietly said as we began to climb into the car.

Emmett and I both nearly got whiplash, turning to look at Jasper in the back seat in surprise.

"Yeah," he continued pensively, "I was standing in the produce section and she came up to me and asked me if I knew how to tell if her melons were ripe."

Emmett and I both looked at him in horrified shock.

"She had a cantaloupe and a honeydew in her basket. I told her you had to thump them. I showed her how, and then she patted my hand and thanked me and told me I was a sweet young man. And then Alice called me over to her and Rose. I didn't know who she was. I just feel so dirty now."

I started up the car as Emmett consoled Jasper the best he knew how.

"Once you've been groped by Cougar Cope, you're a Cullen. Welcome to the family, Jazz. You don't even need to bother with marrying the pain-in-the-ass mini-mom someday; you're one of us now, dude!"

Jasper and Emmett bumped fists and we sat there laughing.

My dad had managed to get away from Mrs. Cope and was driving past us on his way out of the lot, glaring at us. Emmett and I waved sweetly at him, smirking. He waved, rolled his eyes and flipped us off.

_My dad fucking flipped us off! His own offspring!_

Emmett, Jasper and I all burst out in raucous laughter.

Cougar Cope could really mess with a man's mind.

I pulled out of the lot, headed for home. After driving in peace and quiet for a few moments I heard Emmett's voice next to me.

"So…Bro…"

_Shit, I knew the quiet was too good to be true._

There was a moment more of quiet, to the point where it was actually eerie, like I could feel disaster approaching. The hair at the nape of my neck actually began standing on end. But then I looked up at Emmett and saw his goddamn Dimples of Disaster. That was the disaster I'd sensed.

"_Bone_ jour Edward!" He guffawed for a bit, and once he'd managed to catch his breath he continued. "_Cum-_t-allez-vous?" More unrestrained laughter. I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a slight headache coming on.

So he knew just enough rudimentary French to be a shithead in two languages. I was willing to stoop down to his level, though.

"So, Emmett, does Rose know you're being multilingual with me? Because that might not go over very well. I'm sure she'd prefer that you save your lingual abilities for the bedroom, with her, you know?"

He choked back a laugh at that.

"Edward, you're not as slow-witted as I thought!"

I rolled my eyes.

_Now really, who's the true dunce here?_

Jasper piped up from the backseat. "Will someone please tell me what the hell you're both talking about? Why are you speaking French badly, Emmett?"

Emmett proceeded to tell Jasper that Bella and I'd had some sort of sexual experience in the shower earlier at the pool house. Of course Jasper was instantly pleased, and then just as instantly inappropriately curious like Emmett.

"So, what happened?" Jasper prodded.

I looked in the rearview mirror at him. I wanted to poke him in his bright, excited-for-me eyes. Instead I just sat there tight-lipped, speeding for home so I could get my grocery shopping, condom-rejecting ordeal behind me as quickly as possible.

"Come on, Edward. Tell us; we'll give you a dollar." Jasper was clinging to my headrest, his face right next to mine.

"I fail to see why my sexual experiences are anybody's business but my own."

"So then you _were _Jacking the Beanstalk? You just said your sexual experiences are only your own business; were you taking care of business on your _own_?" Emmett was going to make himself sick if he didn't stop laughing so hard. The last thing I wanted in my Volvo was Emmett's vomit. Been there, done that.

I nudged the gas pedal just a little bit harder. I gripped the steering wheel just a little more tightly

"Edward," Jasper used his best reasoning/explaining voice, "your sexuality has been an elusive creature. It's like Big Foot, or the Chupacabra, or that weird dead thing that washed ashore in Montauk a few years ago. I've got to admit we're all intrigued. In a good way. We want nothing but the best for you and that cute little girlie of yours."

"Me too," I replied icily. And so it's none of your business. Either of you. Fuck off."

Jasper looked at Emmett and shrugged. "I tried, man. What's the deal?"

Emmett told him about the texting in the grocery store and how I'd responded negatively to several sexual-conquest-type choices Emmett had given me regarding what had transpired. Then he told him about Bella texting him.

"That girl is pure vamp, Jasper. She's doing crazy French shit with Edward and he won't divulge what the hell it is. I hadn't realized that Edward was so knowledgeable." He shook his head, apparently somewhat shaken at that last thought. He unbuckled his seatbelt so he could fish his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Ever heard of this?" He showed Jasper the screen. I didn't look, but I assumed it was the text from Bella. Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw Jasper's eyes widen and he shook his head slowly. Then he looked toward me in awe and wonder. His voice, when he spoke, was a reverent whisper.

"Edward, tell us!"

"Yeah, please tell us," Emmett whined.

"We won't tell Bella that you told us."

"Yeah, we can keep a secret."

I rolled my eyes at that one. What a pile of steaming horseshit! Thank God we were nearly home.

"I'm sorry," I told them, "Bella would be really upset if I let you in on the intimate aspects of our physical relationship." It was getting difficult to maintain a straight face.

"Pretty pleeeeeze," Jasper wheedled.

"You can Google it when we get home," I finally told them. I laughed to myself. Undoubtedly they were both going to sprint for the computer as soon as we got home anyway. I had just put it into words for them.

We were the first ones to arrive back home after the grocery store adventure. I knew my dad had gone to run another quick errand and that was why he was not back yet. I pulled into the driveway as Emmett and Jasper were both flinging their doors open, about to race each other inside, because that's what five year olds do.

"Groceries!" I yelled, halting them.

"Fuck!" they shouted simultaneously. They both turned around, exasperated, and came back to the car to pick up grocery bags filled with their contributions for the evening's dinner. The three of us filed into the kitchen, unpacked our grocery bags, and set our purchases on the counter and in the refrigerator as necessary.

My dad came in the front door just as we were finished organizing.

"Thanks a lot, gentlemen," he said curtly to Emmett and me, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he came in. "I appreciate the warning and the camaraderie of you coming to help me out of my Shelly Cope encounter. Maybe later we can all sit down and discuss her latest self-improvement endeavor: multiple piercings." He turned and glared at us.

Emmett, Jasper and I all groaned in unison.

"I touched her melons," Jasper said quietly. I could tell he was still mildly horrified at being used that way.

"Come on, Jazz," Emmett said quietly, "Let's go Google. It'll take your mind off that."

They both sprinted off for the office to check the computer. I apologized to my dad for finding humor in his discomfort, but he was a doctor after all, I told him. Gross things were a way of life, right?

"I just need to go find your mother, Edward. I need a cleansing hug and some soothing words to take my mind off of that conversation."

We both chuckled as he walked off, headed to find my mom. I headed downstairs.

As I walked into my room I saw something on the bed. I neared it, cringing. There was a note from my mother.

_Didn't know if you had any or thought _

_to get any at the store. Better safe than sorry._

_Love you,_

_Mom _

Of course it was a package of condoms. A smaller box, but the same variety my dad had been so keen on in the store. _Oh, ewww!_ Now I was scarred for life. I picked the package up and tossed it into the trashcan. _What is wrong with my family and friends? _No wonder I was clinging to Bella like a life raft. She was truly my salvation in a frightening world of excessively meddling, snooping do-gooders.

I heard noises upstairs and realized the girls were back. A few minutes later Bella walked in the door with a very kissable smile on her sweet face.

_I just love that sweet face!_

"Oh, thank God," I exclaimed as I rushed to her arms. "It was horrible!" I kicked the door shut.

"I know, right?" She was laughing as she hugged me.

I angled her head up with my hand in her hair, and was just about to kiss her when there was a knock at the door. I motioned for her to stand out of sight, near the closet doors, as I went to see who it was.

I opened the door.

You know who it was.

They both stood there. Fidgeting. Uncertain. They had follow up questions, for fuck's sake.

I took a deep breath.

"May I help you?"

Emmett began talking. "Ok, so we Googled this 'le cuir chevelu et les cheveux' shit, and the English translation came up "scalp and hair…" He paused, looking confused, but it looked like he still had more to say.

I waited, unsure where this was headed.

"Was that what Bella meant to say?" Emmett asked, unsure.

I nodded, impassively.

"Um, we were just wondering…" Jasper began, shifting from one foot to the other.

I held my breath and raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah," Emmett continued, "we were wondering…" He licked his lip, tiny beads of sweat appeared on his brow.

"…exactly _which _hair?" Jasper finally blurted out, hopeful and expectant..

I just swung the door shut and locked it, and then I dove for the bed, face down, as Bella landed next to me, giggling into the pillows with me as I put my arm around her and pulled her close.

"Fuck! You have no idea how sorry I am about them all!" I yelled into my pillow.

She just giggled even harder into her pillow.

**BPOV **

I had wished Edward good luck as he was about to climb into his car. He wished the same back to me. But I knew that he would need it more than me. I think Emmett and Jasper are a lot more relentless than Alice and Rose. And Edward is a little more reserved. Then again, after chasing me back to the house this morning like a loon, maybe he was changing; he had definitely been coming out of his shell lately.

I knew Alice wanted an 'update,' and I really didn't want to kiss and tell, but I kind of felt like it was well-deserved. Without Alice, I probably wouldn't have this relationship with Edward that I now have, nor any sort of an 'update.' She was the Great Orchestrator, the Grand Manipulator, the Pixie Dictator of our relationship. We owed so much to her.

I slid into the back seat of Alice's Porsche and buckled up.

"Rose," Alice said, as she put the key in the ignition, "What the heck are they doing?"

I looked at Rose, seated in the passenger seat next to Alice. She was craning her neck, trying to see past Edward and Jasper, who were still standing outside Edward's car.

"It looks like they're looking at something, farther along in the parking lot, but I can't see what it is."

I looked out the rear window, in the direction Rose had been peering.

"Oh! It's a red-haired lady that spoke to Edward in the store. She's talking to your dad, Alice."

"Oh, poor Daddy! He's been cornered by Mrs. Cope! She's just plain scary and she's got a thing for every male in my family. Emmett calls her Mrs. Grope. I saw her in the market talking to Jasper about something she had in her cart. Thank goodness I noticed it when I did and called him over to us. So you and Edward had a run-in with Mrs. Cope?"

I quickly filled in Alice and Rose with the story about running into Mrs. Cope in the baking aisle of the market. They both laughed at the situation with the hug and the chocolate syrup and the ass perusing.

Alice had backed her car out slightly, so we could watch Carlisle dealing with the town cougar.

"Wait until you hear the scuttlebutt on her," Alice said, rolling her eyes a little.

"Mrs. Cope married this wealthy older man and proceeded to sex him to death. When the paramedics came, he was naked, beyond resuscitation, with a big smile on his face. Meanwhile, Mrs. Cope was wearing an robe, untied and flapping in the breeze, underneath which she had on a black corset, garter belt and thigh-hi stockings.

"Old Mr. Cope must have died a happy man, because he left her with a tidy sum. She bought herself a Maserati and she's been on the prowl now for younger men with more stamina ever since.

"Keep an eye on your boys, girls. She's had Emmett and Edward help her out in her yard in the summers. The first time, they took off their T-shirts once they'd gotten all sweaty, but after that, they always kept their shirts on, no matter how uncomfortably sweaty they became. And neither of them has ever said why, exactly."

Rose and I burst into fits of giggles as Alice vouched for the accuracy of her scuttlebutt.

"I want to be Mrs. Cope when I grow up," Rose said wistfully.

Alice and I looked at her in fright.

"JK, girls, JK!" Rose assured us, laughing a belly laugh at our gullibility.

By this time, Mrs. Cope had wandered away to her Maserati and Alice's dad had finally pulled out of the parking lot. Edward, Jasper and Emmett had piled into Edward's car and backed out as well.

Rose eyed Edward's Volvo as it exited the parking lot.

"Lift-off; we have lift-off," she said to Alice, watching Edward as he sped away.

_What the hell?_

Alice put the car in gear and then she was suddenly pulling back into the same slot where we had been parked. She put the car in 'park', pulled up the emergency brake, and turned off the engine. Then they both turned around to look back at me with hugely devious smiles.

"Okay. Update, Little Missy!" Alice demanded.

_Oh shit! Trapped! _

I began laughing, looking at Alice's twinking eyes and Rose's expectant facial expression.

"Oh, gosh you guys are good!" I told them.

"Tell us something we don't already know! Pound it, Rose!" Alice said as she reached her fist out toward Rose.

Rose spoke up. "Bella, you have no idea how crazy we've been going upstairs, wondering what the heck is going on between you and Edward downstairs!"

I laughed at the two of them.

"Well, what's been going on has been good. I can tell you that much." I looked back at Rose. "Did Alice tell you about the hospital scene with Jake kissing me that Edward unfortunately witnessed?"

Rose nodded. "Poor Edward, no wonder he was acting like he was a zombie. He just crumbled, didn't he?"

I nodded, my face showing my dismay.

"But that's water under the bridge now, I told him what actually happened and we made up," I told her.

"And by 'made-up,' she means 'made out.'" Alice explained knowingly.

"Well, of course!" I told her, giggling along with her. "And then we slept cuddled up next to each other all night. And this morning I got breakfast in bed. I think he felt bad about not trusting me, but I can certainly see how he was confused by what he saw."

Rose smiled. "At the pool Edward looked like he was about ready to cart you off into the woods and attack you like some wild animal; all ready to feast on you."

I smiled thinking about how Edward had had his hands on me almost constantly in that pool. "I'm sure a lot of that was due to my very tiny, new bathing suit. He didn't let me stray too far from him, did he?"

They both shook their heads smiling. And then they waited.

I suddenly looked at them in shock.

"We're not going to go back until I tell you actual deatils, are we?"

They both shook their heads simultaneously; faux sweet smiles on their faces.

_Sneaky bitches! But I loved them both._

"Oh, shit! Well alright; but I'm only saying it once, and it never crosses your lips! Either of you!" I took a big breath so I could gather my resolve and do this quickly.

"After you guys left, Edward and I took our shower. He started washing my hair and washing me, and I started washing him, and before we knew it we were making out, and somehow my top fell on the floor. There was partial nudity, one thing led to another and one of us was really happy, ecstatically so. Now we have unfinished business between us and Edward is an equal opportunity kind of guy. But I'm not quite ready to do the full-on deed yet, especially in his parents' home with all of you nosy bitches around because look at what we would have to deal with!" I indicated the two of them, sitting there greedy for information as I stuck my tongue out. They both laughed.

"I guess that fills in some of the details," Alice said, glancing at Rose to see if she seemed satisfied.

"Yeah," Rose agreed, "she skimmed through some of the important points, but I get the gist of things." She turned to me narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she spoke. "Do you and Edward have a thing about showers, or what?"

"Apparently," I laughed.

"Nothing like good, _clean_ fun," Alice observed as she started up the car. "Okay, Bella, you're off the hook. We got our update so we'll take you home."

"I just have one question," Rose added as we exited onto the main road, "what's 'le cuir de chevelu et les cheveux?"

"Oh, good God, not you, too!" I began laughing hysterically.

Rose held her cell phone up for me to see the text.

I explained the whole thing to them and by the time we got back to the house, they had decided that they would let Jasper and Emmett try to figure out what it could possibly be, just to see what they came up with. It was bound to be an interesting night for all.

Once we were back at the Cullens' house we went directly into the kitchen, to make sure that everything that needed to be refrigerated had been put away. There were three distinct areas for us to make our courses for dinner, and some of the ingredients had been left out on the counter. I could see the spot Edward had chosen as our dessert zone.

Alice brought me a vase for Esme's flowers and she filled it with water. I placed the pale pink Chrysanthemums and rosy Heather, and the white Alstromeria and Baby's Breath in the crystal vase with the ivy and other greenery, and arranged them. Then I took the vase and put it on the dining room table, before heading down to Edward's room.

When I opened the door I smiled as I saw his cute, anxious face. I wondered how difficult his ride home had been.

He practically pounced on me, saying, "Thank God! It was horrible!"

Of course I laughed at that and agreed. I'm sure his ride home in his car had been about as invasive an experience as mine. Probably more so, knowing those guys. Moments later that was confirmed when Edward was about to kiss me. That was when we heard a knock at the door. He motioned me to move out of the line of sight and I stood there listening to his conversation with Emmett and Jasper.

Emmett had Googled the French phrase I'd gotten from a shampoo bottle, and discovered that it had to do with scalp and hair. I figured the ruse would be up; that we'd be busted for making stuff up. But instead I overheard Emmett asking, 'which hair'? I clamped my hand over my mouth to hold in the laughter as Edward silently shut the door in their faces and locked it. The next thing I knew, he threw himself on the bed, face down, and I joined him, both of us laughing into our pillows.

His arm snaked out, reaching around my back and pulling me over against his body. I heard his muffled voice coming from his pillow.

"Fuck! You have no idea how sorry I am about them all!"

I just laughed harder into my own pillow.

After a bit he turned over on his side, looking at me. His face was red from the laughter and not being able to breathe properly, lying facedown in the pillow. The vein on his forehead was prominent and his bright green blue eyes sparkled at me. Of course his hair was a lovely mess; that goes without saying. I turned to face him and pushed my fingers through his hair, brushing it back off his lovely, breathless face, my smile matching his.

"This is getting out of hand," he apologized sincerely.

"Oh, it's going to get worse, I think."

He raised his eyebrows.

"I was held captive in Alice's car in the parking lot at the store until I coughed up some details."

His raised eyebrows raised a fraction higher; he looked a little worried.

"Don't worry, my details were very general, and I spoke fast and said I wouldn't repeat anything."

His thick eyebrows relaxed back down and his arm went around me, sliding me closer to him as I talked. He scooted toward me as well.

"They seemed satisfied," I continued, but…"

The thick eyebrows shot back up.

"I told them about the French shampoo bottle phrase and how it came about. They thought that was hilarious. I made them promise not to tell Em and Jazz. We decided instead to wait and see what they thought it might be, and see what they dreamed up. If either Alice or Rose comes looking for safe harbor tonight, we might have to let them spend the night in here," I joked.

He suddenly rolled me onto my back as he rolled on top of me, settling between my legs, his mouth curving into that devilishly sexy smile as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Oh, I don't think anybody's going to be welcome to join us tonight." He tugged the neckline of my henley shirt to the side until he had access to my shoulder and collarbone. His lips grazed the skin there and I shivered. He lifted his head and looked at me, a lazy smile spreading across his face. "They're on their own after the party; we've got plans."

"We do?" I wondered if he had heard my swallow as loudly as I had heard it in my head.

He nodded. He had become a Sexy Smirker. I sure hoped he was appreciating my blush.

"Yes, we do. We've got unfinished business to tend to. I told you I was an equal opportunity kind of guy. You're up to bat, tonight, love. And I do love a good baseball game." His eyes held me in their smoldering, wicked gaze as his hand slid up inside my shirt, giving me goosebumps. "I'd like to see you get a homerun."

I swallowed thickly at that. And then it was getting warmer in his room and I was struggling to remember to breathe as his hand found my bra-covered breast. I felt his hand cup me gently and then release me and then I felt a fingertip slide inside the top of the bra cup and against my nipple. He suddenly hooked his finger on the bra cup and pulled downwards, so that it was now just under my breast, pushing me upwards so I was jutting out over the top of the bra. His fingertip went back to the nipple, tracing it gently as I inhaled, arching my back into the sensation. I closed my eyes, relaxing into the feeling as he pinched and then tugged lightly.

_Oh my. So fucking…dextrous. Dexterity was such a…good thing._

There was a quiet knock at the door and I jerked, my eyes flying open. Edward's fingers stilled against me and he whispered to me, "it's locked."

Then he cleared his throat and called out towards the door, "Yeah?" His voice was soft and low and husky. He looked back down at me. I realized I was panting.

_Oh jeez, The Sexy Smirker's hot! And so manually skillful._

Alice's voice quietly answered from the other side of the door. "Um, I don't mean to disturb you, but the ovens are going to be tied up later, do you guys want to start on your dessert?"

I snapped out of my trance and whispered at Edward, "Oh, gosh, that's right, the cake! I completely forgot. We've got to get started on it. You got me all sidetracked."

_And overwhelmed. And hyperventilating. And…wet. Holy crow!_

He smiled as his finger began tracing my nipple once more. It was a deliciously slow torture.

"We'll be right up," he called back to Alice, never taking his eyes off me.

"Okay," Alice's quiet voice responded, "sorry to interrupt."

Edward's head bent to my shirt-covered body and he placed a kiss on top of my t-shirt, over my nipple as he gently squeezed my breast. Then he sighed, making a humming sound, as he pulled the bra cup back up into place and withdrew his hand, straightening out my shirt.

"To be continued," he said quietly as he moved to place a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Is that a promise?" I asked him, shakily, as he began to sit up, pulling me up as well.

"Um-hmm," he murmured, leaning his forehead against mine, "just more unfinished business for tonight."

I sighed and realized I was smiling a goofy smile at him.

_How the heck am I supposed to bake a cake now? I'm going to have "unfinished business" on the brain for hours._

**EPOV **

This isn't easy. At least not easy in the way I thought it would be. I mean, I wanted her to be excited about tonight. And when I say excited, that's exactly what I mean. And she is. I can tell just looking at her that she's thinking about what's to come, or who's to come, after all the festivities are over. Her eyes have that unfocused look and she's a little bit flushed. But what I hadn't taken into account is just how it would really affect me.

We've got to go bake a cake for my mom's birthday now, and I'm going to be Bella's little helper. But all I really want to do is help her take her shirt off and take her bra off and maybe even her pants and panties behind my closed and locked bedroom door and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist. I want to hear her breath catch in her throat and I want to taste all of her and make her shudder and sigh and make breathless noises against my mouth and my body.

But instead I've got to help her bake a damn cake. Ice cream would have been a perfectly acceptable dessert option. I could have even bought a bottle of chocolate syrup like Mrs. Cope. And that plan would have left all kinds of time to…get better acquainted...nakedly. But that's not currently on the menu.

_Fuck me for not thinking ahead!_

Instead, I pull Bella up and pull her to the edge of the bed and she stands and we hug and we're both just so tormented, but we have no other options. It's fucking cake o'clock. We both sigh an exhalation rather loudly and simultaneously as we pull apart, and then I think it strikes us both rather funny, because we both start laughing, knowing that we'd rather start on dessert right now, and by that I mean each other.

"How fast do you think we can bake this cake?" I ask her as I run my fingers through my hair.

She smiles as we head to the door. "The clock's ticking," she responds, and I give her butt a little squeeze and she squeals as we head up the stairs.

**BPOV**

We head into the kitchen, where Alice is organizing her ingredients and looking over a recipe. She looks up at me and gives me a little wink before she looks back down. She, at least, is usually pretty cool in the face of unabashed sexual tension. I'm just hoping she's not going to notice her brother's hard-on, which I couldn't help noticing, but then again, I have a vested interest in that. After a few moments Alice is humming to herself and she quietly leaves us on our own in the kitchen.

I silently vow to focus on the job we must do. "Okay," I tell Edward, "we need two cake pans for this extravaganza."

He bends down, and I pull a Cougar Cope and check out his fine ass as he is rummaging around in a cupboard. Finally he stands back up, holding an assortment of pans and tins.

I select two cake pans and let him know that the other things are a bundt pan and pie tins. He peers at me as if he is letting me know that the differences between bundt pans, pie tins and cake pans is of little consequence to him currently. He has other things on his very horny mind. Well, hell, so do I, but at least I am trying to focus. He could try to be a little more helpful in that respect.

When I had read recipes to him in the car I had given him the option of baking a cake from scratch or using a box mix as the base for what we are concocting. He had opted for the box mix shortcut. In retrospect, it was probably a good decision. I don't think excessive measuring and sifting of flour is high on Edward's list of desired activities at this point. His focus seems to be elsewhere.

As I stand there reading the box mix directions, he has sidled up next to me and slightly behind me and after running his fingertips along the back of my neck, he is now kissing the nape of my neck, having lifted my hair out of the way. I realize that I am reading and re-reading the recipe and it just isn't sinking in. I don't seem to be getting enough oxygen up to my brain to concentrate on the task at hand because there's…this boy…with such agile fingers…and these softly pressing lips…and he smell so good…and he knows just how to overwhelm me.

_Oxygen. I need oxygen._

Actually I think I need a mixer, or a whisk, or a big spoon, or hell, I'll just use my hand to stir this stupid box mix and get this show on the road because I'd rather be elsewhere, with Edward Pouty Lips Licky Tongue Nibble Teeth Cullen. I open the drawer that is closest to me, since Edward is otherwise occupied with my neck.

_What kind of a helper helps like this? Helpers don't nibble and lick._

_Good helpers do…_

_Shit, I think I need to lie down._

I try to focus my eyes and in the drawer I've opened I see a big wooden spoon. I pick it up and turn to the Sexy Smirker, surprising him in mid-kiss or lick…or nibble.

"Don't make me use this on you." I tell him, waving the spoon vaguely in front of his pouty Cupid's bow lips. His eyes…oh my God, his aquamarine eyes are hooded and dilated and just…_Gah._

"As if you could fight me off," he taunts lazily, leaning forward and bending down to the crook of my neck, disregarding my wooden spoon weaponry.

He smiles at me crookedly, cocking an eyebrow, and I can feel my knees weakening because I am drawn to his one-track mind. I think, in my hazy stupor, that I would really like to ride that track, wherever the hell it's headed.

_Holy hell. I need to summon my wits somehow._

"Edward, I could always run off and leave you to make this on your own, you know."

"As if you could outrun me," his hand snakes down under the hem of my shirt and he has now threaded a finger through the belt loop just above my hip. And he yanks me toward him abruptly, heading back to my collarbone with his kisslicknibblelips.

I finally decide I have to play dirty. "Don't make me call Emmett," I threaten in a hoarse whisper.

That seems to sink in. He pulls back, eyeing me carefully, collects himself and takes the box from my hand and looks at the directions. A moment later he has a mixing bowl and a hand mixer on the counter. He looks back in the drawer that had been home to the big wooden spoon that I am still clutching, just in case, and he pulls out a spatula and sets it down.

Concentrating hard, I begin opening up the mix and dumping it into the bowl as he turns the oven on to the appropriate temperature. After adding the eggs, a little oil, and a little water, I am mixing up the cake batter, and Edward is maintaining his distance, although he doesn't look too happy about it.

_Really, what would have been so bad about birthday ice cream? And chocolate syrup._

Once the cake batter has been poured into the pans, and the oven is hot enough, we put the pans in and shut the oven door. Edward sets the timer for the cake.

"Now where was I, before I was so rudely interrupted?" he says, with that curling lip thing. His arms wrap around the front of me as he closes the gap between us, from behind. I can feel every bit of him up against me. _Yes, every bit._ _It's still there. _And once again I am dizzy as his lips find my ear and then my neck. Gradually he turns me around to him in his arms and pulls me up tightly against him, his mouth finding mine. He is kissing me deeply, his tongue having found its way into my mouth, and we are hungrily tasting and sucking on each other's lips and tongues. He has backed me up against the pantry door and is leaning in to me, practically grinding up against me as he is pinning me against the door to the pantry.

A voice somewhere behind Edward begins speaking loudly. "Shouldn't you guys be in a shower somewhere?"

_Emmett!_

Of course it would be Emmett.

Edward and I have frozen in place. He has moved only slightly, infinitesimally, just enough to look into my eyes. His brow is furrowing slightly in apology for the twist of fate that has forced his DNA to be a part of the same family as Emmett's DNA. It is the same twist of fate that is forcing them to refer to each other as 'brother' and 'bro.'

I feel Edward pull me away from the pantry door, closer up against his chest. His hand is reaching behind me and neither of us has yet to acknowledge Emmett. Suddenly Edward opens up the pantry door and is pushing me backwards into the pantry as he follows me in, shutting the door, turning on the overhead light, and resuming kissing me as I giggle into his mouth in our own little private sanctuary.

On the other side of the door we can hear Emmett's muffled voice yelling. "Dad? Edward's cooking in the pantry!"

I know we can't stay here for long, because the timer on the oven will go off soon, and there's more to be done with our Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Torte. But in this moment, I need to wrap my arms up around Edward's neck and recklessly coiffed head, and pull him down to me, and give him a huge kiss on the lips, because I have never, in my entire life, felt quite as happy and loved as I do with him and his crazy family and friends.

**A/N: Leave a little love for Mrs. Grope; Daddy C with chocolate on top; Bicepmmett, TightAssward, and Melonsper; the French language; Esme the Condom Fairy; Alice the Great Orchestrator/Grand Manipulator/Pixie Dictator; Old Mr. Cope, God rest his soul; Edward Kisslicknibblelips Cullen; or a Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Torte.**

**There's something there for everyone. Do me a review? Just asking, not begging. Well, kind of begging. I live for your reviews.**


	45. The Food Network

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: I don't know who is more excited: You, when you get updates or Me, when I get your reviews. It is so, so, so appreciated! And it makes me update like a fiend. Let's hit the bar; drinks are on me! Actually I'd rather have Edward on me, but wouldn't we all?

I'm not Stephenie Meyer, neither are you. Infringing? Don't even think it!

When we last visited with Edward and Bella they were in the pantry. Let's get them out of there and on with the weekend!

A Very Cullen Weekend Part IX

**Chapter 45: The Food Network (Revised)**

**EPOV**

As soon as I'd heard Emmett's voice, catching me grinding up against Bella, I had opened the pantry door behind her, pushing up against her so she moved backwards. I'd walked her inside, shutting the door and turning on the light within. And then I just kissed the hell out of her again, because despite Emmett, I really hadn't been finished with her lips and tongue yet. She laughed into my mouth as she kissed me, and that made me laugh a little at her, into her mouth. Kind of a weird thing to do, I suppose. But really, nothing between me and Bella ever seems weird; it just feels pretty right and natural and comfortable and it's the greatest feeling in the world.

I'd never imagined that a relationship with a girl could feel so easy and natural. It was like breathing. And anymore it was probably just as sustaining.

Emmett yelled some other goofball remark, from on the other side of the pantry door, announcing to my dad that I was 'cooking in the pantry'. I know he's happy for me and he likes Bella, and I know he's got to respect her, because she dishes out some pretty good shit right back at him with all of his shit. This is his way of letting us know that he approves of our actions. Really, he's nothing more than a large cheerleader in his own weird way and he's rooting for Team Edward.

His antics don't bother me as much as you'd think. When I was younger, and Emmett was first dabbling in the whole girlfriend business, I used to spy on him, tattle on him, and just make his life miserable in general whenever possible. Then, when I'd gone on the occasional date, or had an interest in a girl, Emmett let me have it right back.

When Tanya and I were dating, he was a lot less aggressive, though, because I think he knew there was always more serious stuff to deal with in that relationship.

He'd left me alone, of course, after Tanya's suicide. He knew I had enough shit to deal with to last me quite a while. I think he missed having a younger brother to harass while I went through my MIA period of life. The whole family had tiptoed around me for a while, and that had been especially difficult for Emmett, as you can well imagine.

But now he was obviously done walking on eggshells around me. With Bella in the picture, and me the happiest I think I'd ever felt, he was stomping on the eggshells with great abandon; yolk and white flying everywhere. I think that's one reason why he likes Bella; she's given him back the younger brother he always wanted; to torment, that is. The torment is okay, though, I know it's just thinly veiled brotherly love.

I was realizing now, at this point in my life, that although I had cared for Tanya, and she had cared for me, it had never been an easy relationship. It had always been a bit of an effort. Part of that, obviously, was all of her issues. Part of it was also being younger, and insecure with my own self, and just not very knowledgeable in general about the whole business of being part of a couple and how that should work for the best results.

You might wonder how I would think I knew any more about being part of a couple now, since I had been very individual for the past three years. I think most of it came from observation. I'd watched Emmett in his relationship with Rose and Alice in her relationship with Jasper. Both of them had really good relationships, strong relationships, with someone who loved them for who they were. Although in the case of Rose, I knew she was at least trying to curb Emmett a bit. That was entirely understandable. But Emmett and Alice weren't trying to figure out how they should act for Rose and Jasper. They just were. And they accepted Rose and Jasper for the way they were. I think the whole key, besides love, was being accepting and nurturing of each other. Wasn't that all really just common sense?

So I already knew all that was important. That was what I wanted. And amazingly, that was what I now had with Bella. And it was really quite, fucking glorious if I do say so myself.

So there Bella and I are kissing in the pantry, and then Emmett's yelling. We stop to listen to what he's saying, and then Bella suddenly reaches up to wrap her arms around my neck and she pulls me back down and plants a big juicy one right on my lips. It's not the usual kiss from her; it's not just a sweet little chaste kiss, but it's also not the hot and sexy kisses I've been growing so fond of. It's just really exuberant. I pull back to look at her face and she is just all smiles; a big, happy grin plastered across her pretty face.

"Edward," she looks up at me, her hands against my cheeks now, "I'm so happy; you make me so happy." And then she sighs, contentedly.

I lean my forehead down against hers and smile and I have to agree. "I think this is pretty much my life at its very best so far," I tell her as I kiss her nose.

"How much of that do you think has to do with being inside a pantry?" she asks with a smile curling the corners of her lips.

"Not much," I chuckle. "I mean, sure the pantry is good and all that, but I have this fabulous girlfriend, and she just makes everything pale in comparison to the pantry."

"I love you, Edward Anthony Cullen." She says this with a big, happy smile on her lips.

"I love you, Isabella Marie Swan." My smile is an identical one.

We stand there, hugging, swaying together a little to some imaginary music in our contentment. But I know it has to come to an end. We have to get back out to our pain-in-the-ass chocolate cake. The annoying, pain-in-the-ass, chocolate cake that just keeps disrupting the flow of things. Such a bastard! The timer is probably going to go off any minute now.

So I open the door as I turn off the light, and as I walk back out into the kitchen, I see that they are all there. Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper are all standing, leaning against the granite countertop. They all have their arms crossed over their chests and have been waiting for us and now are smirking, eyeing me and Bella as she appears from behind me, exiting the pantry together.

I turn to her and quickly say, "…and so, _that_ is the pantry, Bella! And now you've seen the whole kitchen and the way my mother likes to organize her shelves!" I waved grandly with my arm, like I was finishing up some extensive homeowner's tour.

They don't look convinced, but Bella jumps right in.

"Wow, that was really interesting, Edward! Thanks for the tour. I really like what your mom's done with the place and I'm so impressed with her alphabetical organization of her cupboards and pantry."

She's quick on the uptake, and it's one of the things that just delights me about her.

"Yeah, nice try, both of you," Emmett shakes his head. "You're going to have to do better than that." They all nod and wait expectantly.

We both look at them for a second, and then at each other, and then Bella rushes across to the other counter area, saying, "Oh, Edward, _here's_ the bittersweet chocolate for the cake! You didn't put it away in the pantry like you thought after all!" She smiles sweetly at me, and then rather hopefully at them as she tries to pass me the chocolate. I reach my arm out to take the proffered chocolate from her.

"No, uh-uh," Alice was shaking her head, "that's even less likely. Bella, I'm surprised at you! We've seen and heard what you're capable of. We deserve better. You have no idea what an effort it was to stand out here quietly and wait for you both to emerge."

Bella looks up at me, shrugs, and then she tries again.

"Edward," she says, curling herself into my side and speaking in a rather sexy, breathless voice, while drawing little circles on my chest with a fingernail, "you are most definitely The Pantry Sex King. That was the best pantry sex I've had in, like, forever! And your creative use of canned goods, well, I still feel overwhelmed just thinking about it. Now let's go try out the pool table." She quirked her eyebrow at me. I pursed my lips and gave her a little nod, then I wrapped my arms around her and dipped her almost to the floor, growling and then kissing her like I had in the grocery store for Emmett's benefit.

I thought that must have gone over pretty well. We turned our heads to look up at the others as I held her there, dipped to the ground, post-kiss, and they all burst out laughing and applauding.

"That works for me," Rose declared as I stood Bella back upright. "Come on, Emmett, we've got to start on our appetizer, and then we'll have to try out the pantry and canned goods later. And you'd better dip me when you kiss me."

"You know I will, Baby!" Emmett said, seemingly agreeable to pantry sex.

"Alice," Jasper turned to her, "when did you guys get a pool table?"

"Oh Jazzy, there's no pool table. Just the one in Bella's twisted imagination. If we'd had a pool table, you'd have found out about it long ago."

He just looked a little sad, but nodded his head. And then his features brightened a little. "You might think about mentioning getting one to your dad. It would be a nice addition to the playroom. I'd chip in. A pool table has possibilities."

We were all still chuckling as the oven began beeping, announcing that the annoying, pain-in-the-ass, Chocolate Bastard Cake was done baking.

**BPOV**

Edward grabbed two oven mitts and removed the cake tins from the oven, setting them on the counter to cool. The kitchen was beginning to bustle with dinner preparation activities.

Emmett and Rose had begun cleaning and then peeling potatoes and an onion. Jasper and Alice had washed several different varieties of tomatoes and bell peppers. Carlisle had entered the kitchen and was taking various ingredients out of the pantry and cupboards.

"This has got to cool a little before we do the next step." I told Edward as I looked down at the hot, chocolate-cake-filled pans, touching their springy surface lightly with a fingertip. "I guess we can just hang out a bit until they're cool enough to do the next step."

Edward looked at me for a moment, then he cocked an eyebrow and he took me by the hand, leading me into the living room. At first I thought he was going to pull me down to one of the couches, after that kiss in the kitchen but then he pulled me over to the piano instead and sat down on the bench, patting the space next to him for me.

"Oh, this is great! I completely forgot about you playing the piano, Edward! Will you play something for me?"

He smirked at me. "No, I thought we'd just sit here quietly for a few minutes and look at the keys."

I gave him a well-deserved shove and he snorted a laugh.

"I mean, obviously I brought you over here to sit by me while I play something for you!" His smiling face was tipped down toward me and I saw the silly twinkle in his eyes.

"Just get on with it then!" I laughed, shoving my shoulder into him once again.

He wiped the silly expression off his face, pursing his lips in thought for a moment. Then he made a big show of limbering up his fingers, hands, wrists and arms, stretching out and rolling his shoulders and then stretching his neck. He turned to me after about a minute of that.

"Ready?" he asked.

"You're not going to stretch your long legs and do ankle twirls?"

He giggled. "No."

I love his giggle. It's still really so unexpected. And the fact that it's coming from such a big, hot-looking guy just makes it all the more priceless.

"So start playing! You're the one holding things up here. Either start or I'm going to take a nap, this is taking _waaay_ too long."

He threw back his head and laughed, then turned to smile at me and kissed me on the temple.

"So impatient! Okay, here goes."

He held his fingers over the keys momentarily, then with a great flourish, began playing 'Chopsticks'. I burst out laughing and joined in a moment later. We were both soon laughing hysterically as we played it faster and faster.

"Why, Isabella Swan, I didn't know you were so accomplished!" he yelled over the sound of the frantic, pounding music.

"Why Edward Cullen, I wasn't aware you were such a freaking dork!" I giggled right back at him as we finished.

His arm went around my waist and he kissed my forehead, smiling. "Only for you, love. I don't share my dorkiness with just anyone. It takes a very special person to turn me into an idiot."

I rolled my eyes at him as he smiled back proudly. "Now I feel really special, Edward. Just play, already."

Finally he turned back to the keyboard. I watched him then, as he became more serious, and began running his fingers up and down the keys, warming up a little. He stopped for a moment, rubbed his palms on the thighs of his jeans, and then began playing. I instantly recognized the beginning notes of "Claire de Lune." The music filled the room.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Carlisle appear at the doorway and smile as he leaned against the archway, listening for quite a while before retreating back to the kitchen.

Edward played beautifully. It was hard to decide whether I should watch his long elegant fingers moving across the keys or the concentrated, yet serene look on his face. He seemed transported as he played, and I was completely taken by surprise at his ability and the way the music obviously moved him. He was stunning to watch as he played. The music was so flawless he sounded like a concert pianist.

As the last of the notes sounded out and ebbed away he turned back toward me, his eyes wide, smiling a little shyly, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Edward, you play beautifully! That was lovely," I told him truthfully.

"That was 'Claire de Lune'…" he began explaining, but I already knew.

"…By Claude Debussy," I finished for him. "Yes, I know, it's one of my mom's favorites. I've always loved that song. That was truly amazing. Play something else, please."

Edward turned back to the piano, thinking for a moment, then began playing another song that I'd never heard before. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye once again and looked back to see Esme appear and take a seat in the corner of one of the couches, smiling at me and giving me a wink as she relaxed back and closed her eyes, listening to Edward play. I smiled, then turned back to watch his hands as he played. When he'd finished the piece, Esme began clapping and Edward turned around in surprise.

"Just beautiful, Edward! Thank you for playing my song. As you can see, it lured me out of my hiding place."

He smiled at her in response.

"What song was that?" I asked.

"Uh, it doesn't have a name. I've just always called it 'Esme's song'."

"Wait, you _wrote_ that song?" I asked him in surprise.

"Yeah, it's a song I wrote for my mom. I like to write music. I told you that when we had our ice cream picnic up on your roof."

"I guess I just didn't realize you'd be that good," I told him honestly.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "If the college thing doesn't work out, I just may become a lounge lizard, playing piano in bars, drinking and smoking, becoming a creature of the night."

I smiled at him as he turned back to the piano and suddenly began playing a rather slow, calm 'Happy Birthday' in rather muted tones. Esme smiled as Carlisle, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper slowly began to appear in the archway at the entrance to the living room.

Edward heard them, turning to look over his shoulder, and began the song a second time, playing much more loudly and forcefully. They all chimed in singing exuberantly to Esme, but not necessarily in tune. Edward and I joined them as well. And, horrible singer that I am, Edward began making faces at me, wincing and flinching at every other note. I elbowed him as he finished with a crescendo and everyone hit their own individual parting note in a variety of octaves.

"Well now, that was certainly thoughtful," Esme teased, with a finger stuck in her ear and a pained look on her face, when the noise had died down. "But I might add that I'm glad I only have to listen to that once a year."

Everyone laughed, beaming about their raucous commemoration of her special day.

"Now, you're not out here to spy on us, are you, my lovely?" Carlisle asked Esme. His eyebrow was arched and he had a twinkle in his eye.

"Uh-oh, caught!" She laughed at him then. "No, actually, Dear, I came out to listen to Edward play. It's been a while. It sounded so wonderful. I promise I won't snoop in the kitchen. Play one more song for me Edward. How about 'Stardust'?"

Edward nodded to her and turned back to me.

"Do you know it?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so."

"It's another old classic; this was written by Hoagy Carmichael, late 1920's. Originally it had a faster tempo, but beginning about a decade or so later, it was played as a ballad. That's the way my mom prefers it. It's one of my mother's favorites."

He began playing. The music was a little melancholy but mesmerizing. Again, as I listened, I was torn, unable to decide whether to watch his seraphic face or his long, sensual fingers. I looked at him in profile, his brows knit slightly in concentration, his lips pursed just a bit, making them look even more pouty than normal. I was looking at his lips, thinking of how they felt when he kissed me; how it would feel if I leaned over and took that lower lip between my teeth and sucked on it. Suddenly he glanced at me and caught me staring at them. A wave of recognition registered on his face and he was smirking as he looked back down at the keys. I could feel my pulse quicken and the heat rise to my face.

I looked back down at his fingers on the keys. As I watched his hands and fingers I began thinking about how it had felt when he had been touching me; how gently he had caressed my breast and nipple only a short while ago. Once again I felt a wave of heat rising up to my hairline, as I contemplated those fingers moving on my body.

The song finished and I saw Esme stand. She thanked Edward for playing and said she'd see us later. Then she disappeared back upstairs as we said goodbye.

Edward's arm went around my shoulder and he leaned down to look closely at my face. I suddenly felt that he could read my thoughts and I was embarrassed anew.

"What?" he asked, a smile creeping across his features, an eyebrow quirked as he tried to read me.

I exhaled rather exaggeratedly. "You're kind of hot when you play," I confessed.

He laughed. "You think I'm hot when I play the piano?"

"Well, I always think you're hot, but something about that was a little hotter than usual. I'm just glad your mom can't read minds."

His eyes glanced past me, toward the archway that led out to the kitchen. We must have been alone, because he looked back at me and then down at my mouth. His lips dropped to mine and we were suddenly kissing. I felt his tongue seeking mine, and then tasting mine as one hand went up to the back of my head, holding me tightly to his mouth. He didn't need to be too concerned, my mouth wasn't leaving his anytime soon. A second later I felt his long fingertips inching upwards and finding my nipple through the fabric of my shirt and bra.

Not only was he rather manually skilled, but he was also indeed a mind reader.

After a moment he pulled back and moved his hand away. I was sorry that ended, but I really didn't want to get caught with him feeling me up at the grand piano in celebration of his mother's birthday.

"Want to go back to the pantry with The Pantry Sex King?" he asked hopefully in his low, musical voice, smiling his lopsided grin.

I laughed, blushing at the nickname I'd given him earlier. "No, not with all those family members and friends in the kitchen. How about if we go finish our cake? I'm sure it's cool enough by now."

"That cake has been a total annoying, pain-in-the-ass, chocolate bastard today. It's constantly ruining all my fun," he quietly said in my ear.

I laughed as I stood up from the piano bench. My legs felt only slightly shaky at this point. We left the living room and we rejoined the activity in the kitchen.

Rosalie had poured cooked onion and potato slices into a bowl. I could smell garlic in the mixture, and there were also bits of green, parsley, I assumed. Emmett was taking a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator. He set it down near a whisk and bowl on the counter.

I looked over at Jasper and Alice, at the food processor. There was a large bowl that already had some processed chunks of vegetables in it. Garlic and onion, by the looks of it. They were now tossing a cut up pepper into the food processor, and there were several different varieties of tomatoes waiting nearby. Jasper made additional food processor noises every time he pulsed the machine. It sounded a little like he thought he was driving a race car.

I stepped over to the sink to wash my hands and suddenly Edward was behind me, pressed up against me, reaching around with both arms, washing his hands with mine as I giggled.

"Aw, Alice, look. Aren't they cute? Remember when we used to do that?" Jasper was staring at us from the food processor station.

Alice glanced over and rolled her eyes. "We still do that, Jasper. What is it with you guys that you need assistance with hand washing? You're all just big mama's boys" She shook her head in mock dismay.

"I thought this whole process was supposed to be a team effort," Edward defended himself as he dried his hands and mine with a kitchen towel. "I'm just helping my teammate."

Emmett had to add his two cents into the mix. "Bella is probably capable of washing and drying her own hands, Edward. She seems like a fairly smart girl."

"Leave them alone, Emmett," Rose cautioned, "you know how they have that showering-washing fetish? This is probably just one more manifestation of it. I say it's just good clean fun. Carry on, Edward, Bella." She nodded to both of us, smiling.

Carry on?" Edward asked, raising his eyebrows at me hopefully.

"Cake, Edward. Cake!" I reminded him pointedly.

"Such an annoying, pain-in-the-ass, chocolate bastard of a baked good," he muttered.

Edward got out a small saucepot and put it on the stove, heating up some whipping cream until it was steamy. I had chopped up the bittersweet chocolate and it was now in a bowl on the counter. Edward poured in the whipping cream and stirred the mixture until the chocolate pieces had melted. While he stirred that, I spread some raspberry preserves on top of the first layer of cake and then added raspberry preserves to a portion of the chocolate and whipping cream mix in a separate bowl. He got me a whisk so I could fluff up the mixture. I added that chocolaty-raspberry goo to the cake, on top of the raspberry preserve layer.

While I stacked the top layer of cake onto the bottom layer, Edward dug out a wire rack and a cookie sheet. I moved the cake to the rack, and set the rack on top of the cookie sheet to pour the chocolate ganache topping over the whole thing.

"How does this stuff taste?" Edward asked, barely dipping his index finger into the mix. He licked the end of his finger. "Mmm, that's really good, Bella!"

"Is it?" I asked. I hadn't made this particular recipe before, but it had sure sounded good and seemed fairly simple.

Edward dipped his middle finger into the chocolate and brought his finger to my lips.

You can probably imagine where this was headed.

I opened my mouth and leaned a little bit too far toward his finger, then I sucked my way back out to the tip, slowly, licking the tip with my tongue where the chocolate ganache was waiting for me.

Edward's eyes widened, then his eyelids fluttered and he looked slightly dizzy. For a split second, I though his eyes were about to roll back in his head. I felt my blush zoom up my neck and face as I looked at him. I turned abruptly back around to the cake and picked up the bowl of ganache. Edward was right behind me, leaning up against me, with his hands on the countertop on either side of me. I felt his recurring arousal against me as he leaned in, close to my ear. I felt his warm breath on my ear.

"What the hell are you trying to _do_ to me?" his low, velvety voice nearly whispered in my ear. He breathed hotly against my neck to punctuate his question.

Thank goodness it was a rhetorical question. I couldn't have managed an answer if it hadn't been a rhetorical question. I couldn't even turn around to look at him. I knew what I wanted to do to him, but I didn't think it would help matters to tell him about it right now.

I began pouring the ganache over the cake, with somewhat shaky hands, careful to let the chocolate spread and drip evenly over the top and sides of the cake. And all the while I thought about pouring chocolate ganache over a naked Edward, letting if spread and drip evenly over him.

After the sensation that I was about to faint, passed, I finally turned back around to him. I felt like my blush was somewhat under control again.

His heavy-lidded eyes told me that he had some chocolate ganache ideas of his own.

"Um, this has to set for a while," I mumbled. "There's nothing else we have to do until we're ready to serve it."

"Well, what do you want to do now?" he asked me quietly, one eyebrow raised provocatively as he tucked a loose strand of hair back over my ear. Before I could answer him, he continued softly, "I've got some pretty specific thoughts…"

I couldn't breathe.

Carlisle was suddenly speaking to him and I realized there were still other people around us here in the kitchen.

_Oops! God I hope that exchange went unnoticed and unheard!_

"Edward, can you carry this tray out to the grill for me, please?" Carlisle was asking.

Carlisle handed Edward a tray with shrimp on skewers, and several lobster tails. He himself picked up a second tray that held several chicken breasts and some spicy Spanish chorizo sausages. The two of them disappeared outside through a sliding door that led to a deck off the kitchen, where there was a barbecue grill.

I decided to check in on the progress Alice and Jasper and Emmett and Rose were making with their courses. It would keep my mind off the image of a naked Edward, dripping with chocolate ganache as I bent to lick him.

Alice and Jasper had added the finishing touches to their fresh Gazpacho soup, adding tomato juice, vinegar, and various spices to the freshly chopped tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic mixture. They were putting the bowl into the refrigerator, since it was supposed to be served chilled.

Rose and Emmett had just about finished with their appetizer. It looked a little like a very thick omelet in the pan. Into the cooked potato and onion they had mixed eggs and cooked it on the stovetop. Now they were ready to put it under the broiler for a few minutes to cook until it was golden brown.

Edward came back inside from the patio and sat on one of the barstools, out of the crowded kitchen, watching me with dark eyes and his crooked grin.

Carlisle came back into the kitchen with the empty trays. He stood at the sink washing them off as he spoke over his shoulder.

"I think we'll be good to go in about an hour and a half. I think I've got a handle on the main course, and I can set the dining room table between steps. If you all want to go hang out and relax or take a shower or change, whatever, now's the time."

"Edward, Bella," Emmett couldn't let it go, "shower opportunity. Right up your alley." He laughed at the expression on Edward's face and the middle finger Edward was now extending toward him behind his father's back.

"Oh, Emmett, shut up and get in the pantry," Rose told him.

"Really, Dollface?"

Emmett raised his eyebrows at Rose, and then obeyed her with a smile on his face and turned to the pantry, opening the door and stepping inside. Rose stepped to the door and closed it, remaining on the outside. She leaned against it as she spoke.

"It's too bad Esme didn't put a lock on this pantry, you know?"

The rest of us chuckled as we heard Emmett's voice from within.

"Come on, Honeybunch, Edward knows I'm just yanking his chain. Let me out. I can behave. Rose? Honeybunch? Hello?"

Carlisle headed back out onto the deck to check the items on the grill.

The rest of us began to take off for our respective rooms, giggling, wondering how long it would take Emmett to realize that we had walked away and he could actually come out of the pantry if he would just open the door.

Jasper chased Alice upstairs, smacking at her butt as they went. She shrieked the whole way up the stairs, batting at his hands as she went. Jasper was making food processor noises in between smacks.

Rose stopped at the stairway and called back toward the pantry.

"Emmett, come out, come out, wherever you are!"

The pantry door slowly opened and Emmett peeked out sheepishly. He came out of the pantry, shutting the door and walking up to Rose. His hands were spread in supplication.

"Why would you tease me like that Rose? I thought I was going to get a little pantry sex."

"Oh, come on you big goofy boy; I want to show you something in your room." She winked and then turned around and began to sashay her hips up the stairs.

"Now you're talking!" Emmett said, rather agreeably as he followed her upstairs.

I turned and looked up at Edward. His eyes had that dark, wicked glint in his eye and that devilish smile on his lips. Two things happened almost simultaneously then. Edward bent down, wrapping his arms around my thighs and picked me up, hoisting me up and flinging me over his shoulder like a giant duffel bag, with my butt up in the air. I, of course, shrieked as I hung upside down over his shoulder.

At the same time, Carlisle had come around the corner of the kitchen, saying, "Oh, Edward, could you…" He paused, looking at us, catching us in mid-whatever. It was very difficult for me to see him well from my position, hanging upside down over Edward's shoulder. Carlisle finally continued speaking."…Never mind, son, I can see that you're busy. You've got your hands full. I'll take care of things myself." He smiled broadly and turned on his heel back into the kitchen. I think I heard him chuckling.

I giggled as the blood rushed to my head. Edward began a careful walk downstairs, holding the handrail so he didn't kill us both, growling as he went, like some sort of wild man. I got in a few spanks on his butt as we went, although, once he reached the bottom of the stairs and he no longer needed to hold the handrail of the stairway, he was able to spank my butt, conveniently located atop his shoulder.

We entered his bedroom and he shut and locked the door, walking over to his bed, where he pulled me back upright and over his shoulder, dropping me, more or less, onto the middle of his bed.

"So you're a caveman, now?" I laughed as I bounced on the bed.

"Cake, bad!" he growled. "Girl, good!" Then he flopped down on top of me, tickling me and kissing my neck, making growling noises the whole time, making me laugh until I could hardly breathe.

_This again? Aw hell, who cares? I kind of like this!_

When he finally stopped I managed to gulp in a few breaths, calming down. Finally I was able to speak coherently.

"I don't know what your problem is, Edward," I smiled up at him from where I lay beneath his big warm body and smiling face. "That cake was an easy recipe. It wasn't so bad."

"That cake was a totally annoying, pain-in-the-ass, two-layer, chocolate bastard cake. The cake is my enemy." He grinned down at me. "But the cake is done now, the door is locked now, and the cake can't get to me now. You're on your own, Bella. The cake can no longer help you."

He loomed in to my neck once more, making very low growling noises that were a little less comical and a lot more predatory.

_And so freakin' hot._

And we had nearly an hour and a half with nothing else to do.

**EPOV**

_Damn!_

I was in worse and worse shape as the day progressed. I was becoming concerned that I would suffer from some sort of orgasmic combustion in the middle of my mother's birthday dinner celebration. I'd gotten worked up into a frenzy more and more throughout the day. To some extent, it had happened somewhat due to Bella's unwitting actions, but my rampant sexual thoughts were also a big contributing factor. How the hell do you turn that shit off in your mind?

All day long I'd been thinking about what had happened in the poolhouse shower this morning. It had been a ridiculously sexy and an amazingly fulfilling turn of events, and yet, just a taste of the potentialities to come. Throughout the day, as we worked on assembling the annoying, pain-in-the-ass, Two-Layer Chocolate Bastard Cake, I was constantly assaulted with mental images of what had happened; how she had looked and the way she had touched me. I thought, too, about what else might have happened, had we had more uninterrupted time together. The image of a wet and topless Bella was ruining my concentration. I wanted to show her how I felt about her; how I wanted her to feel. I had had the worst time keeping my shit together throughout the day, just creating that demon birthday cake with her.

I wondered fleetingly what the parents would think if I suddenly exploded during dinner, or afterwards, during dessert, after having spent the entire day alternating between a semi- and a full-on. Knowing them, they probably would have thrown condoms like confetti, just to celebrate. They're so forward thinking or liberal, or liberated, or maybe they're just certifiably insane. You could really see how they might have lost their minds, though, with Emmett as their firstborn.

I thought back to when I had taken Bella into the living room, so I could play the piano for her. I had thought it would be a good way to focus on something other than sexual thoughts of her. It had seemed harmless and like it would be a good mental detour. The whole "Chopsticks" thing had been a kick. I didn't even know that she could play that, but then again, just about everyone can, right?

When I'd begun playing "Claire de Lune," it made me think about her in more romantic, more emotional terms. That piece is truly beautiful and moving, and there was something about it, as I played it, that spoke to the beginning and unfolding of a really deep and meaningful relationship. The kind of relationship I was beginning to feel that I was involved in with Bella. By the time I finished and turned to look at her, I was feeling slightly embarrassed, wondering if she could see, written on my face, all of the feelings and thoughts I was beginning to have regarding her. I was probably really overstepping the bounds of rational thought, but I just felt so in love with her.

I'd begun playing my mother's song afterwards, hoping that if I focused on her, I would focus a little less on Bella. I was unaware that my mother had come into the room until she clapped at the end of it all. Once I knew she was there, I'd played "Happy Birthday" for her and everyone had chimed in to sing a rather poor, yet incredibly loud and heartfelt rendition of the song. It nearly made my ears bleed by the time we were done.

Once I'd begun playing 'Stardust' for my mom, I felt like I had gotten over that all-enveloping feeling of lust. Until, of course, I happened to turn and look at Bella and saw that she was staring at my mouth. Her eyes were dark and unfocused, her lips were parted and her jaw was slack. Well, that just says one thing to a guy. It says 'Take me, now, if not sooner and take my clothes off while you're at it.' And when I saw her blush furiously, it only served to confirm my initial assessment of the situation. She seemed just as horny for me as I was for her. And of course once I'd read that in her expression, I was sporting another stiffy.

She was still all rosy and unfocused when my mom thanked me and left us. I wanted to attack Bella right then, but all I could do was to kiss her. Severely. I sure as shit wanted to rip her clothes off right then and there, but that would have caused a stir with the kitchen brigade. She told me I was hot when I played the piano. Actually she allowed that she thought I was hot all the time, but especially when playing the piano. So now I wondered how conceivable it was to take the piano back to my dorm room and whether or not Jasper would agree to sleep under it or on top of it just to accommodate it in our room. Then again, if the piano were there with us, Bella and I might never go to classes again, and I don't think that was the general intention of us being enrolled at the university.

I finally peeled myself away from her mouth and she announced that we really had to go finish The Cake. I helped her with the remaining steps and finishing touches on that annoying, pain-in-the-ass, two layered, chocolate bastard cockblocker, and I had to admit, it really looked delicious. I wondered about the topping and dipped my finger in, tasting it and announcing that it really was very good. Then I made the imbecilic mistake of offering her a taste on my middle finger.

_Oh holy fuck!_

_Isabella Swan, Porn Star._

The way she leaned in, with her eyes half closed, her mouth taking in my finger, her lips wrapping around, sucking and pulling back and licking the tip…_shit!_ Just_…SHIT! _I thought for certain that my eyes were going to roll back in my head just before I passed out and collapsed on the floor in a puddle of my own jizz. And it seemed that the whole thing was unplanned, because she looked absolutely mortified afterwards. She hadn't been able to say a thing; she just turned back around to her friend, the annoying, pain-in-the-ass, Two-Layer Chocolate Bastard Cake.

I fully expected zipper teeth to start flying everywhere, as my pants exploded, but of course that didn't happen. I did move up behind her though, pressing into her so that she would know exactly what her actions had done to me. I figured I was kind of evening the playing field. I asked her what she was trying to do to me but I could see that she was pretty affected by the whole series of events, too, because when I pulled that stunt, her body sort of sagged and melted against mine. So at least I wasn't alone with my unrequited lust and raging hormones.

My dad had asked me to help him then; to carry the tray of food out to the grill on the patio. It wasn't until we got outside that I realized that he really hadn't needed my help. He could have carried both trays out himself quite easily. It had just been his way of getting me alone for a moment to talk to me. I was wondering whether he would try to offer me a condom, or give me some kind of a sex talk like he'd done with us once we'd been in our teens. Like I had never researched all that shit starting about a decade ago. I mean, come on! I'm a guy for fuck's sake! But instead he just smiled, looking over my shoulder towards the house.

"She's a lovely girl, Edward and I can see how much she means to you."

I hoped to God he wasn't referring to my boner, because that is _sooo_ not the conversation you want to be having with your father. But before I could really respond, or think what kind of a response would be appropriate, in case he _was_ referring to my boner, he went on talking.

"She's been really good for you, it seems. I don't know when I've seen you have fun and laugh so much or have a smile on your face as much. At first I thought she was kind of a quiet girl, but she strikes me as being a little spunky."

I smiled. "Yeah, she is funny and kind of feisty. She's really sweet, and smart, and she does make me smile a lot."

It was a little awkward to be having this conversation with my father, but I knew he just wanted me to know how he felt. So I told him how I felt.

"It just feels like she belongs with me, you know? And the six of us all have such a great time together. She fits right in with the rest of them." I nodded my head back in the direction of the kitchen.

He smiled and nodded. "I'm glad for you, Edward. It's about time you decided to let yourself move on. You were quite a bit overdue for some happiness, son. She seems like a really special girl."

"She is."

Right then and there I had a fleeting glimpse of a thought about my future but I immediately cut myself off before I voiced it. I didn't dare to put it into words. I didn't want my father to think I was a total lunatic, thinking about something that wouldn't even be a possibility for a few years probably, so I just bit my tongue and saved the thought for some point down the road.

"Well, thanks for carrying the tray outside for me. I don't want to keep you from your guest."

I smiled and nodded and headed back inside the house.

I sat on one of the kitchen barstools so I could just watch Bella as she talked with the others and looked at what they were making, asking questions and nodding thoughtfully. She was just so lovely. And she was mine. And I was hers.

_Damn! I think I'm in love with love._

After a bit, my dad announced that we had about an hour and a half to waste before dinner and I knew _exactly_ how I wanted to waste my time.

We all headed out of the kitchen, and when it was just Bella and I left standing there on the landing, I suddenly swooped down and picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder. My dad had been about to ask me to do something, but I guess he figured I had my hands full, so I was off the hook and down the stairs to my dungeon with my prisoner.

I'd shut and locked the door and begun attacking her on my bed as she shrieked with laughter, gasping for air. She accused me of being a caveman, so what else could I do but growl at her?

She tried to get me to accept The Cake, but I was having none of that. Who wants to be friends with an annoying, pain-in-the-ass, Two-Layer Chocolate Bastard Cockblocker Cake?

Maybe it was because of the tickling and laughing; I wasn't really sure, but I quickly became aware of how warm Bella's body felt, lying under mine. I'd been contemplating her and her little, perfect body the entire day. Even though I'd quit tickling her, she was still a little breathless and breathing a little erratically. That sound had a definite appeal. I growled at her as I leaned back down to kiss her. But this time I was serious.

I was done with the caveman act.

It was time to get down to business.

**A/N: Edward...getting busy with Bella's unfinished business. ;)**

**You get busy leaving me a review and I'll get busy on chapter 46, writing about Edward's and Bella's before-dinner business. That way, NO ONE will have any unfinished business! Not even you. Or me.**


	46. The Business of Appetites

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: It's probably a good thing that Edward managed to get Bella down to his bedroom for some alone-time when he did, or that cake would have turned into an annoying, pain in the a**, Two-Layer Chocolate B******, Cockblocking, God****, Motherf***er Cake. Because you know that's where Edward's rambling, cursing thoughts were headed if the chapter went on much longer with no relief in sight. ;)

On the off chance that you'd like to make your own personal Cockblocker Cake, go to: .com/recipefinder/Chocolate-Raspberry- It isn't actually called A Two-Layer Chocolate B****** Cockblocker Cake or Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Torte, I just liked calling it both of those names. ;)

Stephenie Meyer owns the rights to Twilight. I own the rights to the name "Two-Layer Chocolate B****** Cockblocker (Cockblocking God**** Motherf***er) Cake." I'm not infringing, neither is Steph.

That was a long note. Time to get back to business.

A Very Cullen Weekend Part X

**Chapter 46: The Business of Appetites (Revised)**

**BPOV**

Edward was kissing my mouth and then his soft lips were on my neck and moving up along my neck, up to my ear. He was no longer growling. I'll admit, I kind of felt like purring. I turned my head, kissing him, my lips moving along the slight soft scruff that had emerged along his perfect jawbone during the course of the day. He moaned softly as I kissed him just below his ear and then tugged on his earlobe lightly with my teeth. He turned his head and found my lips again, and then he was suddenly looking down at me, his eyes nearly aglow. He was just so beautiful. His nose touched mine and slid up along the length of my nose until I felt his lips kiss the tip. I heard and felt him sigh happily against me.

"This is exactly what I've been needing," he murmured. "This whole afternoon has been rather hectic and difficult at times, but this, right now, makes it all worthwhile."

I hummed happily against him as he nuzzled back into my neck, my fingers winding into his wild, chaotic hair, straightening my fingers and letting the strands of his silky hair pull tightly through my flexed fingers. I heard the sharp intake of breath through his teeth that sounded almost like a hiss and I felt his body shiver slightly against mine.

"Mmm. There's that hair thing you do to me just so well." He looked back down at me, his eyes blazing with an inner heat.

"Everything _you_ do to _me_ you do just so well, Edward," I murmured. Just looking at him, feeling him against me was enough to send my heart thudding within me.

I trailed my hands down to the hem of his thermal shirt, sliding my hands up beneath the back of it, feeling his heated skin against my fingertips. His soft lips were on mine again, his tongue tasting my lip, sucking on it and nipping at it as my hands roamed over the lean muscles of his back, edging his shirt up, needing to feel more of him.

He pulled his arms out of the sleeves one at a time as I held the bunched up fabric. I pulled the shirt up and over his head as he leaned away from me. When his face came back into view again he was smiling a small, sexy smile; his Cupid's bow lips sending an arrow straight to my heart. I shoved the discarded shirt over the edge of the bed and wrapped my arms around his bare torso, my hands and arms trying to feel as much smooth, warm skin as possible. Touching him was truly a tactile aphrodesiac and I was succumbing to its powers.

"I've really tried to be on my best behavior, but you make it really difficult," he murmured to me as he placed small kisses about my jaw and chin and neck. "I'm giving up trying to be good now. I'm just going to do what I want now, and let the chips fall where they may. If any impatient, well-meaning meddlers come banging on my locked bedroom door, I'm going to ignore them. If we miss dinner, I won't really care; my mom will have another birthday next year. I just want to be with you; it's like a craving that I can't ignore. I find you very hard to resist, Bella."

He gazed down at me with his breathtaking crooked smile and heated, bedroom eyes.

"You know, you're not the only one that has struggled to keep your hands where they belong today." I smiled shyly at him, "It's been a frustrating day for me too." I took his face in my hands and pulled his mouth to mine. "You're awfully hard to resist, too, Edward," I told him as I pulled him down to me and tasted those pouty lips once again.

He moved off of me to lie on his side, next to me. He began tugging my shirt upwards, finally pulling it off over my head and arms, as I had done for him. He recklessly flung the shirt backwards over his shoulder and I giggled at his devilish expression. And then I was lying there next to him in just my ivory lace bra and jeans. He looked down at me; at my bra-clad torso.

"My beautiful Bella," he murmured. "This is nearly the way I've been picturing you most of the day." He smiled softly.

"Nearly?" I asked.

He nodded and pulled me toward him and reached around my heated body, working to unclasp my bra. I felt it spring open and he was gently pulling it from my arms until he was able to drop it to the floor behind me.

"_This_ is how I pictured you most of the day."

His smoldering eyes roamed my naked torso and then he was pulling me close to him, wrapping his arms around me and pressing me against him; my soft breasts to his lean chest, as he kissed the top of my head. I think he needed to feel my skin as much as I needed his. I breathed in his clean, Edward scent and I felt the hairs on his chest tickling my breasts. His fingertips ran down the length of my back and up again, making me shiver.

I could feel him moving his legs, struggling for a moment, until I heard first one heavy shoe, and then the other, fall to the floor with a thud. I toed my own shoes off then, kicking them to the floor. He pulled away from me slightly and gazed at me, looking first into my eyes and then he glanced down at my naked torso.

"You're so lovely," his voice whispered. "I couldn't wait to see you like this again."

I blushed at his words, but I had to agree with him, because I had been wanting to see him like this too. I placed my hand on his solid chest, right over his heart and felt the steady pounding of his heartbeat within, matching my own. I trailed my hand over his chest, delighting in the feeling of my fingers moving through the soft, curling hairs there.

He was still lying on his side, next to me, as I lay there facing him. His hand gently cupped my breast, squeezing it and running the pad of his thumb over the sensitive peak. My breath hitched at the powerful sensation. I hadn't realized just how much I had been aching for his touch. His eyes flickered back to mine in the darkening room. He bent over me then, sliding his body down a little, his tongue tasting me, licking at my nipple lightly before taking more of my breast into his mouth and sucking. I inhaled deeply, almost involuntarily, because of the delicious feeling of his mouth, his lips and his tongue on me. I whimpered; the feeling was almost more than I could bear as I felt him tug at me, and I arched into him.

His hand gently pressed against my shoulder, forcing me to lie back. He moved to touch my breast that was nearer him, cupping and kneading it, until he eventually leaned down over me and pressed his lips to my breast as his hand moved across to the other side, mimicking the motions of his mouth. Each lick, kiss, suck or gentle nip of his tongue, lips and teeth; each gentle touch, tug or pinch of his fingertips was driving me closer and closer to the edge. My whole body became only sensation; my breasts linked directly to my core by a tautly stretched piano wire that Edward knew exactly how to play.

I heard myself moan as I began to writhe against him; seeking more from him. He slid back up toward me, kissing me hard on the mouth, thrusting his tongue into my mouth. His erection was pressed firmly up against my thigh as he leaned into me. I felt light fingertips drag slowly down from the base of my neck, between my breasts, to my thigh, kneading the flesh through my jeans as his hand moved between my legs. I felt his long fingers slowly caress the apex of my thighs before moving to the button on my jeans. His eyes met mine again as he unbuttoned my pants and then moved to unzip them.

I reached my hand across my body, seeking the front of his jeans; pressing my hand against his hard length, cupping my hand against his substantial arousal. He groaned a bit as he exhaled a ragged breath, but then his hand gently moved my hand away as he whispered in my ear.

**EPOV**

"No, love. Don't distract me."

It had been a struggle to say it because as much as I wanted her hands on me, I wanted this for her more. I knew if she started touching me and stroking me, I'd lose myself in that and it would be so hard to stay so focused on her. And I wanted to know what she liked, and how the things I did to her made her feel, so I wanted to watch and listen and feel how her body reacted. If I were wrapped up in my own experience, I would miss out on part of hers.

Her fingers were in my hair again, tightly raking through it, pulling my lips back to hers. Somehow the tug and pull on each hair follicle was tied directly to my groin, making me impossibly hard.

"Oh, Edward…" she breathed, against my mouth as I worked the zipper of her jeans down.

I pulled the fly of her jeans apart a little and flattened my hand against her stomach. I slid my hand down, under the edge of her jeans, over the smooth satin and rough lace of her panty, down to her heat. I felt the warmth and moisture there with my stroking fingertips as I listened to her shallow breaths. She moved, pressing herself against my hand and moaned quietly. I withdrew my hand for a moment, kneeling up to slide her jeans and underwear down over her hips, past her creamy thighs, and shapely calves, pulling them off her long legs. I grasped her ankles, one at a time, pulling off her socks and adding them to the piles of clothing strewn about the floor of my room.

I turned back toward her and was suddenly completely immobile, nearly unable to function at all as I took in her lovely, completely naked form for what was really the very first time. She was absolutely stunning. Pure and simple. I admired the halo of softly curled, rich brown hair spread out over my pillow; her flushed, heart-shaped face with the trusting, waiting gaze of her liquid chocolate eyes as she watched me, the corner of her bottom lip caught between pearly white teeth. I could see the steady beat of her heart in a little flicker of movement at the base of her neck. She was dazzling.

My eyes traveled down to the rise and fall of her soft, full breasts, the rosy peaks taut and waiting. I already knew they were the exact size to fill my hands. And even though I wasn't touching them, I knew exactly how they felt beneath my fingers; I knew the weight of them in my palms. I knew how they felt beneath my tongue and lips and how they tasted.

They were perfect.

She was perfect.

I shifted, finally pulling myself together and able to move, sitting to the side of her, leaning on my elbow, near her upper body. I looked back to her soft stomach, her small navel and beyond, to the neatly manicured little garden of earthly delights that would probably feel like heaven to me when I was lucky enough to be invited in.

I swallowed thickly as I looked back up at her, my hand running lightly up the outside of her thigh, back down to her knee and then once more, up the soft inner side of her thigh. She gasped, clenching her thighs together for just a second, before relaxing under my touch. I did the same on her other leg and this time she just watched me with dark, hooded eyes as I touched her. Her eyes closed when my hand arrived at the apex of her thighs. Her breath hitched and then she sighed softly.

I leaned back down to her then, sliding my arm under her to pull her close, needing to kiss her, wanting to whisper to her what she meant to me and tell her that I loved her as I touched that most secret part of her. I caressed her with my fingertips, lightly stroking her. She was soft and warm and slick. She whimpered as I found that tiny little bud of nerves; stroking and circling.

I pushed my finger gently into her wet warmth, feeling how tight she was. I think I made some involuntary sound or said something that was so incoherent even I had no idea what it was. She moaned and pushed slightly against my hand. I withdrew my finger somewhat and pushed in again, slowly repeating the movement as she began to move beneath my hand.

Her arm was around my back, pulling me to her, her hand insistently moving to the nape of my neck, urging me to bend to her mouth and kiss her as my fingers continued their exploration. I listened to the sound of her panting breaths as I withdrew my finger for just a moment. She cried out at the loss but then I added a second finger, gently pushing back in and feeling her tighten minutely before relaxing and moving beneath me. I heard her low groan and I slowly began pulsing my fingers in and out of her, moving with the same rhythm as her hips. Her breaths became ragged as I felt for that little spot inside, curling my fingers upwards slightly and rubbing that little bud above with my thumb as I stroked.

"Oh," she gasped, "there… Oh, Edward…oh damn!" Her hand was back on the fly of my jeans, pressing against my straining erection, and this time I wasn't going to push her hand away. I was too far gone. The sight of her, the sounds she was making, the movement of her body and the feeling of her slick heat around my fingers, put me right there on the edge, like she was. She was grasping my dick through my jeans, stroking against me. She pulled on my hair with her other hand, bringing my mouth back to hers and kissed me hard as I groaned and pumped my fingers into her a little faster, a little harder. Then she suddenly began tensing up.

"Oh, God… ohmyGod! Oh…Edward…! I felt her clenching inside in waves at the same time that I felt her mouth still against mine. Her body tensed and the movements of her hand against my rock hard dick stilled, but I felt her grip tighten. That tightened grip, and knowing that she was coming right then and there, put me over the edge and into a freefall and I was suddenly tensing and coming as she did, crying out with her as it rolled through us together.

We rode the shockwaves out, coming down slowly and clinging to each other. I wrapped her in my arms, pulling her tightly against me. It was a glorious feeling, the sensation of her climaxing around my fingers at the same moment that I came; knowing that I had given her that, sharing that moment and experiencing it with her.

We lay there together just holding each other, breathing hard, our hearts pounding.

"Sweet Baby Jesus," she panted, lying there in my arms, her own arms wrapped weakly around me. She giggled somewhat breathlessly.

I chuckled.

_My sentiments exactly._

Our breathing was still slowing and returning to normal as we continued to just lie there in each other's arms.

"I love you, Bella" I whispered to her, kissing her hair, more fragrant now from the intense heat of her body.

"Mmm, I love you, too, baby."

After a little while she spoke softly again, "Edward?"

"Hmm?" I responded, not bothering to open my eyes as I nuzzled against her.

She paused and I wondered why, but then she spoke softly up to me and I could hear her smile in the sound of her voice. "That…was fucking excellent." She giggled at herself then.

I laughed, completely caught off guard, remembering having said the same thing to her this morning in the shower after I'd come undone.

"Good, that's the way it should be." I squeezed her tightly. "Actually, I believe the standard response is 'You say the nicest things.'" I pulled my head back to look at her, to smile at my girl and absorb the love I saw in her smile.

"I think I'll be able to get through dinner a little more easily now," I told her truthfully.

She snickered. "Oh, tell me about it, Edward. I didn't know how I was going to get through the evening, sitting around with your family if I had to keep looking at you and your bedroom eyes, all soft and sexy and smoldering. Sheesh! Give a girl a break, won't you?" Her eyes had a distinct sparkle to them.

"My eyes smolder?" I asked her incredulously.

She rolled her eyes at me. "You really have no concept of your own appearance do you?"

I shrugged. "Guess not." I grinned at her, running my hand up and down along her arm. "I think '_smolder_' must be in the eye of the _beholder_." She laughed as I hugged her tightly and kissed her temple, glancing over at the clock on the nightstand. 

"We've got to start getting ready for dinner shortly, love. It'll be time before we know it."

She looked over at the clock.

"Give me five minutes, just to lie here with you, Edward." She stifled a yawn. "It won't take me long to get dressed. I'm already undressed...thanks to you."

I chuckled. She had a point. I'd saved her all kinds of time.

"Sure love, but only five minutes. Before I change I need to hop in the shower and clean up. Um…thanks to _you._"

She snorted a quiet laugh, but her eyes were already closed.

I pulled her in close against me and she laid her head down on my shoulder, relaxing into me and I think she maybe even dozed off for a couple minutes. I let the five minutes turn into ten, just enjoying the feeling of my girl lying with me, her soft breaths on my chest, both of us all relaxed and content.

There's nothing like enjoying the afterglow in a leisurely fashion. But there wasn't really enough time. So I decided that was going to be a goal of mine for the future. I leaned down to Bella, kissing her temple and watched as her eyelids fluttered open.

"Mmm. I guess I dozed off. We have to get ready, right?" she asked as she stretched.

"Yeah. I'm going to take a really fast shower. I'll be right back, Love." I got up off the bed, picking up her clothing items that had somehow gotten strewn about my floor. I threw them at her as she giggled and rolled and dodged them.

I grinned at her. "While I shower, you lie there and think about how much I love you, okay?"

She smiled. "I was going to lie here and think about how much I love _you._"

I laughed. "Oh, well, they're both worth considering."

I smiled as I headed out the door and for the next five minutes all I thought about was how much I wanted her and loved her and wondered if I'd ever feel like I could get enough of her. Because I already wanted more.

**BPOV**

_Holy. Orgasmic. Crow. _

I lay there on Edward's bed for a few moments longer, thinking about just how sexy Edward Cullen was, without even knowing it. I thought about just how well he knew how to kiss me, how well he used his lips and tongue and teeth, and now I knew just exactly how very skillful those long fingers were as well.

They had all contributed to how _fucking excellent_ I now felt.

I giggled at the thought of him and his obvious surprise when he heard his own phrase used back at him.

I got up from Edward's bed, gathering my clothes together and putting them in a small pile on the floor near the couch. I hunted in my bag for a change of clothes for Esme's party. I wanted to get dressed quickly, certain that if we were late for the dinner, Edward would probably blame me and then turn and smile at me with that silly crooked grin of his. I think he knows that he can get away with all kinds of crap as long as he grins that lopsided grin. That thought made me smile.

I quickly dressed, deciding to wear a black panty and bra, black skinny jeans and a pearly gray blouse, all of which Alice had brought from my closet. She must have felt this outfit was appropriate, or she wouldn't have packed it. The deep v-neckline of the blouse framed the necklace Edward had given me, and the pearl gray color accentuated the sparkling silver of the medallion.

Edward came back into the room looking slightly flushed from the heat of the shower. His hair was damp and disarrayed. There were still droplets of water across his shoulders and back, and the pièce de résistance was the white towel that he wore wrapped low around his hips.

_Oh. Freakin. My._

It was a really good visual to carry around in my mind for quite a while to come, filed in the brain cells labeled, "Edward: Looking Impossibly Hot."

"You can throw your other clothes in my laundry basket, if you want. I'm going to do some laundry tomorrow before we go back to school," he said as he eyed the little pile of clothing on the floor.

I picked the things up and took them to his basket inside his closet. As I turned back around I realized that I had completely missed the towel drop and the pulling on of the boxer briefs.

_Damn! _

I had missed out on that ass Mrs. Cope had ogled in the grocery store. I was pretty sure I'd have another chance to see that naked at some point. I was pretty sure Mrs. Cope never would.

_Life's a bitch, Mrs. Cope!_

"We could do the laundry together at midnight tonight. That was kind of fun last weekend," I reminded him with a smile.

He smirked back at me as he came closer and grabbed a pair of black jeans out of his closet. "Well, I really did enjoy fondling your dirty underwear last weekend in the laundry room at school…_but_…" he moved closer to me and bent to my ear, his voice lowering to that seductive pitch, "I'm kind of hoping we'll find something more fun to do than laundry at midnight tonight."

_Oh! Well oh-kay. Duh! I'm such a stupid girl!_

I could only shake my head at him because he was most definitely right about that.

He quickly pulled on his jeans and a pale green collared shirt that made his green-blue eyes a startling sea green color. As he stood there buttoning his shirt I began brushing my hair. I pulled it up, trying to decide whether to put it up in a messy bun or ponytail, or to leave it down. He stood next to me, looking in the mirror at us as he rolled the sleeves up on his shirt.

"Up or down?" I asked him, indicating my hair.

He smiled softly at me. "I like both. When your hair is up I notice your lovely neck and throat, when your hair is down it frames your face. You have really pretty hair, Bella, whichever way you wear it. I guess wear it down tonight, you had it up earlier today."

He pointed to his own hair then. "What do you think, love, up or down?" Lopsided grin in attendance.

"How about your usual, a little of each?"

He snorted. "I guess that's about right, huh?"

He disappeared into the bathroom and I heard the sound of the blow dryer for a bit as I fished around in my bag for my black ballet flats.

Edward came back in and sat down on his bed and put on his socks and shoes. He sat back up, raking his fingers through his hair once more, giving it some temporary semblance of order. Keyword: temporary. I knew it wouldn't last.

I leaned toward his mirror, putting a little mascara on my lashes followed by a bit of gloss on my lips. As I looked into the mirror, I realized that he was just sitting there, leaning back on his hands, watching me with a little smile.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "It doesn't take very much at all to make you stunningly beautiful."

I blushed. _Was he serious? _"I've never been one for using much make-up," I explained, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I like that," he said appreciatively. "When I look at you, I'm just looking at you." He shrugged. As an afterthought he added, "Have you ever noticed how thick Jessica Stanley's make-up is? I think she must apply it with a putty knife."

I burst out laughing. It struck me funny that he had noticed that and thought about it.

"And you've probably seen that close up, I'm guessing? Hasn't Jessica tried to hit on you?"

He looked down, embarrassed. "Oh yeah. Three times. Each time she put just a little more effort into it than the time before." He shook his head. "She can be kind of scary when she's drunk and advancing on your manly goods."

"Do I even want to hear this?" I asked, giggling.

"It's really only embarrassing for Jessica, you know? The first time I just kind of gave her a feeble response and dodged her."

He paused, thinking, then he laughed. "Actually, the second time was pretty funny. There had been a party in our dorm, and a rather drunk Jessica wouldn't leave me alone. I took off to my room and she must have followed me. She was at my door, knocking. I heard her calling my name and I really didn't want to have to deal with it, you know? And then I heard Jasper's voice, outside the door, talking with an inebriated Jessica, and he's telling her how I have the ability to move faster than the human eye can track, and she only thinks she saw me go into my room, but I actually came back out and went somewhere at a superhuman speed.

"I could tell Jasper was stalling, and I realized that he was giving me time to climb up onto the roof. So I'm sitting up on the roof, out of sight, when I hear Jasper open the door and explain to Jessica that too much attention from girls makes me do that. She was so drunk, I don't think she was thinking too clearly; she was entirely gullible. Meanwhile I was sitting up there, listening, trying not to burst out laughing as Jasper patiently explained how I was able to vanish into thin air."

I laughed at the thought of Jasper trying to convince Jessica that Edward was something other than a mere mortal.

"And the third time?" I asked.

"The third time I told her I was exceptionally religious and I was saving myself, and that included kissing." He giggled and I giggled with him.

"Now she knows you lied to her."

"I'll tell her I've just changed religions if she asks. Now I worship Our Lady of the Swan." He smirked at me and waggled his eyebrows. "Besides," he added, "now she has Mike Newton. Hopefully he'll keep her entertained. And for sure, he's not saving himself."

We both stood up, laughing as he put his arm around me and we headed to the door.

"Okay, just act natural," he said with a wink, patting my butt, as we headed up the stairs.

"Perfect timing," Carlisle said as we walked into the kitchen. He looked elegant in a lightweight cream sweater, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and khaki trousers. He had gotten champagne flutes out and was opening a bottle of champagne, which he set next to the bottles of pink champagne and Asti. "Time to get Esme," he announced as he left the room.

Rose was in the kitchen, dressed in dark jeans and a deep red satin blouse. She was cutting up the appetizer into little squares. Emmett, wearing jeans and a long-sleeved black, pin-striped, collared shirt, walked up to Edward, where he stood next to me.

"You look refreshed," he told Edward, grinning.

"Thanks, Emmett, I am. Very refreshed." Edward rolled his eyes at me.

"And Bella?" Emmett turned his dimples on me, "Are you refreshed as well?"

"Yes, Emmett, quite refreshed, thank you."

Emmett laughed. "That's refreshing. It's good to see you both looking so… "refreshed".

"Emmett," Rose said sternly, "Don't make me spank you and send you to your room. You leave them alone." She looked at me shaking her head apologetically. It was the kind of look that told me she knew he was a lost cause. But she still tried.

There was suddenly a lot of noise from the stairway as Alice came skipping down the stairs, in a hot pink dress and little black boots, laughing her silvery little laugh, followed by Jasper, in dark gray jeans and a white shirt, sliding down on the banister.

"Where's the birthday babe?" he asked when he came into the kitchen, Alice leading him by the hand.

"Carlisle just went to get her," Rose answered. "Emmett, baby, make yourself useful and pour out some champagne."

We suddenly heard Carlisle's voice from around the corner. "Ladies and gentlemen, make way for the birthday girl! Just as beautiful now as the day I met her. She doesn't look a day over nineteen!" He ushered a smiling Esme into the kitchen. She was wearing a beautiful deep purple dress that accented her carmel brown hair.

Esme rolled her eyes at Carlisle as we all applauded her entrance.

Alice spoke up as the clapping died down. "Okay, Dad, so you're saying she looks younger than her children? What's up with that? That's just weird, although the sentiment is nice. Happy birthday, Mom!" Alice flitted to her side and gave her a big hug.

Everyone crowded around Esme, wishing her a happy birthday, taking turns hugging her.

"Why thank you, all. I've had just the nicest day. A swim in the morning, breakfast prepared by Emmett and Jasper, a trip to a day spa for a massage, pedicure and manicure. I read a trashy romance novel, went for a walk, did absolutely no work, listened to my baby play the piano, and wondered all afternoon what the delicious smells were that kept wafting out of the kitchen. My kind of day!"

"Well, it's the moment of truth, dear. Champagne glasses, everyone," Carlisle said as he helped Emmett pass them out.

We each took a champagne flute. I chose the Asti, deciding to try something a little sweeter than regular champagne. Edward had suggested it to me knowing that I wasn't really much of a drinker. Rose also took a glass of the Asti. Alice and Esme both opted for pink champagne. I wondered if Alice just liked it for the color and the fact that it matched her dress. Carlisle and the boys all took flutes of the regular champagne.

"To my lovely wife, my best friend and the very loving mother of my wonderful children, a very happy birthday, Dear. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" we all chimed in.

"Okay, Mom, so first thing's first," Emmett spoke up, "Rose and I made the appetizer. It's a Spanish Tortilla; sautéed potatoes and onions with eggs and a little parsley mixed in. It looks kind of like an omelet. We cooked it on the stovetop and then under the broiler for a bit. It can be served hot or cold; we're serving it cold since we made it earlier. And we made extra, because it's also good for breakfast." He smiled proudly as he offered her a piece on a small plate.

"Sounds wonderful," she said, looking at the pieces of tortilla that Emmett handed her on a little plate. She took a bite. And smiled. "Outstanding! So much better than last year's brownies, I'm happy to say."

"Blech! Gag! Yuck! several voices volunteered at once. Even Carlisle had made a disgusted sound.

"Okay, okay, I know." Emmett rolled his eyes. "No extra virgin olive oil in the brownies. It'll never happen again."

"I watched him more closely this year," Rose admitted with a grin.

Everyone laughed as we all took several pieces of the Spanish Tortilla. It was quite good we all decided. A recipe I wanted to make sure I got. I told Emmett and he proceeded to tell me some of the finer points of making a Spanish Tortilla. He was like a proud parent.

Alice and Jasper got their concoction out of the refrigerator, ladling the chilled soup into glasses. Jasper topped each glass off with a little drizzle of olive oil and added a small slice of tomato wedge, and a thin slice of lemon as garnish.

The rest of us seated ourselves at the dining room table. Esme admired the bouquet of flowers that I had bought for her for her birthday, and to thank her for inviting me to their home.

Jasper carried out a tray, filled with glasses, containing the chilled soup. Alice picked up the glasses and handed them to each person as they made their round

"Okay, Mom, so in keeping with the Spanish Tortilla vibe, Jasper and I made Spanish Gazpacho Soup, which is served chilled. It's made with tomatoes, onions, peppers. We used heirloom tomatoes; Jasper made sure we used at least one of every variety they had at the market. Then we added white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper…"

"And smoked paprika, Esme," Jasper interrupted. "I insisted on it. At first Alice was hesitant, but I finally convinced her that it would add a little flair to the Gazpacho."

Esme sampled the chilled soup. "Well, it's just delightful, and I can certainly see what you're saying about the smoked paprika, Jasper." She winked at me and smiled.

We all drank our Gazpacho from the cups, forgoing the use of spoons. I made sure to comment on the smoked paprika, much to Jasper's delight. Carlisle wondered aloud if the Gazpacho wouldn't taste rather good with a splash or two of vodka.

"It's a soup, Dear, not a Bloody Mary," Esme reminded him.

"In that case, more champagne? Ladies? Gentlemen?" Carlisle asked.

Carlisle poured a little more pink champagne for Esme, Rose, and Alice. Jasper switched to pink champagne, saying he just wanted to get in touch with his feminine side, then he blew a kiss across the table to Emmett, who mouthed the word "queer" at him.

Edward poured more Asti into my glass.

"Trying to get her drunk, Edward?" Alice asked, to which he rolled his eyes.

"Trying to sound like Emmett, Alice?" Edward replied.

"Getting Bella drunk might be entertaining," Jasper suggested. "We don't know what she's capable of when she's drunk."

"Yeah, I don't think you'd find it very entertaining," I warned him, "unless you'd like to watch me doze off and snore loudly."

"Oh, Edward, you picked yourself a real live-wire!" Emmett snorted, at which point Edward picked up my glass and poured it into his, smirking at me.

"What?" I asked him indignantly, "You have something against dozing and snoring?"

"I'd imagine being with Edward would make a girl doze off and snore." Emmett snickered.

Edward looked over at Emmett and I'm pretty sure he mouthed, "Bite me," to his brother.

We all finished off our Gazpacho, complimenting Alice and Jasper and swearing by the use of smoked paprika.

Finally it was time for the main course. Carlisle brought in the deep pan, filled with bright golden-yellow rice, topped with grilled shrimp, chunks of lobster and chicken, slices of spicy chorizo sausage, with bits of peppers, onions and green peas, all artfully arranged and garnished with lemon wedges and sprinkles of fresh parsley.

"Oh, Carlisle," Esme practically swooned when she looked at what Carlisle was proudly displaying before her, "that Paella looks fabulous! It's been so long since I've had a good Paella! Oh my dear, you have absolutely outdone yourself this year!"

Carlisle served Esme first, then the rest of us girls. Finally the boys got their servings and we all tucked into our delicious dinner, almost everyone having a second helping, and in Emmett's case, a third. Carlisle had done a tremendous job and we all thanked him for a fantastic main course.

After finishing our meal, we all needed a bit of a break. There was no possible way we could eat Esme's birthday cake yet. So we all filled our glasses one more time with champagne and Asti and sat around the table talking for a bit.

Soon Alice, Emmett and Edward began clearing the dishes from the table and promptly set about rinsing them, loading up the dishwasher, packaging up the leftovers and putting things away. Rose, Jasper and I had been told to stay seated at the table, since we were guests and had helped enough in the creation of the meal and therefore were not required in the clean up.

Esme and Carlisle asked after Rose and Jasper's parents, who also happened to live in another part of Port Angeles. I thought it was funny that they had all lived here in Port Angeles, but it had taken a dormitory at the University of Washington in Seattle for Rose and Jasper to meet Emmett and Alice.

Apparently Rose and Emmett had met their freshman year, living in the same dorm where we were all currently living and they had begun dating shortly afterward. The following year, when Edward and Jasper were both going to attend, Rose and Emmett had felt that the two of them would get along, and had suggested that they become roommates in the same dorm. Edward and Jasper had become close friends and that left Alice to hang out with her twin and his best friend. Eventually Alice and Jasper had also become a couple.

Esme and Carlisle also asked me about my situation and I told them my history. I told them about starting out in Forks, moving away with my mom for most of my childhood and adolescence and coming back to the area for summers and visits during holidays. I explained about my mother remarrying and moving to Florida and how I finally returned to live with my father a few years ago.

Before long, I realized that Edward was standing behind my chair, his hands resting on the chair back, ready to begin the dessert preparations.

"You ready to put the finishing touches on our masterpiece?" he asked me, stroking a finger against my shoulder.

"Oh, yes!" I said, scooting my chair back and standing up to join him in the kitchen as Emmett and Alice sat back down. I had the distinct feeling that we were the topic of conversation while we were busy in the kitchen.

Edward got the whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and mint leaves out of the refrigerator while I started a pot of coffee. We carefully moved the cake onto a pedestal cake stand. The ganache topping had smoothed out and hardened. I carefully made slight knife dents in the top, so the cake could be cut into eight even slices and we could see each separate slice distinctly.

While Edward washed and dried the raspberries and mint leaves, I squirted a little bit of whipped cream onto each section. We carefully put four raspberries on each cloud of whipped cream, and added two mint leaves for decoration on each slice.

Edward poured cups of coffee for everyone seated at the table while I stuck one candle into each slice. Esme had cautioned us earlier that we'd burn the house down if we actually put the right number of candles on the cake. Carlisle had shushed her, saying that age was an attitude, not a number, but then he added that feeling nineteen was still awfully "_hot and dangerous._" Edward had made eye contact with me and had a slightly grossed-out expression on his face. But I thought Esme and Carlisle were just so cute to each other.

We set dessert plates and forks, along with sugar and cream on the table. Edward lit the candles and set the cake in front of Esme as we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. We sang a little more gently than we had earlier in the day and at the end Esme hesitated for a moment before she finally blew out the candles.

"I didn't quite know what to wish for," she explained. "I feel like I have everything now." Her eyes looked up at all of us, but it seemed like they lingered a little longer on Edward.

"The cake looks divine, Bella," she said, smiling at me.

"_Bella_? Just _Bella_? " Edward's voice asked Esme. "Hellooo, aren't you forgetting someone? Your own child, maybe? _Bella_ had help, you know."

"The cake looks divine, Bella _and Edward,_" Esme laughed. "Although I'm sure it was mostly Bella that prepared this cake. You were her assistant, weren't you, Edward? I'm sure it wasn't the other way around."

I came to Edward's rescue. "Edward actually helped a lot. I had the recipe, but he helped pick this one out and we divided the work pretty equally."

"So what kind of a cake is this fabulous thing?" Esme asked.

Edward spoke up. "It's a Two-Layer Chocolate Bast…" Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked at me in confusion. "Wait, what's it really called, Bella?" he asked.

"It's a Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Torte." I wondered what Edward's confusion was all about.

Edward kind of smirked to himself, shaking his head and looking away. I wondered if the cake had done him in. He had had problems with the cake throughout the day, even growling to me that the cake was "bad". Oh well, guys can be weird about kitchens and cooking.

Edward announced that he would "carve" the cake, so I passed the plates. The first slice should have gone to Esme, and I'm sure that was what Edward was intending, but when the cake didn't cooperate and the first slice came out somewhat crookedly and crumbly, Edward announced that that particular slice was Emmett's.

"Hey it's all good. It's going to taste the same, no matter how the slice looks," Emmett said, good naturedly.

Everyone dug into the cake and moaned and groaned about how decadent and delicious it was.

"Oh, Bella," Emmett exclaimed, after he had downed a huge forkful of cake, "this is just the best thing in the world! Uh…after Rose, that is, after Rose, of course."

"Good save, Emmett," Edward said between bites.

"Jasper," Alice turned to him with sad eyes, "I think I've fallen in love with this cake. I'm sorry, Sweetie. I think it's over between us."

"Would you and the cake consider a threesome?" he asked her, to which we all burst out laughing.

"Hopefully the cake likes poetry readings," Edward whispered in my ear as I nearly choked.

The cake _was_ delicious and everyone was impressed and somehow managed to consume the entire thing. Total consumption of the cake was partially due to Emmett's willingness to eat the last bite or two of anyone's cake if they couldn't manage it on their own. Esme wanted the recipe once I told her how easy it was to make and Edward and I were congratulated on our efforts.

At times, baking this cake today truly had been quite the effort, but that was mostly due to the very persistent, very skilled, very dextrous Kisslicknibblelips Cullen and his Problem Pants. I just didn't bother to tell the family that. It had actually worked out in my favor in the long run and I wasn't complaining.

**A/N: Okay. Give me the business. Review if you would, please. I love hearing from you just as much as you love getting an update. **

**Unless you don't love getting an update, in which case I love getting reviews from you MORE than you love getting updates.**

**So just please review.**


	47. Good Times Then and Now

**OMGah! THIS is the real chapter 47! I can't believe I did that! This will make so much more sense. **

**Now, as to what you read earlier…pretend you had an Alice-esque premonition about the future. But remember…it's very subjective. The future isn't set in stone. Things change. **

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Just a timeline reminder: E & B went on their first date Wednesday night. Thursday Bella went to Forks because of Jake's accident. Friday Edward picked her up and was an incommunicative emo-boy until B's ultimatum. Now it's Saturday-and it's almost like it's their second date. It just seems like they've been together longer because I write about every single minute of every single day. Wordy much? Who me?

Stephenie was wordy as well. Pretend The Transfer is a saga and you are in book three. We'll get to a pillow-chewing, headboard-crushing scene eventually. We'll never get to an infringing scene.

A Very Cullen Weekend Part XXXIV (Actually, Part XI)

**Chapter 47: Good Times Then and Now (Revised)**

**EPOV**

I was beginning to worry a little about myself. I was able to go through the motions of focusing on things around me, but my mind just wasn't really where it should have been. Once we had come upstairs for my mother's party, it was like the switch had gone on in my mind. I kept watching the same video of a naked Bella over and over again in my thoughts and I couldn't find the off switch.

I think it started with Emmett's whole "refreshing" conversation. I had dealt fine with him saying I looked refreshed. I just blew it off. But when he made the same comment to Bella, I turned and looked at her and something about her seemed so rosy and warm. It made my heart swell because I knew it wasn't just a blush in response to what he had said. I thought she looked like she had that…recently-ecstatic…kind of glow. Or maybe it just seemed that way to me because I had been there and had given her a reason to glow. Shit, we probably had mutual glows and I wasn't even aware of it until Emmett commented.

_At least he hadn't said we looked radioactive._

All through champagne and appetizers, and when we finally sat down for dinner, I kept replaying the experience in my mind. She would say something and I would hear the little sounds she had made, the words she had moaned. She would touch my hand or leg, and I felt every sensation all over again; her kisses, the tensing of her mouth against mine as she had gotten close, how she had touched me as she was reaching that pinnacle. I would look at her face as she smiled and I would see the strained look as she focused and the flushed look she had afterward.

_I can't shut it off and now I'm turning into a mouth-breather._

The thoughts, the sensations, the images, the sounds. They would not go away. The switch would not let me shut down. Naked Bella Swan was going to be my new hobby. I wanted to dabble in my new hobby again as soon as possible. I didn't think it was socially acceptable to get up from the middle of the dinner celebration, but that's what a part of me wanted to do. A very insistent part. The part that ruled the mouth-breather.

_Try breathing through your nose, Cullen. Deep breath. Focus. Exhale. Nod and smile._

My mom seemed delighted with the whole birthday dinner. She's always looked forward to it. We'd been doing this for her since we were little kids. At least we had progressed from hotdogs, pickles, macaroni and cheese, and Oreos and milk for dessert. Along the way, a girlfriend and a boyfriend had been added for Emmett and Alice. And this year, I brought a girlfriend. It felt nice. It felt right. It felt like a big happy family. I'd felt on the outside of it a little, for the last few years. But this year everything seemed more complete. I felt complete.

I could just imagine big family Christmas gatherings, with little kids running around someday in the future, but shit, I'm getting way the fuck ahead of myself.

_God, where does a thought like that come from? You're only 21, you know._

_Yes, but someday._

_Focus on the here and now, you tool._

The food had been great. The cold Spanish Tortilla had been good, though I think I would like to try it warmed up. The chilled Gazpacho Soup was different. I'd never had a cold soup before, but it was refreshing and tasty. I had to agree with my dad, though, a splash of vodka would have made it better. Maybe two splashes. More than three would be bad though; the mouth-breather would be voicing his opinions. Loudly.

I'd never had Paella before, and I thought that was just outstanding. My dad put a lot of work into that, and we all demolished that huge pan-full of food. I'd like to try to do that myself some day. Grilling food was kind of a guy thing. Very Neanderthal. I could grill meats and seafood, whip up a Paella, be a mouth-breather, and then drag Bella off to my cave.

_You are one fucked-up rambler, Cullen. And…oh shit! There's the naked Bella video clip, playing once again._

We all headed into the living room after dinner and dessert, to relax and digest and recuperate. Everyone had another glass of champagne. I think we were all feeling kind of mellow. I had picked the right thing out for Bella, because she liked the Asti. I realized that I didn't know about her and booze. I didn't know if she could handle very much, if she liked it or what. I remembered she'd had a beer when we went to that house party at Laurent's and James' with Emmett. She'd also had the prosecco when we ate at the Pink Door on Wednesday night. But that had been over a period of time and she hadn't been drunk.

There was so much I wanted to know about her and do with her. But there was plenty of time, I felt.

I had point blank asked her if she was going to be alright with that last glass of Asti before we headed into the living room. She had turned toward me, closing her eyes and making a snoring sound. _Smartass._ I smartassed her right back, telling her that I preferred her "refreshed." She blushed at me as we went into the room. And of course, having said that, the Bella video is now playing over and over again in my head on its loop, just to drive me berserk.

_Okay, horn-dog, get your mind and your dick off the video loop_.

As we all sat, I pulled Bella down next to me and I held her hand on the top of my thigh. I saw my mom look over at us and glance at our hands, linked together, and smile. I just hoped no one threw a condom at me. We'd be forced to leave if things got out of hand like that.

The conversation turned to school for a bit, my parents making sure we were all doing well in our classes and that they weren't wasting their money. They asked Bella about the community college she had attended and how she liked UDub. They wondered what she was studying; just general conversation so they could get to know a little bit more about her. It seemed as though they both really liked her. Honestly, what was not to like?

"Well, I'd say it's time for presents, isn't it?" my dad asked. "No time like the _present_ for a _present_." I think I'd heard that line from him at every gift-giving opportunity my entire life.

**BPOV**

Gifts for Esme had been set on the coffee table in the living room. We all crowded around her, scooting close to watch as she opened them.

"Bella, I really appreciated the lovely flowers," she said, turning toward me. "That was a beautiful centerpiece for our dinner."

"Alice and rose helped me pick them. The flowers actually have some symbolic meanings. The chrysanthemums are for optimism and joy and the heather represents good luck and it supposedly also has protective powers. I picked the ivy and alstromeria for friendship."

"I didn't realize so much thought went into their selection. What a lovely gesture. This home has always been filled with optimism and my family and friends bring me a lot of joy, but I certainly won't turn away an extra helping. We can always use the good luck and protective powers watching over us, and I hope, Bella, that we're going to be friends for a long time and get to see more of you." She peeked at Edward and smiled hopefully. "Thank you very much, Bella," she said, as she reached across Edward and patted my hand. It seemed as though she was thanking me for more than the bouquet of flowers.

"Now," Esme said, looking at the smiling faces gathered around her, "Let's see what else we have here!" She rubbed her hands together like an excited child who couldn't wait to get started with the unwrapping.

"Okay, open mine first." Alice said as she handed her mother a rectangular box that was rather flat. Esme pulled back the brightly colored paper and opened the plain box within. Inside was a double silver picture frame, hinged like a book.

On the one side, Alice had inserted an old photograph of the three children. A very young Emmett, about five years old and quite chubby but easily identifiable by his dimples, sat in the middle, his arms wrapped around his two younger siblings. A probably four-year-old Alice sat on one side of him and a four-year-old Edward on the other. I was surprised how much Alice and Edward looked alike back then. Their hair colors and eye colors were different, but their soft, full, childhood faces were quite similar in structure and appearance. Now they no longer looked alike at all, although they had both grown up to be extremely attractive.

"What a pretty frame," Esme said, smiling appreciatively, "and there's my three troublemakers, all in a row. I'll have to find a good picture of the three of you to put in the other side."

"Okay, here's the deal, Mom," Alice began explaining, sounding slightly irritated, "We were supposed to take some photos of the three of us now, sitting in the same pose, to insert in the other side. You were supposed to have a Then and Now photo frame." She turned and glared at Emmett as she continued, her voice getting louder as she spoke. "But _some _people haven't cooperated even though we've tried numerous times for _almost a month_!"

Emmett raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, we'll do it tonight, after the presents. I promise. It's more special this way, anyhow. Mom can tell people the photo was from her birthday celebration dinner. Let's not ruin things with attitude, Mini-mom. Quit being a pain-in-the-ass."

Alice rolled her eyes at him. Esme just smiled at the two of them bickering.

"Here Mom," Emmett handed her a larger rectangular box, "from me."

Esme took the box, but turned to Alice, hugging her and kissing her on the cheek, thanking her. "What a nice idea to do a 'then and now' photo display. Thank you, Sweetie. This will be terrific. I can put it on the mantle over the fireplace."

"Glad you like it, Mom. Even though it's not complete, due to _some people_." She stuck her tongue out at Emmett. He returned the favor.

Esme unwrapped the paper on Emmett's gift, opened the box, and pulled out a pair of shearling lined slippers with very thick soles.

"Oh, Emmett, these look so nice and toasty warm!"

"I figured you could wear them to the pool house and back because they have that thick sole. They'll keep your feet warm, going back and forth in the mornings."

"They are so soft! Thank you, Emmett. I love them. These will be so much better than those old terrycloth scuffs I wear. "

Edward handed her his gift. "And this one's from me." He turned and looked at me and I noticed his eyes travel down my neckline, where the medallion hung close to my heart. He glanced back up to my eyes and he gave me a soft smile and a wink.

Esme took the small package and began unwrapping the tissue paper. She held up a pair of handmade silver Celtic knot earrings. Very similar in design to my necklace. I glanced and smiled at Edward. I hadn't known before what he'd bought her.

"Oh, Edward, these are beautiful. You know how much I love this kind of handmade silver jewelry. The Celtic designs seem so very ancient and mystical, I always think. The knots have no beginning and no end, so they supposedly symbolize a connected sort of a relationship; a continuity or eternity. A forever."

She smiled at him, then she glanced past him and looked at me. "I was admiring the necklace Edward gave you earlier, Bella, it's very pretty with the blouse you have on."

"Thank you, Esme," I said, fingering the medallion and feeling the heat of my blush.

She must have sensed my embarrassment, rescuing me and saying simply, "Well, Edward has wonderful taste in jewelry. I'm sure you'll enjoy wearing your necklace as much as I'll enjoy wearing my earrings." She turned to Edward, smiling, "Thank you, dear. You chose very well, Edward." She seemed to wink at him and she reached over and patted his knee.

"This is from me, Esme," Jasper said as he handed her his gift. She unwrapped it, holding up a book of poetry.

I leaned my face against Edward's back, hiding, thinking about Jasper and the naked poetry reading, trying not to burst out laughing.

"What are you doing?" Edward quietly asked turning and looking back at me. But I could tell, the moment that I saw his eyes, that he was having a hard time keeping the laughter from bubbling up too. "Do you think there's any Seuss in there?" he whispered.

I took a breath, shaking my head, and smiled, digging my nails hard into his thigh. He abruptly turned back around, freeing my hand from his thigh and slapping lightly at my fingers. He looked back at me, grinning.

"Ow!" he hissed. "Are you trying to draw blood?"

I just shushed him and pointed to his mom. The focus should be on her, not on Dr. Seuss.

Esme was speaking to Jasper. "This book is a wonderful collection." She was thumbing through the pages. "I've always enjoyed poetry. I'm going to put this right next to my reading chair in my bedroom. Very nice. Thank you, Jasper."

"You're welcome, Mama Cullen."

"Here, Esme, something from me." Rose handed her a rather flat thin box. Once Esme unwrapped it she pulled out a rich plum-colored silk scarf.

"Oh, Rosalie, what a pretty scarf. It's a beautiful color. Oh, and it's silk. This is so luxurious. Thank you, Rose, it's so rich. And obviously you've noticed how much I like my purples," she said, glancing down at her dress."

Rose smiled. "Purples look good on you with your coloring, Esme. I thought you might like it."

"What lovely gifts, all of you, thank you so much."

"Wait, dear, one more." Carlisle handed her an envelope. Esme opened it up and found a brochure tucked inside. She turned the brochure over and looked at it carefully.

"Oh! The Empress Hotel in Vancouver? We're going there for my birthday?" Her voice had become a happy squeal. "Oh, Carlisle, I've always wanted to stay there! Remember when we passed through there, admiring the interior?"

He nodded, beaming lovingly at her. "Of course. We're going next weekend; it's all arranged. I've got my shifts covered and I already talked with Heidi at your office and she has begun rescheduling a few of your clients to free you up for the weekend."

"Oh Carlisle, it's going to be nice to have a little vacation together. Thank you, dear."

She smiled broadly as she looked round at all of us. "Well, once again, thank you, all of you, for the lovely gifts." She hugged Edward and Alice, seated on either side of her, and then she stood, so she could reach past Edward to hug me, and past Alice to hug Jasper. She leaned across the cocktail table, hugging Emmett and Rose, and finally Carlisle.

She looked back down at the gifts on the table, picking up the framed portrait of her three children, brushing her fingertips lightly across the three smiling, young, little faces.

"So many memories," she said, lovingly, looking up at Carlisle. He smiled and nodded.

"Perhaps Rosalie, Jasper and Bella would like to hear a story or two?" he asked with a slightly devilish grin in Esme's direction.

She laughed back at him. "Oh, we have such good dirt on these three!"

"Oh, tell us stories, Esme!" Jasper was definitely interested.

Rose was nodding, smirking at Emmett, and I glanced over at Edward, who was shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.

Esme and Carlisle began telling us stories about Emmett's, Alice's and Edward's childhood. It was fun to get a glimpse of their lives when they were little. It was funny how even as children you could see a lot of their personalities and of what was to come as adults.

"When Emmett was about four years old," Esme told us, "he had a little train engine riding toy that he would ride on in his room and in the upstairs hallway in our old house in Alaska."

"Of course you have to bring up this story," Emmett interrupted. "The day I almost killed Edward. Bella will never speak to me again."

"You almost killed Edward?" I asked in disbelief. "Go on, Esme, I want to hear this."

"Well, one day, he convinced little Edward, who was almost three at the time, to try riding on this little train riding toy. Edward rode up and down the hall, with Emmett laughing at how clumsy Edward was. But he was littler, and not quite as coordinated yet. Both of them were laughing until Edward rode to the top of the stairway and headed straight down the stairs, taking a nasty tumble and cutting his chin badly. Edward didn't cry for very long, even though he needed a few stitches, but Emmett cried inconsolably the rest of the day, because he felt so bad about hurting his little brother. Long after Edward was stitched up and bandaged up and playing with his other toys happily, Emmett would take one look at Edward and his bandages and burst into tears all over again, sobbing like the world had ended."

"Well, look at that face," Emmett gestured to Edward, where he sat next to me, "wouldn't you cry if you thought you had ruined Mr. Eyecandy's face?"

Edward shook his head, embarrassed, at Emmett's comment, but when I asked to see it, he stretched up his chin, pointing and showed me the scar that had needed six stitches.

Rose smiled at Emmett. "I guess even back then, before Em was Edward's Resident Advisor and brother, he took his job as brother very seriously."

We all laughed at Rose, managing to use Emmett's favorite line.

"Tell me some good dirt on my little darlin'," Jasper begged Esme.

"Okay," Alice said, rather resignedly, "Go ahead and tell Jasper my dance recital story. Let's get this over with. I know it's coming." Alice was rolling her eyes and folding her arms across her chest as she spoke. "This is their favorite story of all time."

Esme laughed as she began telling the story. "When Alice was four years old, she was in a ballet class. She just loved dancing; she would dance all over the house all the time. There was a recital with a particular song that Alice really loved and she loved the little dress, matching tights and hat they wore for that particular dance. When her group finished performing, Alice refused to exit the stage. She just kept dancing around, even after the music had stopped and all the other little girls had left the stage.

"All the parents and other guests in the audience were giggling and applauding, because Alice just looked so cute and so _very determined_ to continue. Of course Carlisle and I were horrified, but couldn't really do anything about it from our seats in the auditorium."

Carlisle butted in at that point. "Besides, we were reluctant to let anyone know that we were related to her. The instructor finally came out to get Alice off the stage, waving her over and calling to her. But Alice ignored her and just kept on dancing, smiling at the audience, delighted to be the center of attention. The instructor wound up having to chase her around on the stage for a couple of laps before she could get her hands on her."

We were all laughing hard at this point.

Alice quickly cut to the chase. "And then I schrieked, kicking my legs and flailing my arms as she carried me off under her arm. But I loved that song! I loved that dance! I couldn't help it that I couldn't get enough of it or my little sparkly pink and silver outfit."

Esme picked up the thread once again. "At the end of all that, the instructor asked me to please not bother bringing Alice back. So that was the end of her dance career." Esme was laughing so hard she was close to tears, retelling this gem.

"That's my girl!" Jasper proudly said. "She knows what she wants and she's not shy about letting the rest of us know. She's our Tiny Tyrant."

We all laughed, agreeing with his observation. Alice was only mildly indignant.

I felt Edward's hand rubbing the nape of my neck. I turned to look into his smiling green-blue eyes for a moment.

"What about Edward?" I asked, glancing at Esme and Carlisle, before looking back at Edward. "Do you have a good Edward story for us?"

Edward removed his hand from my neck and began running his fingers through his hair, grimacing slightly.

"I was the completely normal child. I never did crazy things like the two of them," he indicated Alice and Emmett.

"Edward was always our more serious, more sensitive child. And the fact that Carlisle was a doctor… well, Edward thought Carlisle could always fix anything and everything, and Edward tried to fix things, too, just like his doctor daddy."

"Especially after Edward's fall down the stairs," Carlisle continued. "I was the one to stitch him up, so of course if a stuffed toy ripped, I would have to suture it back together. I'd be forced to put bandages on other broken toys, or even set something in a splint. Esme and I thought it was cute, of course. We'd sometimes replace the broken toy, without him knowing, then remove the bandage and the toy would be as good as new."

"Can you believe they'd screw with a child's mind like that?" Edward asked me. "What a sham! And it went on for years." Edward was smiling at me, then them, as he complained. His hand went back to the nape of my neck.

"We had to put a stop to it once Edward started bringing us dead bugs for Carlisle to fix," Esme giggled.

"Yes, unfortunately he was expecting me to pull a Doctor Frankenstein, taking a dead thing and bringing it _to life!_" Carlisle's voice had risen and he lifted both of his arms into the air, fingers spread wide, like some crazed mad scientist in a horror movie.

We all giggled at him.

Edward jumped back into the story at this point. "He spent two hours one evening, trying to catch a large moth, to put in a jar, to tell me that he had fixed the dead one I'd brought to him." Edward stretched, lifting his hand from my nape, moving it along the back of the couch, and letting his fingers drift against my shoulder lazily.

Esme giggled. "Poor Carlisle had worked such a long shift, and then he came home, and teary-eyed Edward had a dead moth in a jar that needed 'fixing'. Well, poor exhausted Carlisle kept hanging around the back door that evening, near the light, trying to catch a big enough moth to take the place of the dead one in the jar. He finally saw one and managed to catch it in the jar, but it had taken him nearly two hours."

Edward turned his dazzling smile on me, then. "But when they tried to palm it off on me the next day, I realized it was a different type of moth. The jig was up for Mom and Pops."

"We had to sit him down and tell him that it wasn't possible to really fix everything, at least not all the time. Still, even later in life, Edward had this notion that whatever was broken could be fixed. He'd patch toys up himself, hating to discard something, just because it was broken. He always figured you should at least attempt to fix it."

I saw her smiling eyes flicker to Edward's and she suddenly looked as though she thought maybe she'd said too much. Edward looked slightly pained, briefly, when I glanced at him, but then his expression quickly smoothed out again and he smiled down at me.

"I think I lost a lot of respect for my parents that day. And then to top that all off, they sat me down on other occasions and told me about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. I no longer trust either of them; they're unscrupulous."

Carlisle and Esme burst out laughing, joining the rest of us as we giggled.

After we all settled down Emmett got up to get his camera to take the photograph of the three siblings sitting together for Esme's new picture frame.

**EPOV**

Emmett handed the camera to Jasper, showing him how it worked and then he flopped down on the couch next to me, nearly taking me out in the process. Such a moose. Alice sat down on the other side of him. Emmett put his arms around us, although his arm around me was actually up around my neck and the next thing I knew, he had me in a chokehold for the first photo Jasper took.

"Okay," Jasper said, "I kind of liked that one, but let's try a few more. Say 'cheese'."

Of course my mom was trying to get us to behave so Jasper could take the picture. Just as Jasper snapped the next picture, I turned and grabbed Emmett's face, kissing his cheek and saying, "I love you, man!"

I was actually quite proud of myself. It was the kind of thing _he_ would normally do, but I beat him to it and I managed to disgust him. Bella was cracking up. I think she was secretly proud of me for the same reason.

"Good job, Edward. I think I captured that man-to-man smooch perfectly." Jasper checked the little screen, nodding happily.

The next few photos consisted of us putting rabbit ears and devil's horns above each other's heads as the photos were taken. I think the picture of Alice with the rabbit's ears, her forearms raised like paws and her upper teeth sticking out, will be one of my favorites. Although the one of Emmett with devil's horns where Alice and I are both cowering away from him, is actually the most appropriate. Or maybe the following one, where Emmett shoved Alice and I at the last moment and we can't even be seen in the photo is the photo that's truly the most telling of the bunch.

I think after about twenty minutes of that Jasper actually got two or three good photos. We had all had a good laugh, even though my mom seemed kind of exhausted afterwards as she turned to Bella and remarked on us.

"Can you imagine over twenty years of this kind of stuff?" she asked her. "It wears a mother out."

Bella just shook her head, still laughing.

Once we got the photo out of the way my dad asked me to play "It Had to Be You" on the piano. That had been their first dance song when they'd gotten married, so I played it for them. After the first few bars, my dad stood up and asked my mom to dance, and suddenly they were dancing in the living room, with my mom giggling like a schoolgirl. I think she was a little embarrassed, because she turned to the row of them, sitting on the couch and tried to persuade them to join in.

"You kids should dance; it's a lovely song."

I saw Emmett and Jasper look over at each other. Suddenly Jasper was on his feet, bowing in front of Alice, where she sat right next to Emmett.

Jasper was all gentlemanly as he spoke, "May I have this dance…" and then he turned slightly, "…Emmett?"

Alice and Rose looked horrified, as Emmett stood up and curtseyed, saying, "I thought you'd never ask, Jazz."

I tipped my head back and laughed at the two of them, ballroom dancing out there with my parents. I almost lost my place in the song and had to think about what I was playing. I looked over at Bella. She was looking at me, laughing and shaking her head at those two morons.

Just then Alice and Rose got up and started dancing together rather provocatively and way too fast for the beat of the song I was playing. I thought my parents might be surprised or offended, but they just laughed and kept right on dancing. I shook my head a little when I glanced at Bella and saw her looking at me. With a little jerk of my head, I motioned her over to sit next to me on the piano bench.

"What the hell was in that champagne?" she whispered to me as she sat down.

I grinned. "I have no idea. Thank goodness it hasn't affected us. Stay over here where it's safe and I can protect you." I felt her arm go around my waist as I played.

"Did you see how dismally Alice dances?" Emmett asked after the song had ended. "Too bad she screwed up her career with her dance recital stunt."

Alice was indignant. "Hey, buddy, watch it. Your girlfriend was dancing with me just fine. Heck, she was grinding and freaking. I'd say I'm not too dismal. She seemed to think I was okay."

"You were _so hot_, baby," Rose said to her. "I'm thinking of dumping Emmett, and if you're available, then I am too."

We all laughed at Emmett for looking grumpy about being shut down.

Jasper batted his eyelashes at Emmett, "So this means that I get Emmett as my dance partner/life partner? At least we're keeping things within the same families."

"Bella," my dad asked, "do you have any normal friends at school, or are you just stuck with these kids?"

She laughed. "I'm sorry to say that I'm pretty much stuck with them. I'm concerned that perhaps there's something dreadfully wrong with me since I've been accepted so readily into their fold."

My parents both laughed. "We're so sorry to hear that, Bella," my dad offered. "Perhaps I can prescribe something for you."

**BPOV **

I felt Edward's arm around my waist. I turned to look at his beautiful face. "It worked out well for me that we became friends," he murmured.

Emmett took over the music at that point, getting his iPod, and selecting a playlist entitled "totally acceptable songs," although Edward had to veto a few songs that he didn't think Esme and Carlisle would particularly care for because they were not 'totally acceptable.'

Emmett managed to find two more back-up bottles of pink and regular champagne, as well as some beers. He returned to the room with champagne flutes for us girls, bottles of beers for the guys, and turned the lights down a little.

"Brown Eyed Girl," by Van Morrison came up on the playlist, and every guy in the room realized that he had his own brown eyed girl. By the end of that song, we were all up on our feet, dancing and singing loudly, Esme and Carlisle included. Edward's piercing eyes seemed to nearly glow as he watched me while we danced.

Soon we were all laughing and giggling at each other's dance floor antics. Of course Emmett had to give Edward a hard time for dancing, something he apparently hadn't done for a few years, until Edward did a perfect impersonation of Emmett dancing.

"Rose," Edward said loudly over the music, "why would anyone dance like a trained gorilla?"

Rose giggled, as she danced with an irritated-looking Emmett. "Oh, Edward, it's because they have White Man's Disease and have no rhythm. But they're still so cute that you dance with them anyway. Emmett is my monkey-man!"

Edward just laughed as he resumed dancing like himself with me.

Alice pirouetted her way over.

"I don't know when the last time was that I saw Edward dance. We're talking like years! How come he doesn't have White Man's Disease?"

I shrugged, laughing. "Maybe because he plays music and has to have a sense of rhythm?" I had to admit, Edward could dance. He didn't have that stiff, uncomfortable look like so many guys did. He also didn't do weird stuff like Mike Newton's thrusting bird-of-prey dance.

Carlisle and Esme had had enough nightlife for one evening and bid us all goodnight around eleven thirty, saying that they just couldn't keep up with us youngsters.

A short while after they had left, Emmett refilled our champagne flutes, passed out one more beer to each of the guys, turned the lights down lower, and changed the playlist to a different one entitled "girly shit."

Edward read that and rolled his eyes at me. "Typical Emmett. Sounds romantic, doesn't it?"

I laughed. "No, but he does have a lot of good songs on it. I've always really loved this one," I told Edward as a Coldplay song started.

"I really love you," he said, as he pulled me snugly into his arms to slow dance, tilting his head down to kiss me.

That was the first time I ever slow-danced with Edward Cullen.

I didn't realize how much it would upset me.

**A/N: And the Coldplay song is... Go ahead, take a guess. If you guess correctly I'll send Edward over to slow dance with you. I promise it won't upset you.**

**Tell me what you thought.** **Please review.**


	48. A Slow Dance to Fix You

**OMGah! I 'm so sorry about the mixup with chapter 47! If you read it and had no idea how we suddenly bumped into the future, please go back to it now, before reading this chapter. The correct chapter 47 has been posted, because that's what you really wanted to read…not one of Alice's premonitions about the future. Those can always change; they're not set in stone. ;)**

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Over 1500 reviews! You guys are the bomb diggity! And I dig your reviews as much as you dig my updates. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and time with me.

Stephenie is a great writer. Coldplay is a great band. I don't mean to infringe on either of their fine works, they just help me to tell my story.

A Very Cullen Weekend Part XII

**Chapter 48: A Slow Dance** **to Fix You (Revised)**

When you try your best, but you don't succeed  
When you get what you want, but not what you need  
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep  
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face  
When you lose something you can't replace  
When you love someone, but it goes to waste  
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home  
And ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below  
When you're too in love to let it go  
But if you never try you'll never know  
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home  
And ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face  
When you lose something you cannot replace  
Tears stream down your face  
And I...

Tears stream down your face  
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes  
Tears stream down your face  
And I...

Lights will guide you home  
And ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you

Fix You - Coldplay

**BPOV**

When the music started and I heard the beginning of "Fix You," by Coldplay, I told Edward that I loved that song. He responded by smiling his dazzling smile, telling me that _he_ loved _me_, and pulling me up against him to dance. He bent down to kiss me, and as we danced I listened to the words of the song. I'd always thought it spoke to the giving aspect of a relationship and how sometimes it involves the taking care and fixing of each other.

My hand had started out on the back of Edward's neck, but eventually traveled up into his hair, knotting my fingers in his wild locks and holding him against me as we kissed and danced close, holding each other tightly in our arms.

But the longer I listened, the more I thought back to the conversation earlier in the evening. I thought about a little bronze-haired toddler, bringing his doctor father all kinds of things to fix and cure. I thought about a little boy who tried to fix broken toys himself, refusing to just give up on them. And then I thought about a young boy, a teenager in love for the first time, trying to save a broken girlfriend who was beyond saving. I pulled away from Edward's kiss and laid my head against his shoulder. That's when my tears began falling for Edward's lost innocence. I tightened my grip on him, holding him against me for me just as much as for him and that boy that he had been.

Edward was such a sweet, gentle soul and it saddened and upset me to think of what he had gone through at such a young age.

He had tried to fix his girlfriend and had lost the battle. Then he had suffered from guilt when he had been unable to save her from herself. He had shut himself off from everything and everyone for three years because he felt that he had failed her. He had been afraid to get close to anyone else, afraid to care, afraid that he didn't deserve it, afraid that he might fail and suffer a terrible loss again.

I hadn't realized that I was still crying, but his shirt must have been soaking up my tears, making it damp enough for him to feel, because he suddenly stopped dancing, pulled back, and stooped down to look at me, cupping my face in his hands.

"Bella? What's wrong, love? Why are you crying?" His heartbreakingly beautiful features were etched with his surprise and concern.

I couldn't say anything. I just shook my head, unable to speak because of the lump in my throat.

"Are you okay?" He held my face, his thumbs wiping the tears from beneath my eyes as they continued to fall.

I nodded, burrowing tightly up to him, tucking my head down to his chest, under his chin, to avoid his scrutiny.

He gripped me tightly, wrapping his arms around me, enfolding as much of me as he could in a tight hug. I knew he didn't know what else to do and was confused by my tears but I just couldn't really express myself yet.

He looked over his shoulder to where Alice and Jasper were sitting on the couch, kissing, lost in themselves. Rose and Emmett were still dancing, oblivious to us as well.

I suddenly wanted to get out of there before they all realized that I was crying and it caused a scene. This was too personal.

"Um, can we just go for a walk or something?" I managed to quietly ask him in a strained voice.

"Of course, love. Come on." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, drawing me tightly against his solid warmth. His fingers came up to my face and he wiped away the new tears that had appeared. He guided me out of the room, pausing to grab a few tissues from a box on a table just inside the living room. We went to an entryway closet that he opened, pulling out a red woman's coat, probably Esme's, and a big blue plaid men's coat. He helped me into the woman's coat and then pulled the blue plaid one on himself. He took my hand and led me out the front door of the house.

We headed down the walkway, but then rather than going out to the sidewalk at the front of the house, Edward followed a walkway that led around to the back of the house. He was still holding my hand and he brought it up to his lips, kissing the back of it. Then he switched hands, so that his arm closest to me could wrap around my shoulders and he could tuck me into him, but he could still hold my hand in his other hand.

"Let's go back this way," he softly said, "I want you to see something."

I could only nod. My tears had stopped, but I still felt beyond sad, I still had a lump in my throat, I was still unable to talk to him. He didn't press. He must have known that I would speak when I could.

We followed the walkway that led to the pool house, and then took a footpath that wrapped around the back of the pool house and went into the wooded area behind the lot. He looked up into the sky. It was a clear night.

"Full moon," he quietly said, kissing the top of my head.

"Edward, I'm sorry," I mumbled to him, wiping at my face with a tissue.

He just shushed me gently, saying, "No, it's okay love. You don't need to be sorry about anything."

"It was so nice, dancing with you like that, and then I ruined it."

"You didn't ruin anything, Bella."

We had stopped walking and he gathered me into his arms. I reached my arms inside his open coat; the heat of his body was comforting. We stood there together, him rocking us slightly from side to side. His hand was gently smoothing my hair, his actions were tenderly soothing my heart.

"Was it the song that upset you?" he quietly asked, his head tipped down, his warm breath against my ear.

I nodded against him and wiped at a few more tears as they escaped.

I felt him inhale deeply. "I thought about things, too. It's okay to cry. It is sad."

"I've listened to the words before," I explained to him, "but they meant something different to me tonight. This time I just kept thinking about a little you; a small Edward, wanting broken things fixed, until you were a little older, and found you couldn't fix everything, or everyone. And I thought about how that sort of broke you. I can't even imagine what that was like for you."

He didn't say anything for a moment, but he still held onto me and rocked me slightly.

After a bit he spoke softly to me again. "I guess we can only ever _try _to fix things; sometimes it doesn't work but at least we can try. And I think we just naturally want to help along the people and things we care about. We'd be awfully cold creatures if we didn't."

His hands came up to my face and he tipped my head up so he could look at me. "I may have been broken, Bella but I think you've done an amazing job of helping to put the pieces back together and fixing me." He smiled softly down at me and I could see his eyes glittering with unshed tears in the moonlight as he kissed me gently. "You didn't even plan on that or know you were doing that for me at the time, did you?"

I shook my head. "I didn't really do anything, Edward. I think it was just you. I think it was just time for you to move on with your life."

"No, I was avoiding moving on and being fixed. I just wanted to remain shut down. But somehow I just couldn't avoid you. You kind of helped pull me back out into the sunshine after I'd hidden in the dark for so long."

I laid my head against his chest and we stood there quietly for a while, just listening to the night. I realized that I could hear the steady sound of his heartbeat beneath my ear as I leaned against him. He wrapped the sides of his coat around me to keep me warm.

"Was there something about me that you thought was broken and needed fixing?" I asked him, wondering aloud whether something like that had drawn him to me.

He chuckled softly. "Are you asking me if I took you on as some sort of project?"

I smiled a little. When he put it like that it sounded so silly. I smiled up at him. "Well, did you notice any obvious repair work that needed to be done?"

He laughed again. "You're awfully cute." He kissed my forehead and then his hand cupped the back of my head, bringing me closer to him as he laid his cheek against me.

"No, I didn't notice any obvious repair work that needed doing. I just felt drawn to you and that drew me out of myself. For some reason I wanted to take care of you. I think I just felt like you needed protecting. You didn't really know anyone here; you didn't have any friends or any kind of support system. I knew it must have been hard for you moving into a living situation where so many people already knew one another and there were cliques that had already formed from the previous years. I think you stood out to me too, because I knew you were thoughtful and kind after that first day, when you got the mechanic to unlock my car for me, even though I had been a total ass to you."

I laughed. "You weren't a total ass. You had just had a rough day and I had contributed to it."

"I sure felt like an ass afterward." He smiled.

"But I'm curious now; who did you think I needed protection from?"

The lopsided grin appeared. "Who _didn't_ you need protection from? I had to protect you from Newton at the dance and in the dining hall, then there was James at that party, I tried to protect you from Jake, not that that worked out very well. When you went to workout at night I wanted to protect you from stalkers and rapists..."

"…and would-be assassins?"

"Naturally I wanted to protect you from would-be assassins as well. And of course I even tried to protect you from these crazies," he added, nodding back toward the house.

"Yeah, well that was a lost cause; I've grown very attached to those crazies."

"They're pretty attached to you too. And even if they weren't, it wouldn't matter that much, they'd have to put up with you because I'd want you around me. We've become a package deal." He grinned down at me as he took my hand and we began walking along the footpath again.

"And you're happy about that?"

"I can't believe you're asking me that," he chuckled. "Of course I'm happy. I think I can quite safely say that this past twenty-four hour period has been the best in my whole life."

I smiled at his contentment. "Me too. I didn't realize how unhappy I'd become."

"You definitely didn't look happy very often when you first started school a month ago. You know, it bothered me because I sensed that you weren't being treated right. I knew something was off about your personal life; and almost as soon as I knew about Jake, it seemed like it all had to do with him. I remember thinking that you always seemed unhappy or upset whenever you heard from him. If things had been going well in that relationship, you should have been happier to hear from him. I couldn't figure out why you were with someone who upset you like he seemed to.

"Look," he said abruptly, motioning ahead of us.

We had come to a small clearing, a little round meadow, bathed in the silvery glow of the moonlight. It was an unexpected, beautiful, little spot. He pulled me out into the center of the meadow, crossed his feet and gracefully sank down to sit on the soft grasses. He pulled me down to sit sideways on his lap. I leaned against him and his arms went around me, cradling me against his warmth. I looked around at the meadow.

"What a beautiful little hidden spot. It's pretty in the moonlight." I looked up overhead to the bright silver moon. I looked back at Edward's pale, beautiful face, illuminated from above.

"It took me a while to figure things out about Jake," I finally said to him. "I'm glad you were patient while I sorted through my feelings. You were there for me but you didn't push. Thank you."

He tucked my hair back behind my ear and then gathered the bulk of my hair into one hand, twisting it and wrapping it around his hand, looking at it as he did so, thinking.

"I was patient for two reasons. In part, I was trying so hard not to get involved. That didn't last long; I wasn't very resolute." He grinned. "But once I knew I did care and couldn't really stop myself, I was also patient because you had already given me hope. It wasn't even something you'd said; it was actually something you never said."

I looked at his face, puzzled, wondering what he meant. "I don't understand."

"Well, it was the day we moved you into Alice's room."

"Edward, you were _hoping_ after only one week? Your defenses crumbled quickly."

He chuckled softly. "I think I was pretty much a goner after that first day. Once you'd put a chink in the armor, it didn't protect me like I thought it would. But, no, I wasn't really hoping yet at that point, but that was when it happened; when you didn't say what you didn't say."

I smiled. "This sounds confusing. So what was it I didn't say to you?"

"Do you remember that I left to go hide in my room after I helped you down from your bed?"

"Yes, Jasper had said you'd either be in your room playing the guitar or you'd have gone for a run. I remember feeling a little relieved that you were in your room. It meant I didn't have to try to chase you down all over campus."

He smiled. "When you came to my room, I wished I hadn't been playing the guitar because I could have pretended that I wasn't there. I didn't want to care about you because I knew it would disrupt my safe, little, pitiful routine and I knew it would disrupt your situation too. I didn't want to let you in. Either literally or figuratively. I didn't want to open the door. But I'm glad I did."

"You're glad you opened the door literally or figuratively?"

"Both. Always both, now."

He leaned his forehead against mine, letting go of my hair and running his hand up and down my back. He nuzzled his nose against mine before he continued.

"You came into the room and sat down to talk to me, but before long, you were all fired up, pacing, telling me about how you and Jake had history together, how nice he had always been to you, and would never hurt you, what good friends you were, and how you could never hurt him. But the thing you never said, which should have been the first thing out of your mouth, was that you loved him. You never said that. So that gave me hope."

I just stared at him. I was surprised. I hadn't even realized that glaring omission; but of course he was right. It was an admission by omission. I turned on his lap to face him, wrapping my legs around behind him, pushing my arms inside his coat and wrapping them around his strong back. I was hugging him with my arms and legs equally.

"I was spending less and less time thinking about him and more and more time thinking about you. I knew that wasn't the way things should be if I was in a committed relationship with him." I looked intently into his eyes as we sat there in our moonlight spotlight. "I just saw so many good things in you and I wanted you to see those good things too. It didn't seem like you did, but I also didn't know your situation until later.

I'm glad you let me in, Edward. I really liked you. I really _do_ like you. And now I'm in love with you."

"And you're even saying it. Out loud." He grinned crookedly as I leaned forward to kiss him.

"Would you like me to shout it?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at him and grinning as I leaned forward to kiss him again.

He laughed softly. "Shout it," he said just before he kissed me; "whisper it," he continued, then kissed me again; "text it," another kiss; "write it down and press the note into my palm," one more kiss for emphasis.

"Would you like me to scream it?" I asked.

"Oh, now that has definite possibilities," he growled, tightening his grip on me and pulling me in to sit more snugly up against him. "I like the idea of you screaming it."

"That will go over really well at your parents' house," I giggled.

"Too bad they're not older and more hard-of-hearing," he sighed.

I giggled again. "We could go back to me just whispering it."

"How about a moan?" he asked with that naughty half grin. "Would you be up for moaning it?" His voice was hopeful.

I looked back at him a little shocked, and then I reached up and pinched his cheek.

"I think given the right circumstances, I could conceivably moan it."

His eyes had darkened and his expression was suddenly a lot more serious.

"I think we should go back," he said hoarsely. "It's cold out here."

**EPOV**

_Cold, my ass, Cullen. It's gotten pretty damn hot suddenly._

_That's what happens when there's discussion of screaming and moaning, you perv._

At least she didn't call me out on my bald-faced lie about it being cold. I helped her up off of my fully-attentive, now aching groin. Once she was upright, she extended her hands down to mine to help pull me up as I stood.

"This is such a pretty little meadow," she said, glancing at our surroundings once more. "And it was so lovely here in the moonlight. I'm glad we walked out here, Edward."

"It is pretty, isn't it? We should come back here in the spring. There are always wildflowers blooming out here. It would be a nice place to have a picnic together."

"That sounds really nice, Edward. I'm sure it's really beautiful, but that would be at least six months away." She was looking at me a little uncertainly.

"It took me three years to find you, Bella. I'm not letting you go anytime soon. We're coming back here in the spring. In fact, it's a date, so clear your calendar. How about we come back in May? That's eight months away." I thought for a moment. "We'll make it for the last Saturday in May. Put in on your calendar, in pen: Picnic in the meadow."

"I hope it's not raining," she giggled up at me as I took her hand and we started walking back to the house.

"I'll bring an umbrella," I promised.

"I'll pack the picnic basket," she volunteered.

"I'll bring the blanket and I'll carry the picnic basket that you pack." I was making a mental note.

"You're quite the gentleman." She smiled at me.

"It's all for you, love. I love you. I'd do anything for you, even act like a gentleman."

We followed the foot path carefully back home. The house was in darkness now; everyone must have gone off to bed by this time. It was after midnight. We went to the playroom doors and they were locked, so I led her around to the front door; also locked. We only had one option. I got the step ladder from the shed at the side of the house, propped it open by the high window to my bedroom to pop off the screen and open my window.

"It looks like you know what you're doing," she said, watching me as I worked.

I grinned down at her from my perch.

"Where there's a will, there's a way. And yes, I've done this before on several occasions."

"What is it with you and climbing in and out of windows?" she asked.

"What windows?" I asked her.

"This window, my dorm window, your dorm window, who knows what other windows!"

"Well, you've heard that saying, 'The eyes are the windows to the soul?'"

"Yes."

"Well, don't you think, 'The windows are the eyes to the soul?'"

"Edward," she giggled, "that makes no sense, whatsoever."

"So you _don't_ like my saying?"

"No, I can't see it gaining much popularity."

She was smiling up at me, shaking her head. I'll just bet she was thinking what a dork I was.

"But do you at least like me?" I asked her, giving her my best smile as I climbed through the window into my bedroom.

"Yes, I most certainly do."

"Well, that's the most important thing anyway. Wait by the playroom door; I'll go let you in."

A moment later I was waving at her through the playroom door. She stood there waiting and I just smiled at her.

Finally I heard her say, "Let me in, you silly boy!"

"What?" I mouthed through the glass at her, cupping my hand to my ear, like I couldn't hear or understand what she was saying.

I could hear her plainly through the glass when she answered.

"You know, if you don't let me in you'll be sleeping alone tonight."

_Good point!_

I quickly opened the door. "Bella, why didn't you say you wanted to come in?"

She punched me lightly in the shoulder. "Dork," she muttered.

_See? I was right._

"I'm afraid to go put the screen back on my window and put the ladder away; you might lock me out," I confessed to her.

"You're safe," she promised me. "I'm going to go get my iPod. Meet me back upstairs in the living room."

I looked at her, confused, but said, "Okay, give me a minute."

I went back to where the ladder stood, climbed up a few steps and replaced the screen. I could see her inside the room, looking through her things for her iPod. I climbed back down and put the ladder back in the shed around the side of the house. She hadn't locked me out. I went in through the playroom, locking up and climbed the stairs to the living room. It was dark. Everyone else had gone to bed. She had taken off the coat I had given her. I put it and the one that I had worn, back in the closet, and went to join her.

"What are we doing now?" I asked her.

"I don't want the memory of the first time we slow-danced together to be a memory of me crying all over you. So we're going to slow-dance to one more song. It's another song that's very special to me, also a Coldplay song and a little more uplifting so I won't cry on you."

I smiled at her. She could cry on me any time she needed to. I'd dry her tears or cry along with her, whichever the situation required. I'd done both tonight, I realized.

The music started up and I recognized "Green Eyes." I smiled and I pulled her tightly in to me as we started moving with the music.

Honey you are a rock  
Upon which I stand  
And I come here to talk  
I hope you understand

"This song is special to you?" I asked.

"Yes, it is, Green Eyes." She smiled up at me and I kissed her.

The green eyes  
Yeah the spotlight  
Shines upon you

And how could  
Anybody  
Deny you

I came here with a load  
And it feels so much lighter  
Now I've met you

"Now this _is_ a great song," I agreed, "but Chris Martin sings it wrong."

"He does?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"Yeah, listen." We danced in a tight circle as she listened.

Honey you should know  
That I could never go on  
Without you

Green eyes

"Did you hear it?" I asked.

"No, what are you talking about?"

"Listen; you'll hear it again." We kept dancing and I watched her closely; I couldn't keep from grinning.

Honey you are the sea  
Upon which I float  
And I came here to talk  
I think you should know

The green eyes

"Did you hear it?"

"No, what?"

"He says 'Green Eyes'; he should be singing 'Brown Eyes!'"

She laughed. "You think 'Brown Eyes,' I'll think 'Green Eyes' and we'll both be happy."

"We already are." I smiled broadly as the music swelled and I held her hand, pushing her away a little so I could twirl her, pulling her back then and getting into the upbeat tempo of the song, circling around the room with her.

You're the one that I wanted to find  
And anyone who tried to deny you,  
Must be out of their minds

'Cause I came here with a load  
And it feels so much lighter since I met you

She had such a big, happy smile on her face. I guess I did too. Bella and I both began singing to each other along with the music.

Honey you should know,  
That I could never go on  
Without you

I began singing "Brown eyes" while she tried to drown me out singing "Green eyes."

Green eyes, green eyes, ohohoh...

Honey you are a rock  
Upon which I stand.

As the song ended I pulled her back into me tightly, kissing her once again, and ending with a dip as a flourish. I was really into the dip-thing these days.

"Is that better?" I asked, as I straightened her back up.

"Much," she laughed. "See, Edward, you definitely are a fixer. My tears are gone and my happy is back."

"I fixed you, Brown Eyes?"

"Yes, you did, Green Eyes," she replied.

"Well, we've fixed each other, Brown Eyes."

She took her iPod out of the dock and took my hand, leading me toward the stairs. "Come on, Green Eyes, I have some unfinished business with you."

_Oh, Golly!_

When we got into my room, I locked the door behind us and turned to face her. She stood near the bed, in that patch of moonlight shining in the window, just looking up at me with a small smile on her face. As I looked at her, she began unbuttoning the buttons on her blouse, until she finally slid it down her arms and dropped it onto the floor. I had turned back into a mouth breather again by the time she was unbuttoning her pants, sliding them down, and stepping out of her shoes and pants, leaving them in a little pile on the floor.

I wanted to take a step toward her, but I was just really enjoying the heck out of the show, and I think I'd pretty much forgotten how to walk by that time. Her dark eyes never left mine as she reached around behind her and unhooked her lacey bra, letting it drift to the floor. I don't think I had moved a fraction of an inch since she began undressing.

When she slid her fingertips inside the band of her panties and slid them down, shimmying a little as she did so, I could no longer hold it in. I groaned, looking at her standing there, completely, gloriously, stunningly naked, wearing only the necklace I'd given her and a little smile on her lips.

I began ripping at my own clothes, pulling my shirt off over my head, forgetting that I had rolled the sleeves back down and had buttoned the cuffs earlier in the evening. I just yanked the hell out of those cuff fuckers, because they weren't going to hold me back, and they sure weren't going to slow me down. Buttons scattered across the floor. I toed off my shoes and pulled off my socks, and suddenly she was right there in front of me, looking at me with that lovely little smile on her face as she reached for the button and zipper on my jeans.

This was some serious shit, I decided.

The sound of my zipper unzipping is now high on my list of favorite sounds. I'd never really thought that before. I don't think it makes quite the same sound when you do your own unzipping, but I was so highly focused now, on what she was doing, that I just really enjoyed the hell out of that sound.

She bent down, sliding my jeans over my hips and down to the floor, where I stepped out of them and kicked them to the side. She stood back upright and moved closer in to me. I was still mostly just standing there, completely in awe. She lifted her hands to my face, cupping my jaw and pulling me to her lips. She kissed me softly, just so tenderly, and I finally moved to bring my hands up to her shoulders. As I held her, she pulled back, dropping her hands to slide down my neck and onto my shoulders. She flattened her hands and drew them downward over my chest, across my pecs. Her fingertips slid lightly over my nipples, over my abs until they came to the waistband of my boxers. She slowly slid her hand inside and I felt her…

_Oh, Jesus._

…grasp me for a moment…and begin stroking me slowly…

_Shit._

… before releasing me and sliding my boxers to my ankles.

"My Bella," I whispered, already feeling a little breathless just having her touch me like that. I was stepping out of my boxers, pulling her up to me, pulling her head up to mine to kiss her hard. I wanted to just consume her. How could I ever get enough of her?

"Lie down, Edward," she murmured, pressing me back gently toward the bed. Her body was barely brushing up against me. I felt the faintest touch of her breasts against my own chest and it was an electrical charge.

I felt the edge of the bed behind my knees. I sank down onto it, moving backwards, upwards toward the pillows. She was following my downward motion and joined me there on the bed, crawling on her hands and knees over my body.

It was the first time we had both been completely naked together and I wished I could just bottle up the essence of that moment. I swear I was hyper aware of every square inch of my skin that touched hers. She thrilled me. She felt electric, she smelled heavenly, and she tasted exquisite. She was so smooth and soft and sleek and I ached to experience every last inch of her.

I pulled her on top of me, pulling her upward, so that her face was directly above mine, her soft breasts pressed against my chest. She bent her mouth to mine and kissed me deeply, exploring languidly with her tongue, saying so much without saying a word.

"Bella," I breathed up at her when she pulled back, "you have no idea what you do to me; how you affect me."

She squirmed slightly against my erection.

_Oh, Lord…_

I sucked in a breath. It sounded more like a hiss

"I think I know," she murmured against my lips, and then she kissed me softly.

"Aside from the rather obvious physical aspect, I mean." I ran my hands down her spine to the small of her back, over the swell of her ass. "Everything about you draws me in—your face, your body, the things you say and do, even the way you smell. I'm completely under your spell."

"You have the same effect on me, Edward." She smiled up at me sweetly, tracing my lips with her fingertip. "You have no idea how you dazzle me."

She kissed me quite thoroughly then; her fingers wrapped in my hair. And then she was suddenly moving down along my body, kissing my neck, lingering over my Adam's apple, and then down to the base of my neck and collarbone and then my chest. I felt her lips brushing light kisses across my chest and then her mouth was on first one nipple, then the other, lips sucking, tongue circling…

_Holy hell!_

…teeth biting!

_God damn…_

Her hand moved between us, slowly sliding along my dick and then more firmly grasping and squeezing and stroking, pressing my erection against her body and then…

_Oh…shit!_

…moving down over me so that I was positioned in the valley between her breasts. She was kissing my stomach, my belly button, tracing designs with her tongue, and then moving lower still…her hand wrapped around me, sliding and stroking until...

_Her mouth…_

_Ah-h-h…fuck!_

This would be how I would totally lose my mind, because her mouth on me felt so fucking insane. So warm and so wet and it was…her _mouth_. I wanted to watch what she was doing to me, but I didn't think I could, I didn't trust myself. It would be too much; it would throw me over the edge and it would all be over too soon.

_And fu-uck…I didn't want it to stop…_

_So damn good…_

"Oh, love…so unbelievable…," I whispered barely coherent thoughts to her.

I knew I couldn't manage this for a very long time. I reached down, gathering her hair, moving it aside, touching her face, listening to the sounds we were both making. I felt her lips around me, moving on me, the strong tug as she sucked, her tongue sliding against me and over the top, repeating her mind-numbing actions.

My voice came out a groan. My thoughts came out a garbled mess.

"Fuck…that's just…Ohhh…"

I finally had to look down; I didn't want to miss what she was doing. I summoned the will to keep a lid on things for a few more moments and watched as she moved on me, her lips enveloping me, her hand grasping me, working in tandem with the movements of her mouth and tongue and…teeth…

And watching did me in. This truly was sensory overload.

I was ready to explode. I tried to pull her off me, to move her away before I came, but she pushed my hand away, not stopping what she was doing…

…_just…so…fucking…well_.

I fought that imminent burst back and I tried once more to let her know as I held on.

"Love, you've got to move… "

But she didn't. She reached her hand up to mine and threaded her fingers through mine, clenching our hands together.

There was something so incredibly intimate about her grasping my hand as she brought me to orgasm. Her hand clenching mine told me she wanted me to just follow her; to just let go and let her lead me. And so I did.

"Oh, Bella!"

I came violently.

"Fu-u-uck!"

I came un-fucking-un-done into her soft, warm mouth, groaning, thrashing, shivering and shuddering with the impact of my climax as it wracked through my body.

"Oh…Oh my God!"

I shuddered once more as the pulsing waves finally ebbed and I was left absolutely wrecked. Our hands were still locked together. I could barely move my arm to pull her up to me. I pulled her up and tucked her into my side and wrapped my heavy arm around her and couldn't say or do anything more. I was completely and thoroughly incapacitated and out of breath.

Bella lay there next to me, her warm hand on my chest. She could probably still feel my galloping heart beneath her palm. I managed to move a hand up to cover hers.

After a few long moments I was finally able to speak.

"Holy shit, love." I pulled her tightly against me for a moment, to emphasize what I was saying, but wishing I could control myself enough to swear a little less. "That was insane."

She smiled, leaning in and kissing my cheek. I turned my head and pulled her back to kiss her on the mouth.

_That _mouth.

_What an insanely fabulous mouth!_

I exhaled, closing my eyes and feeling completely at peace and thoroughly content and absolutely wiped out.

_I was completely trashed by that insanely fabulous mouth._

"I hope you didn't just break me after all the trouble you went through to fix me," I mumbled to her, smiling at the notion, not bothering to go to the effort of opening my eyes.

"Let's hope I don't have to start over with repair work," she softly said and I could hear the smile in her voice, even without looking at her. I felt her hand pat me lovingly.

She snuggled up against me more closely, her arm wrapped across my chest, her head tucked into my shoulder. I could feel the repetitive warm exhale of her breaths against me as we lay there. She lay quietly for a long while before she eventually spoke again.

"You know, Edward, for what it's worth, I know what you are like as a boyfriend… and if you were at all the beautiful boy for Tanya that you are for me…well, I'm sure she had some happy moments. I'm sure you gave her some light sprinkled amidst her darkness. I can't help but think you must have given her that."

I thought about that for a moment. Her words moved me.

And then I turned on my side, facing her, and gathered her into my arms and held her so tightly, placing a kiss in her hair, on the top of her head.

"I love you so much, Bella." I whispered to her ear.

"I love you, too, Edward. So much."

Her hand stretched up to cup my cheek as she relaxed against me. I loved the feel of her naked body against mine.

Together we drifted off to sleep.

I awoke in the middle of the night, thirsty and desperate for a drink, dehydrated after all of the champagne and beer I'd had all evening. I slipped quietly out of bed and pulled on my boxers, watching Bella to make sure I didn't awaken her. I crept silently out the door and up to the kitchen, grabbing a cold bottle of water from the refrigerator and downing half of it immediately. Just as I was shutting the door, I decided to grab one for Bella too. She might wake up thirsty as well, so I'd bring her a bottle of water, just in case.

When I returned to my bedroom, she was still lying there breathing softly, the covers all kicked off of her beautiful, naked form. She was curled up on her side, facing my side of the bed. I stripped off my boxers and then I just stood there looking down at the lovely girl that had completely changed my life in one month. I hadn't known what it felt like to care so much for someone that cared so much about me. I thought about what she'd said earlier, about me giving Tanya some happy moments before she had taken her life.

Bella's words had a profound effect on me. With all of the counseling and therapy I'd gone through nothing had ever quite touched me as much as what she'd said to me. Rationally and intellectually, I knew that I shouldn't feel guilt but in my heart there had always been a weight. But Bella does know me as a boyfriend. She's the only one on Earth who knows me that way. And I suppose I'm not quite so different now from the boy I was back then. Maybe she was right. Maybe I hadn't failed. Maybe I had given some small measure of happiness to someone who hadn't had much of it.

Bella was fixing me and maybe I was fixing her a little. I wanted to be the one she would come to when she needed fixing, I wanted to be her protector when she needed protecting, and I wanted to love her for as long as she would let me.

I slid carefully back into bed, into my place, next to my love.

**A/N: Parts of this chapter made me teary. Maybe I'm just sappy. Let me know what you thought. Reviews are my own personal brand of ecstasy.**


	49. It Was So Nice To See You

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: The Very Cullen Weekend _comes_ to a close. Quite literally. You won't find an actual lemon in this chapter, but there's a grapefruit, a lime and a cumquat. There's also a filter-free Edward that just really enjoys his blushing Bella.

Stephenie planted the seeds, I've tended the orchard, you're waiting on the resulting lemons. There will be resulting lemons. B & E aren't quite ripe enough yet, but they are getting very close.

Maybe 10 chapters to go until we're done. God I'll miss these characters! And all of you!

A Very Cullen Weekend Part Xlll

**Chapter 49: Nice to See You (Revised)**

**BPOV**

I woke up quite early in the morning needing to get up and go to the bathroom. It was still dark, not even quite dawn yet and I was disoriented in that first split second, not recognizing where I was for the briefest of moments. Then I realized that I was curled up into Edward's warmth in his big bed and a smile spread across my face as I remembered my very wonderful situation with my very wonderful young man.

I listened to the soft sound of his quiet breathing. I inhaled his scent and realized happily that the scent was mingled with a new scent. My own. When I had lain down in his bed on Friday night, alone and distressed at Edward's aloof behavior, I had smelled his scent lightly on his pillow. A clean, masculine soap scent. He had lain there while I'd taken the tour of the Cullens' house with Alice. Now our scents were meshed; commingled, much like our limbs that wrapped and draped around and across each other now, even in slumber.

But I still had to get up and get to the bathroom.

I moved slowly, trying to extricate myself without disturbing Edward. I gently pulled his arm from around me, sliding myself backward toward the edge of the bed. He made a little snoring sound, mumbled a bit and rolled over onto his back. I slid out of bed and paused, wondering what to put on so I could creep out into the hall to the bathroom. I certainly didn't want to be wandering around in the Cullens' home naked.

I spied Edward's shirt on the floor and I picked it up. He had pulled it off hastily over his head, dropping it inside out onto the floor. I turned it right side out and pulled it on over my head. The cuffs were missing their buttons, so they dangled loosely and far too long on my own arms. I rolled them up, noticing that the one cuff had torn a bit. Edward had been in an unrestrained hurry once I had stood there completely naked before him. I wondered if I could sew the buttons back on and repair the rip. And then I smiled to myself at wanting to fix something for him. We were each other's fixers, and happily, I didn't think there would ever be too much that needed fixing.

I smoothed Edward's shirt down over me. I was covered enough. I silently opened his door and crept into the hall bathroom. The house was still and quiet as I shut the door silently behind me.

When I returned to his room I noticed the water bottle standing on my nightstand. I hadn't put it there. I glanced over to his nightstand and saw a nearly empty bottle standing there. My thoughtful boy made me smile. I picked up the water he had brought me and drank a good portion of it, realizing that I was thirsty from all of the Asti and champagne I'd had last night.

I took his shirt off and was about to toss it back on the floor when I decided that I'd stuff the shirt into my bag and take it back to school with me so I could repair it. I picked up the three scattered buttons that I saw on the floor, putting them in a small pocket inside my bag, making a mental note to look for the other one in the morning.

I turned back to the bed, about to lie down but as I glanced at Edward I changed my mind. I decided I'd rather just sit and look at him, unobserved, for a few moments. I wouldn't often have the opportunity, and if he were awake, he would probably give me a hard time about ogling him and I would wind up feeling silly.

He had extreme bed head; honestly, probably the best bed head I'd ever laid eyes on. His face was smooth in sleep, completely relaxed and untroubled. There was a sensual arch to his lush eyebrows, which framed his closed eyes. A dark fringe of curling lashes brushed the tops of his cheeks. The line of his nose looked straight, but I knew that at a different angle the slight bump in his nose would be apparent. His sculptured lips were parted slightly. His beard had grown in over the course of the day and night since he had shaved last. It looked like it would feel rough, but I knew from experience that it was soft.

I looked at his long, strong neck and had the urge to lean in and kiss him there along the growth of beard that grew in over his Adam's apple. I admired the sculptural line of his collarbone and strong shoulders and then I looked down at his muscled arms and chest.

He was muscular yet lean; not overly pumped up or inflated, and I thought, as I had before, about how this was the way a male body should look. It actually was the way a male body looked in most classical statues. Edward would be an excellent model for a nude sculpture or painting; he would actually be better than any classical statue or painting.

Classical statues or paintings didn't have hair on their chests, did they? I loved the hair on Edward's chest. It wasn't excessive, but it wasn't too sparse. It was the right amount to remind you that you were dealing with someone quite masculine. It was exotically, erotically masculine. My fingers twitched with the urge to rake through the hairs over his chest and abdomen.

I looked where the hair was less scattered on his abdomen. It was more centrally located, a line, an arrow, pointing due south to the promised land. It beckoned to me. I glanced up at his sleeping face and bit my lip as I reached a hand forward and slowly and carefully drew back the sheet. The muscular cuts, the V, that ran down from his abdomen inside his hips to his groin were less defined as he lay on his back and his muscles were relaxed. I'd seen them on several occasions, when his shirt was off and his pants were hanging low on his hips. They were one of my favorite parts about Edward's body, I'd decided. There were actually so many favorite parts; there were really very few parts that weren't my favorites.

I pulled the sheet back farther; my eyes traveled the happy trail, following the arrow that pointed the way, looking at another favorite part. It was much less imposing than it had been earlier in the night. Much less imposing than normal. I smiled, thinking about how 'normal' for Edward, these days, seemed to be an aroused state. I blushed, pleased, knowing that I had everything to do with that. Now, though, that particular body part was flaccid, nestled unaware and slumbering in the soft cloud of curling hair at the juncture of his legs.

Edward's muscular legs were sleek and long and lean; a swimmer's legs, runner's legs. They were not overly hairy and were well-formed. From head to toe, Edward was physical perfection. The slight scar that he had on the underside of his chin was the only mar on his otherwise perfect body.

My eyes traveled quickly back up his body, to his sleeping face. His eyes remained closed, his breathing steady, but he began to stir slightly. I pulled the sheet back up slowly, draping it carefully over his body, tucking away the masculine beauty that I had admired as he slept.

"Mmm," his voice was low and he mumbled as his eyes opened, "You okay?"

"Yeah," I whispered back. "I had to get up to pee. Thank you for the water."

I reached back over to the nightstand, uncapped the bottle of water and took one more drink before slipping back down under the sheet and pulling up the blanket. I curled back up next to him, gently laying my arm across his chest, my hand over his heart. He was quiet and lay still but his hand moved to cover mine in response. I closed my eyes to go back to sleep, listening to his soft, even breathing.

Just as I was relaxing he spoke again in that low, velvety voice.

"So…did you see anything you liked?"

_Ohmygod! _

_Oh._

_My._

_God._

_Shit! _

_Really?_

I lay there, frozen, disbelieving and mortified, with my head next to his on the pillow. I refused to open my eyes. Maybe if I couldn't see him, he couldn't see me. I felt the furious heat of my blush and wondered if he suddenly felt how hot the room had become due to my extreme embarrassment.

After a moment I became aware that the bed was shaking slightly. I realized that it was the movement of him trying to silently contain his laughter. So he knew I was dying of embarrassment, probably felt the heat of my blush, and thought it was funny.

_Ohmygod! Edward!_

I pushed up to get away from him, my hand pressing against the spot on his chest where it had lain. I was about to remove my hand from his chest when he grabbed my wrist, opening his eyes and looking over and up at me with a wicked smile on his lips.

"Bella, don't pull away! Stay here, love! It's alright; you did nothing wrong. Don't be embarrassed." He chuckled softly as he kissed the inside of the wrist that still lay clasped within his hand.

I was still trying to pull against his hand, which was still holding me tightly, keeping me captive in a vise grip. He leaned upwards, coming closer to me, his free arm wrapping around beneath me as he twisted toward me. His smiling face was right next to mine, and then it was above mine as he shifted, his hand letting go of my wrist and traveling up to my shoulder. His body hovered over mine now, leaning on his elbows.

He grinned crookedly at me. "It's okay, love… I liked it. It was kind of…hot...in a sneaky way. Bella, listen," he begged, "I did the same thing when I got up to get us water." He looked sheepish at his own confession, but then he was also looking at me tenderly. My mouth dropped open in surprise.

"You did?" I asked incredulously.

He nodded. "I couldn't help myself anymore than you could." His lips curled at the corners. "I came back in here and you had kicked off all of the covers and were lying here exposed in all your naked glory." He paused and smiled fondly at me, leaning down and planting a soft kiss above my breast. "I stood next to the bed, looking down at you, thinking how lovely you are. I wanted to look, too."

"At least I didn't embarrass the wits out of you!" I covered my face with my hands, still somewhat unwilling to make eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, sweetly. "That really wasn't very nice of me. I couldn't resist, though. Don't be upset. Will you forgive me?"

I moved my hands away from my eyes to the sides of my cheeks. "Such an ass!" I said in dismay, gazing up at him.

"Mine?" He snickered. "I didn't think you saw my ass. Would you like to? I could roll over, if you wish."

"_You're_ the ass!" I sputtered, gripping his shoulders with my hands and feeling my laughter bubbling up within me. "I'm not talking about your _ass, a_lthough maybe it needs a sound spanking!"

I pulled my arms down within his arms, deciding abruptly to punish him by tickling his ribs. He collapsed down on top of me immediately, ticklish and laughing, trying not to squash me as he rolled to and fro, trying to grab my hands and wrists. He finally managed to capture my wrists, transferring both of them to one hand held above my head. He was leaning on that elbow, slightly sideways, avoiding squashing me. His eyes glinted at me, his lips curved up dangerously. I could feel his arousal now, pressed up against my thigh. He looked incredibly sexy with that shock of coppery bronze hair hanging over his forehead and into his excited face.

"Are you sure you want to be tickling me, love? Because I know you're ticklish and I know I can overpower you. I don't think you've thought this whole thing through very clearly. And now, look, you no longer have the use of your hands. But look," he moved his other hand in front of my face, running a long finger lightly down the length of my nose and then wiggling his fingers a little," I still have the use of one of my hands."

I gasped and shivered at the threat in his voice.

He brought the hand down, close to my ribs, but not quite touching them, and I was already giggling and trying to jerk to the side, out of his reach. I was whimpering, anticipating the onslaught of his long fingers. His dark eyes were boring into mine as he finally brought his still fingers to my side and made contact with my skin as I flinched. I waited, on edge, but he kept his fingers still, prolonging my agony.

"So you've thought better about tickling me?" he asked.

I tipped my head up slightly, trying to glimpse my hands where he still held them captive over my head.

"Yes," I whimpered, "I don't think I have much of a choice, anyway."

"No, you don't, do you? But I do!"

With that, he began tickling me furiously and I shrieked with laughter, writhing under him, trying, to no avail, to get away from him and those incessant fingers. He was laughing too, almost darkly.

I think he realized that I was a little loud for this early morning hour, because he suddenly stopped tickling, bringing that hand up to my mouth, shushing me and covering my mouth with his hand, laughing quietly.

I calmed and quieted and looked into his pitch black eyes as he released my wrists and mouth and brought his lips to mine, kissing me gently and then more forcefully. Our kiss turned into something almost ravenous. I brought my hands to his cheeks, holding his mouth more closely to mine as our tongues entwined and danced.

When we finally broke off that kiss, he pressed his forehead to mine.

"Bella, you can look anytime you want. Okay?" His eyes sparkled in the near-darkness.

I closed my eyes, still feeling foolish.

"Bella, look at me," he said quietly but determinedly.

I opened my eyes to his lovely face hovering above mine.

"Do you find me attractive?" he asked.

_Is he crazy? Of course I find him attractive! Physical perfection is a definite turn on!_

"Well, of course. I mean, look at you. How could I not find you attractive? You're like the perfect male specimen." I told him, feeling a little irritated with him and embarrassed for myself and my admission.

"But doesn't it make you feel kind of uncomfortable if I tell you that? I mean, you told me that women were always coming on to you and it made you feel uncomfortable because you see yourself as just some average guy…" My voice kind of dwindled away as my thoughts rambled.

He laughed. "Of course it makes me feel uncomfortable if random women ogle me and hit on me, solely because they think I'm attractive. They don't know the first thing about me; who I am or what I'm like. They know nothing about my personality. They don't care about _me._ But you know a lot about me, and I want you to know more and I want to know everything about you. I'd like to think that _you_ find me attractive. I certainly want to appeal to _you_, Bella."

"Well, Edward, of course I think you're attractive. I think everything about you is attractive. Inside and out."

He smiled a wide, innocent smile at me. "So, it makes me feel good to know that coming from you, because of what you mean to me. And so it's okay for you to want to look. I didn't mean to embarrass you so badly. And _I_ want to look at _you_ because I find _you_ very attractive. _All _of you. Inside and out. You're a beautiful girl, Bella."

I rolled my eyes, a little unconvinced, wondering what he saw in me that he found so attractive. "You're sweet to say that Edward, but you have a rather biased opinion. I think I'm really fairly ordinary."

He smiled tenderly at me, his hand cupping my cheek, his thumb gently running across my cheekbone. "Trust me on this, Bella—you are the opposite of 'fairly ordinary'. You don't see yourself very clearly. You don't think you're beautiful, but you are. Others see you that way. You didn't overhear the guys in my suite talking about you those first few days in the dorm. And I saw exactly what they saw too," he murmured "even before I got to know you. _Bella...y_our name is very apt."

He kissed my forehead and looked at the pillow where it surrounded my face. "You have lovely, soft, silky, curly, long hair and I like the surprise of it when you straighten it." He looked at my face. "Your face is beautiful; your chocolate brown eyes have so much depth to them, you have an awfully cute upturned nose, and a very kissable mouth."

He bent to show me just how kissable my mouth was. He lingered and I felt myself begin to overheat beneath his insistent lips.

He moved downward, sliding backward. "Your skin is so smooth and soft and flawless." He kissed along my collarbone, and lower, along the rise of my chest. "Your breasts are perfect. They look, feel and taste perfectly perfect." His voice had become softer, deeper, huskier. My breath caught in my throat and became more labored.

He bent to one breast, kissing and then sucking, his tongue teasing the nipple, kissing and sucking again and then moving languidly to the other breast, repeating his actions several times on each breast as I arched my back into him and gasped underneath him. I could so easily come undone just from the sensation of him teasing my breasts with his mouth.

His kisses traveled down between my breasts as he moved backwards, sliding down farther on his bed. "You have a beautiful body and I like that it is for me, alone, to see and touch and taste." He kissed and licked his way down my stomach, and then he kissed my hips and trailed a slow circle there with his tongue over my jutting hipbones. It was a delicious, sensuous, almost-but-not-quite tickle. My hands reached out to his hair, my fingers wrapping in his wild locks.

He moved slightly farther down until he was right…_there_.

"I love your scent," he breathed. "You smell of honeysuckle and orange. I can smell that you want me the way I want you, love." His voice was a whisper. His nose slid along the tops of my thighs, his lips kissing the neatly trimmed apex of my thighs, once again a near tickle, but not quite. He pressed a feather-soft kiss to the tiny bundle of nerves at my core. "I loved how you felt today when I touched you here and felt you inside. You were so inviting; you were so soft and wet and warm for me."

I couldn't contain my whimper at his words and the knowledge that his mouth was right _there_. I felt myself writhing, wanting the feeling of his lips, his mouth on me. It was an almost painful need. And then…his soft, gentle kisses were right there at my core; a slow, wistful tenderness.

_Oh my. Oh…my. Oh…_

"You are mine, Bella." I felt his lips kissing, his tongue tasting and tracing. Slow, lazy licks, gradually becoming more focused as he became attuned to my reactions. My fingers raked through his silky, wild hair, holding him where I needed him most.

_So...good. Oh...that's justsogood!_

His soft lips were kissing and sucking. I felt a finger tentatively seeking, finding, slowly, achingly slowly, pressing into me and then withdrawing. Slowly repeating his actions as I moved myself against his hand, in opposition to his movements.

I realized that I was gasping; moaning at the sensation, trying to speed things up.

"Ohh… Edward," I groaned, wrapping my fingers into his hair more tightly.

He pushed a hand gently against my thigh, opening me up to him more. I felt his soft, warm tongue replacing his finger, felt his hand on my thigh, squeezing the soft flesh of my inner thigh. His hand slid under my behind, grasping the cheek of my ass in his hand, burying his tongue farther into me. He shifted, pushing my other thigh up now. I felt his hand slide under the other ass cheek, grasping me, lifting my hips slightly. His lips and tongue finding, feasting on…

_the…_

_exact…_

_spot._

_Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck!_

The angle of his mouth on me was more than I could bear. He moved one of his hands, wrapping his arm underneath and around my thigh, holding me tightly. My writhing and thrashing somewhat stilled suddenly and all I could do was to just absorb the sensations of his lips and tongue. The grasp of his other hand relaxed and his hand slid back down between my legs. I felt a fingertip…and then a finger seeking and finding…replaced by two fingertips and then two long fingers…

filling me…moving in time with his tongue, licking…sucking…plunging…

and suddenly I was straining as he plunged into me, still kissing, sucking…until…

"Oh, baby…" I whimpered…"Oh God…"

My breath hitched as I felt that sensation, deep in my belly, billowing up through me.

"Edward!…Oh my God! Oh, Edward!"

I felt wave after wave as he continued moving on me and in me. It just went on and on as he gripped me, holding me into him as I continued shaking. Until I was finally spent. I could feel my muscles twitching. It seemed like I could feel my nerve synapses firing. My legs stretched back down on the bed, flopping into place, weak and exhausted.

He kissed me once more, _there_, and moved his body up, taking me in his arms and crushing me to him. I weakly wrapped my arms around him, breathing him in. Breathing in my scent on him. Breathing in the scent that was a blend of the two of us.

"Edward…that was…that was amazing. Jeez, I can still feel little sparks going off in my legs and stomach."

He smiled down at me, nuzzling against me. "I love you, Bella." He kissed my temple and my forehead as I fought to breathe and catch my breath. His mouth came down to mine, kissing me gently. "You're everything, love." I felt his warm breaths on my skin.

"I love you, too, Edward," I managed weakly.

He pulled me tightly against him, rolling us on our sides. I could feel his warm breath in my hair, and the occasional kiss on my forehead and temple. My arm wrapped back across his chest and I snuggled against him, my head on his shoulder, exhausted and happy and loved.

And I felt absolutely..._beautiful_.

His arm reached down and yanked up the sheet and blanket, straightening them out, making sure that I was covered and warm.

We must have both drifted off to sleep again then, because the next thing I knew, sunlight was streaming in through the window and there was a quiet knocking at the door. Edward moved slightly, but then he relaxed back against me and began to doze off again.

Again the quiet knocking at the door.

"Edward!" I said quietly, shaking him gently to awaken him. "Someone's knocking on your door."

His eyes flew open, disoriented for a split second, then he turned and looked at me. "What?" he asked, realizing that I had spoken to him.

"Someone's at the door." I whispered.

The knocking again, this time a little louder.

"What?" Edward called out.

"Edward?" It was Alice's voice. "It's nearly ten o'clock; Mom's making pancakes for everyone. Breakfast is at eleven o'clock." It was Alice's voice. "Are you guys awake?"

Edward looked over and grimaced at me, then called out to her. "Yeah, Alice, we're awake now. We'll be upstairs in a while."

He exhaled and rolled over onto his stomach, bunching the pillow under his head as he turned to look at me. I reached over and brushed the hair away from his bright sea-green eyes.

"Family tradition," he explained, gazing at me. "My mom always sends us back to school with a pancake breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, and sausage or bacon."

I smiled and raised my eyebrows. "Yum. I really like how your parents run this place."

His lip curled up at the corner with his smile. He reached over and smoothed my hair away from my face, as I had done for him, and then he just lay there looking at me for a moment.

"I'm so glad you came here with me this weekend, Bella. It's been so much fun having you here with me, despite the awful start I put us through. I know my folks were glad to meet you and they both really like you." He smiled at me, obviously pleased. "I'm glad I got to bring you for 'show and tell.'" He smiled shyly.

"I'm so glad I came here too," I told him with a big smile. "Thank you for inviting me. I loved the chance to meet your parents. They are both so sweet and your whole family is just so much fun to be around. I'm really going to miss this atmosphere when we get back to the dorm today. This was a little like being on our own little island with a select few other islanders."

"It'll be kind of sad, won't it?" Edward asked me. "I don't know if I would call this atmosphere 'idyllic', but I think we'll both miss it. The past day and a half it was like we were in a bubble, completely removed from any kind of responsibility."

"I'm going to miss being able to sleep with you at night," I told him seriously, reaching out a hand and laying it against his cheek. "Just when I thought it was nice to go to sleep wearing a T-shirt that smelled like you, I find out that it's even nicer to go to sleep with _a you_ that smells like you."

He smiled at me a little wistfully. "Yeah, this has been perfect. But you know, with Alice and you being roommates and then Jasper and I being roommates, we can swap and spend the night sometimes. Heck, last year I'd get booted out of my room and have to sleep in the suite sitting room. At least this year, I've got somewhere better to go and welcoming arms when I get there." He grinned at me.

"Yes, you do, most definitely." I told him. I scooted across the distance until I had him in my welcoming arms and I felt his warm, naked body against mine.

_His warm, naked, rather aroused body._

Within minutes Edward and I were locked together at the lips, our hands and fingers searching out and seeking to abate each other's need. We'd begun kissing slowly but it rapidly became a near frenzy. I think we both realized that this was our last opportunity to be together on this lovely weekend retreat, where we'd had the chance to begin to really discover each other.

My hand was wrapped around Edward's hard and straining erection, moving on him as his fingers explored and thrust into me. I slowed my strokes on him down a bit until my own impending climax began to catch up, until finally we were at the same point, falling together. Kissing and groaning quietly into each other's mouths, we came, the sparks shooting through my body as I felt him heavy and twitching in my hand, spurting warm cum.

We lay there together, gasping, breathing shakily, hearts pounding.

"Fuck," Edward exhaled quietly in a raspy breath as he lay there next to me for a bit. He rolled onto his back, lying there for a second or two before moving further, dragging the sheet upwards with a foot, until he was able to reach the edge of it and began using it to wipe at my hand, his stomach, my stomach and then the bed between us.

"Christ Almighty, Bella," he breathed, still somewhat raggedly, "where does it all come from?" He peeked down at me as though the sticky mess was somehow my fault.

_And I'll proudly admit that it was._

"I guess I bring out the best in you?" I shyly asked him with a little grin.

I watched his wide-eyed expression of surprise morph into a big smile as he burst out laughing while I giggled.

"I guess so," he agreed. "You know, I don't remember what I _used to do_ in my spare time. It wasn't this. And now I have to do loads of laundry before we go back. Usually I just leave my dirty clothes here, take a few other clean things back to school with me. I can't leave my poor mother with all this…this evidence."

I picked up the pillow and covered my hot pink, blushing face. It didn't matter; he laughed wickedly, burrowing his head underneath the pillow until his lips were right near my ear.

"Let's see, I've got to wash my cum-stained pajama pants, my cum-stained boxers, my cum-stained sheets…"

"Edward!" I groaned at him, pressing the pillow tighter against my face and around my ears.

"It's all your fault, love." He nestled in closer, his voice deeper and lower, more seductive. I couldn't see his smirk, but I sure as hell heard it in his voice. "I just pretty much spent the entire weekend ejaculating."

"Oh. My. God!" I shrieked at him, suddenly flinging the pillow at him, pounding him with it repeatedly as he laughed and smiled his wicked smile, trying to evade my onslaught.

He finally grabbed the pillow, yanking it out of my hands and smirking at me. "Sorry, love. I'm just telling it like it is. I think I've lost a few brain cells and I no longer have any kind of a filter. I'll try to behave now. But I want you to know…it was a good weekend for me."

My face was in my hands as I shook my head in horror.

I finally looked back up at his naughty face. "Okay, Edward. We're done with that conversation. I'm sorry I helped steer it in that direction. I've got to take a quick shower before breakfast. Do you have to take one too?"

"Are you inviting me along?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and raising an eyebrow.

"No way in hell! I'm actually planning on locking the door to keep you and your rude-boy thoughts and comments out."

He pouted at me playfully and then he shrugged in defeat. "Yeah, I'll hop in the shower once you're out."

I sighed in relief, glad that the conversation was moving on. I pulled on one of Edward's T-shirts before I grabbed some underwear, blue jeans and a brown sweater and ducked out the door.

I showered quickly, thinking about my irrepressibly rude, silly, funny, cute, sweet, understanding, thoughtful, loving, sexy boyfriend. He really was everything to me. I smiled to myself because he really did just tell it like it was. And I had played a big part in the way he spent his weekend. And I had liked those parts of our weekend as well. They had been…uplifting…for the both of us. He was just being honest.

_And he had no sense of propriety! The decorum had flown right out the window!_

But I didn't think he was really like that with anyone else. I kind of got the feeling that he was just _all of him_ with me. And I really did love all of him, even the quirky, ridiculous aspects that seemed to bubble up to the surface every now and then. I think it just meant that he was that comfortable with me. And it meant that his mind was just a little bit twisted. I smirked to myself as I got dressed.

When I got back into Edward's room, the bedding had been stripped off of the bed and his laundry basket had disappeared.

He came back into his room a moment later, as I was brushing out my damp hair.

His eyes looked cautiously at me as he came up behind me.

"I'm sorry love. I kind of went overboard. I can't believe I said what I said."

I smiled in the mirror at him. "You're forgiven. And you were just stating facts. You're just comfortable around me, I guess." I rolled my eyes at him.

He smiled sheepishly in return. "I am. But I'm on my best behavior now. I can control myself. I'm going to go shower. I'll be right back."

True to his words, he was back in just a few minutes wearing a black v-neck T-shirt and a pair of fairly worn blue jeans. He sat on the bed next to me to put on his socks and shoes, as I did the same with mine. His hair was damp and he hadn't bothered to shave, so his beard was continuing to grow in. He was just another lovely variation on his usual delicious self.

'Come on," he said then "we'd better get up and go get our pancakes before they're just a vague memory on Emmett's lips." He leaned over and kissed me lightly before pushing himself up and off the bed and turning to pull me up.

Esme and Carlisle were in the kitchen talking with Alice and Jasper when Edward and I walked in from downstairs. At nearly the same time, Emmett and Rose appeared from upstairs. We instantly began lamenting the fact that we had to get back to the reality of school today. We all had schoolwork that we had put off over the weekend, especially me.

I had done nothing since Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday night Edward and I had gone out on our date, and then I had skipped classes on both Thursday and Friday to go home because of Jake's and Billy's accident. I had to go online and get notes for classes and assignments that I'd missed. I knew that I had quite a bit of reading to catch up on. It was a daunting amount of work to get done and some of it was due tomorrow morning. Some of it I could begin on the long car ride back to Seattle.

I poured Edward and myself each a cup of coffee, adding cream to both and sugar to mine. I handed him his cup and he handed me a plate loaded with Esme's blueberry pancakes, eggs and sausage.

We all sat at the dining room table but we didn't linger too long over breakfast. We had to still clean up and pack up, and it would be another several hours in the car until we got back to school.

I went with Edward as he returned to the laundry room off of the garage, putting the sheets and our clothes into the dryer. Thank goodness Esme had invested in the larger sized washer and dryer. At first I assumed that everything had fit into one big load, but then I noticed that Edward had left several of his clothing items unwashed in his laundry basket, just nothing that would have been…incriminating.

"Yeah, um, I can leave my other things behind and take different things back with me. I figured we didn't really have time to do two loads, so I just washed your things and the uh…important stuff."

I just nodded and rolled my eyes so he would know he didn't need to elaborate.

I returned to Edward's bedroom, searching for and finding the missing button for the cuff of his shirt and putting it into my bag with the shirt and other cuff buttons. He hadn't mentioned the shirt and I wondered if he'd forgotten about it. I could surprise him with the repairs back at school during the week.

Edward came back inside his room and we packed up the rest of our things as we waited for the dryer to finish. I helped him make his bed with a second set of sheets. Together we had done laundry and made the bed, we'd also grocery shopped and baked a cake this weekend. It was odd doing so many domestic things with Edward, but I thoroughly enjoyed doing them, it all seemed comfortable, and I thought he seemed to feel the same way.

When the laundry was finally done in the dryer, we folded the spare sheets and Edward put them away. We packed up the rest of our belongings and took our bags outside to put them in Edward's car.

Esme and Carlisle were standing out on the driveway in front of the house, between Edward's Volvo and Alice's Porsche. They were chatting and saying their goodbyes to Alice, Jasper and Rose. Emmett and Rose had come with Alice and Jasper. They would be returning the same way. As they packed their things into the Porsche, Edward and I piled our things into the trunk of his Volvo.

I wondered at the baseball bat and bucket of balls that Edward had in the trunk of his car.

He snorted a laugh. "Well, you know, it's the American pastime, right? Everyone should keep a bat and bucket of balls in the trunk of their car."

I just looked at him, confused.

"Anger management," a knowing voice behind me said.

I turned to see Emmett, grinning at me and then shifting his dimples toward his brother.

"What?" I asked, confused, but unable to avoid grinning back at Emmett.

"Mr. Grumpy Pants here occasionally likes to go bang a few balls just to get his aggressions out. He just finds an empty schoolyard or baseball field or park, smacks the hell out of the bucketful, then he walks around, collecting them all and then he's all better. Anger management."

"It's better for the family than if I smack the hell out of Emmett with a baseball bat," Edward cheerfully said.

"Oh, I see." I laughed. "Does it really help?"

"Oh, sure. It lets you get your anger out and under control, you're out in the fresh air and the sunshine, and it's time-consuming and sort of calming that way. But I haven't felt the need to do it for a while, so it's just all been sitting in here." He gestured toward the trunk. "Maybe I should just leave it at home. I probably don't need it."

"Nah, keep them in there," Emmett suggested. "Maybe we could throw the gloves in there too? You know, we could play Over-the-Line back at school sometime. Do you think you'd be up for that?"

Edward shrugged. "Sure, okay." He and Emmett walked into the garage and came back out with several baseball gloves and another bat.

"You ever play ball?" Edward asked me. It was apparent that he was biting his lip. Seriously, it looked like he could barely keep from giggling, knowing what a klutz I am.

"Thanks a lot, Edward. You're so sure I suck, aren't you? You think I can't play?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "You really can play?"

I gave him a smug expression. Then I burst out laughing when I could no longer hold it in.

"No, I suck!"

"That's my girl!" he laughed, wrapping his arms around me and planting a kiss on the top of my head. "That's okay, Alice stinks and we let her play."

"I heard that!" Alice's voice called out from the other side of her car. "Wait until I get my hands on that baseball bat, Edward! You're a dead man!"

We all burst out laughing at that exchange.

Everyone said their goodbyes to Esme and Carlisle. Esme thanked us all once more for the birthday celebration, dinner and gifts. She hugged me and Edward simultaneously, telling us to come back any weekend, and that she and Carlisle really enjoyed the chance to meet me.

"I hope we're going to see a lot more of you, Bella," Carlisle told me, smiling warmly. "Know that you're very welcome here at our home anytime."

Edward gave his mom a quick peck on the cheek and gave his dad a quick guy's hug. Then he and I climbed into the Volvo and drove off, following Alice, waving goodbye to the Cullens.

Edward reached over and took my hand in his, pulling it over to rest on his leg as he drove.

"They're totally smitten with you, you know. I think my mom wants us to double date with her and my dad." He smiled over at me.

"Well, the feeling's mutual; I'm crushing on your parents."

He tipped his head back and laughed. "And here I thought you and I had something special. Now I find out it was just a ploy to get to my parents."

Edward drove a little more slowly than usual on the return trip to school. I think he, like I, did not want to see the weekend at his parents' home come to a close. It had flown by so quickly. We had been brought together so much more closely.

Really, I felt that our relationship and indeed our love had grown in leaps and bounds.

**A/N: So many important things to contemplate. Pick one and write a review ;) :**

**Bella the Sneaky Peeker, caught in the act by Edward the Observer**

**Everything Edward loves about Bella, including The Unraveling of Miss B.**

**A special load of laundry or "How Edward Spent His Weekend"**

**A Very Cullen Send Off**

**"The American Pastime" and why Edward carries a bat and balls in the Volvo**


	50. In Sickness and in WHAT?

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Where the heck did you go last chapter? Quite a few less reviews. Don't make me think that there was too much smut. I thought you guys liked smut. Oh, and story, too. Maybe you were just depressed because the Very Long Cullen Weekend finally ended. ;)

I'm not her. This isn't it. I wouldn't do that infringing thing.

Back to reality. Or a reality...a new reality. And dear, dear Edward...we thought you drew the line. Guess not.

Fasten your seatbelt. Big surprise ahead.

**Chapter 50: In Sickness and in WHAT? (Revised)**

**EPOV**

The drive back to school in Seattle really was depressing in a way. I was reluctant to face the responsibility of school. Even though I'd already established a routine, I had just really loved my total lack of routine this past weekend. My only responsibility these past two days had been to bake a cake with Bella for my mom's birthday.

I had just loved every minute of the weekend that I had spent with Bella; well, except maybe for that six or seven hour span where I thought she'd dumped me for her ex-boyfriend, The Hulk, and I became a non-verbal basket case. Those were six or seven hours I'd like to have back to do over, but that was pretty much not going to happen unless I built us a time machine. But the past day and a half had been absolutely glorious.

We had talked things out Friday night and it had brought us closer. So much so, that Bella and I had wound up in bed together just because well, fuck me- I smelled like _me_. Big surprise there. Well, I know there was more to it than that. We had talked about our feelings and our pasts and laid my fears about losing Bella to rest, and it was just such a relief to move forward. My stupidity had given way to partial nudity. What an amazing turn around.

Saturday morning was a funfest of pool time at the pool house. Bella in a bathing suit. Bella in half of her bathing suit. And then me, out of my bathing suit. All in all, a fabulous progression of events! And the day just kept getting better.

I'd never really enjoyed grocery shopping and cooking very much before, but having Bella by my side just made the whole experience entertaining. Even running into the somewhat disturbing Mrs. Cope had been more amusing than unnerving. And baking that goddamned cake wasn't so terrible; it was just a continually exasperating interruption. But I did manage to get a semi-naked Bella behind my closed and locked door before dinner.

The dinner itself had been outstanding. The food was terrific, the family antics were hilarious, and I was just so happy that I had Bella there to share it all. I was no longer the odd man out; even though I hadn't realized before just how lonely I had felt. "Then," compared to "now;" the difference was really night and day.

And Bella seemed to just enjoy every minute of time she spent with my family. It made me think about her family situation—being an only child, shuttled back and forth between divorced parents. I'm sure her childhood had left her feeling lonely at times. It was probably part of the reason she had turned into such a bookworm growing up. It felt good to know that I was kind of providing her with some normal family connections. If you could honestly call my family normal. But I truly think she felt right at home. At least I hoped so.

I felt bad that Bella had gotten so upset about my gloomy past when we were slow dancing. But I knew it was simply indicative of how much she cared about me. It gave us the opportunity to get even closer, talking about our pasts and what had led us to each other. It was nice sharing thoughts on how things had happened and developed between us.

I hated that we now had to get back to the reality of school. The only positive was that our reality had changed. I hadn't even known that she loved me until after she'd left Thursday morning and texted me, though I'd known that I loved her before that…I'd just been too hesitant to mention it to her. So much had happened between me and Bella in the past two days; it seemed amazing to me how far we'd come in such a short time. In real time it had only been four days since our first date, but in that kind of internal time, the one that you carry in your heart, I felt like I'd known Bella forever. I'd never felt so in tune with another human being as I felt with her.

I knew Bella had a lot of catching up on schoolwork to do this week, especially because she'd had to go to Forks on Thursday. I knew that she hadn't done any schoolwork since Wednesday, maybe actually even Tuesday, since Wednesday afternoon had been devoted to pre-date activities and Wednesday night was our big night out. I knew she took her studies seriously, so I already knew this week would be kind of a dry spell for us. She would be buried under a mountain of catch-up work and I would be the last priority.

She'd had good intentions of tackling some work this weekend, but she'd never even opened her laptop, except when she was looking up her cake recipe. And really, how academic is a Two-Layer Chocolate Bastard Cockblocker Cake? I wondered now if there was some way I could help her, so she wouldn't be so bogged down. I know that sounds chivalrous, but in reality, I just wanted to be able to spend as much time with her as possible whenever she could fit it in, so if I could help her get through some assignments, somehow, it just meant a little more Bella and Me Time.

I was all about the Bella and Me Time now. That was my big priority.

My mind started thinking along the lines of working hard during the week, maybe even getting a jump on the following week so that weekends could just be ours. Maybe we could go places, spend the night away, do stuff together—and not just the obvious sexual stuff.

I felt like I really got to know her better this weekend, even though there was constant commotion and non-stop interruptions and several ridiculous, yet well-meaning siblings and companions. This weekend had only temporarily slaked the thirst I had to be with her, and now I was just thirsty for more. The big problem was the drought ahead.

I wanted to spend more time alone with her. There was just so much I wanted to do with her and experience with her. We had had some great talks and of course there were also the sexy adventures and explorations. I would definitely like more of all of those with her.

We hadn't actually made love yet, and I had been hoping we would, but I wanted to let her kind of drive our physical relationship. I was willing to do whatever she felt comfortable with, and I didn't want to push her or rush her. I knew she'd only had one relationship before ours, and I guess it had been a fairly solid relationship, much as I hated to admit that.

I knew she wasn't the sort of girl to just jump in bed with the guy of the moment. I knew she was the kind of girl who wouldn't make that kind of physical commitment unless she felt like the relationship would last. And I had a feeling that she was a little leery because the one relationship that she had had, hadn't lasted beyond her moving away to school.

She seemed a lot happier than when she had first started at school and I felt pretty sure that I had a lot to do with that. We got along so well, but this was all still so new and I realized she might feel just a bit apprehensive. Sometimes, when you're so busy admiring something new, you don't notice its flaws.

I'd like to think we didn't have many flaws or wrinkles to iron out, but then again, this was still so new, maybe we just hadn't noticed any wrinkles yet. Hopefully there wouldn't be any problems, but that seemed kind of unrealistic. Working through any kind of problem that cropped up would be the true test.

It had only been two weeks since Bella broke up with Jake. The break-up had been hard on her. She's such a good, kind-hearted person, I think she felt dreadful about being the one to instigate the break-up. But I think she also realized she couldn't stay in that relationship; it would have been a lie. And I had promised her that we would go slowly. The problem was this thing between us just ignited so quickly; really it was almost like a flash fire. Have you ever heard of a slow flash fire? Me neither.

I knew I couldn't go backwards or slow things down; it wouldn't feel right. And being in the bubble of a weekend away, spending so much real quality time together in a fun and relaxed environment, just made things that much easier between us. I hadn't planned on getting involved with anyone, of course, but now that I had Bella and had experienced so much happiness, well, I would have made love to her in an instant. It could only have been a good thing, I think. But I could wait. I wanted it to be a good thing, the right thing, for her when she was ready.

I had already been pretty sure she would feel weird about having sex in my parents' home, especially for our first time, and with all those nosy people hanging around. So I knew that was probably not happening there. She had as much as clarified that for me when we had our condom discussion in the parking lot of the grocery store. I completely understood where she was coming from: I would certainly feel uncomfortable doing _anything_ sexual with her at her father's house. The man had guns and ammo and engaged in target practice regularly for Christ's sake! I'd be afraid to wink at Bella in her dad's house; I'd probably wind up in handcuffs so I could be contained and restrained.

But I felt that we were headed toward a more serious physical relationship pretty quickly. And I wanted to do something special for our first time. It would be important to me, _really_ important to me, to let her know how special I think she is. So I wanted to do something memorable. Somehow her bed or mine, in the dorm, just didn't seem perfect enough for that kind of message. I didn't want our fist time to be an indistinct blur that blurred into other occasions when she looked back on it in the future. I wanted it to be a kind of promise to her.

I would have to ponder this one. We would have to get away for a night or a weekend. I would have to give it some thought. I wanted to do something perfect for her. Because she was so perfect for me.

"Where are you, Edward?" Her smiling voice suddenly cut into my wandering thoughts as I drove the car.

"What?" I asked, surprised, looking over at her.

She was smiling at me. "You've been awfully quiet since we left your parents' house. What's going on inside that head of yours?"

I squeezed her hand. I'd been holding it since we left Port Angeles. Almost like it was the last little vestige of the weekend and I hated to let it go.

"Reality bites _and _sucks! I've been on a really wonderful vacation and now I've got to go back to the drudgery of books and papers and lectures and the dorm and dining hall fare."

She grinned at me. "That's pretty much exactly what we have to do. It is a real downer, isn't it?"

"At least I get to keep you." I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed it, returning our clasped hands to rest on the console between us. "You were the best part of my weekend anyway." I looked over at her and smiled.

"Well, and we're in a little different place than we were before I left last Thursday, so maybe it won't be as bad as you're imagining it."

"You're right. I just wish it could have gone on a while longer. Okay, so let's focus on things we get to do together, so I don't start crying all over the leather seats."

She laughed. "I can't guarantee too much these first few days, because I have to get caught up, but we can hang out together even if we have schoolwork to do. We can read and study together."

I rolled my eyes at that one. "That sounds spectacular, love. Will there at least be occasional study breaks so that I can manhandle you?" I grinned hopefully at her.

"Oh, I hope so," she giggled, "but only if I can reciprocate."

"I'm willing; I like the thought of you _manhandling _me." I grinned at her. "Okay, that makes the schoolwork seem a little easier to take. You know, I was thinking, if we try to get a lot of our work done during the week, maybe we can save the weekends to do some things together; you know, get away for a day, spend the night somewhere or something. Maybe even a weekend."

"I'd like that, Edward. Even if it's just a part of a day or we go out for the evening. Even just that would be nice."

"So I guess this means we're dating for real now? You're kind of like my 'steady'?"

She burst out laughing. "Well, I certainly hope so! I just spent the last two nights in your bed, in various stages of undress, with a mostly or completely naked _you_; I'd like to think there was some sort of commitment there."

"I'll have to think about it," I told her, frowning, like I was weighing my options.

And then she slugged me in the shoulder.

"Ouch! Okay, okay, love, I'm committed!" I rubbed my shoulder, trying to milk it for some sympathy. It worked. She kissed her fingertip and touched it to my shoulder, rolling her eyes. It wasn't much sympathy.

"Edward, I think even stupid stuff will be more entertaining because we can do some of it together."

"'Stupid stuff?' Like what?" I can't say that 'stupid stuff' sounded very exciting or romantic.

"I don't know…like, well, go to the library to work. When we did our laundry together at midnight, that was kind of fun."

"Okay, I'll add library outings and midnight laundry runs to the list." I shook my head like she was crazy.

"You know what I mean!" She sounded slightly exasperated with me. "Don't act like I've lost my mind. You had fun that evening."

"Yes, in the shower and once the pepper spray wore off."

"Well, be nice, or I'll be forced to use my pepper spray on you. Which reminds me, we can go running together and we can still go to the fitness center. And the movie night with Alice and Jasper was fun."

I pulled off the highway at a rest stop.

"Why are we stopping here?" she asked, looking around, bewildered.

I didn't answer her. Instead I parked the car and leaned over the console, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her toward me. I reached up into her hair, pulling it down to tip her face up toward me. She gasped slightly and then I kissed her quite completely. Her hands were up in my hair in seconds, tugging on it as we kissed. That was freakishly incredible every single time she did it to me. She made a little humming, moaning sound as we kissed and I was instantly hard. A moment later she pulled back, her eyes unfocused and dark.

"Edward, what…?"

I smiled down at her. "We can also do this whenever we want. I pulled over here just for an impromptu demonstration."

She smiled up at me, her dark eyes sparkling. "I'm sorry; I wasn't paying very close attention. Could you run through that impromptu demonstration once more?"

We proceeded to waste the next half hour just making out and touching each other inappropriately in the rest stop. Yeah, making out would definitely be something we would be doing a lot of. You could pretty much fit it in anywhere, anytime. It was high on my list of spare time activities we would be doing together. Even if it didn't go any farther than kissing. And as long as we weren't out in public, we could even do it with our clothes off. I don't know that I'd classify it as "stupid stuff" however. That was the "good stuff."

A little over an hour later, we finally pulled into the parking lot of the dorms. We got out of the car, stretching our legs. I opened the trunk, pulling out our bags as Bella opened the back door to get a few of her things she'd put on the back seat.

"We could really use one of those carts like on moving day, right about now." She was eyeing our combined gear. Then she suddenly looked up at me, a little horrified. "I would be so careful with it, this time!"

I chuckled. "Funny how that cart changed the course of things for the both of us." I kissed her nose on her happy, smiling face.

We trudged up the hill, carrying our stuff. We got to the back door of the dorm, the one that led into my suite, just as Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley came out of the door hand-in-hand, smiling at us.

"Hey, Big E, Bella! Where've you two been?" Mike asked. "Coming back from a weekend getaway?"

"Something like that, Mike," I answered. "We were at my parents' house in Port Angeles for the weekend. We're just getting back."

"Cool," he said in response as they slowly continued walking past us. "Well, welcome back to the sad reality of college!" He smiled at us.

"Catch you later!" Jessica smiled over her shoulder as they both gave a little wave and walked away.

"Bye," we called out simultaneously.

Then we overheard him say to her, "_We_ should go on a weekend getaway, Jellybean."

And she replied, "That would be so much fun, Gumdrop."

Bella and I both looked at each other out of the corner of our eyes, biting our lips so we wouldn't burst out laughing. Once they had gotten out of earshot, farther along the path, Bella turned to me.

"Jellybean? Gumdrop? I guess they're a definite couple now."

"Yeah," I agreed, "only I think she's more of a Sweetart and he's kind of a FunDip."

Bella giggled as we went into the dorm. I dropped my things off at my room and carried her stuff up to her room for her. Jasper and Alice were already there, having arrived back at school before us. They probably hadn't stopped at a rest stop for a make-out session. Jasper was sitting in the swanky fort watching as Alice unpacked and put her things away.

"Did you guys see Jessica and Mike together?" Bella asked them, grinning.

"Hells yeah!" Alice responded, whirling around. "We came up to the suite and they were sucking each other's face off in the hallway. It was ookie!"

Jasper nodded. "I don't even use the term 'ookie', yet I'd have to agree. All these new dorm romances blossoming around us: Mike and Jessica, Ben and Angela, Edward and Bella…" He batted his eyelashes in our direction. "Now promise you won't go getting all 'ookie' on us, Edward. You too, Bella, keep the ookie in check."

I turned to Bella with a serious expression. "We'll have to nix the 'ookie' when they're around, Bella." I nodded in Alice's and Jasper's direction as I spoke.

"We'll just have to wait until they're gone, FunDip." She smirked at me.

"You bet, Sweetart." She made a face; I think she objected to that name.

Jasper and Alice just looked at each other like they thought we were going to go all 'ookie' on them.

"We're going to go to dinner at six. You guys in?" Alice asked us.

We looked at each other, nodding. "Sure," we both answered simultaneously.

"What's that?" Bella asked, looking in the direction of Alice's desk.

I turned and looked to see what she was referring to. There, on Alice's desk, lay a little bundle of flowers, wilted and sagging and tied into a bunch with a black ribbon. The flowers were kind of raggedy looking, like maybe they were wildflowers or weeds, they didn't appear to come from a florist.

"What _is _that?" I asked, echoing Bella.

Alice shrugged. "I don't know; a bouquet? They were outside near our door, just lying on the floor. I don't know whose they are. There was nothing else there with them."

"Someone in the suite must have dropped them." Bella said.

"I guess," Alice nodded, looking over at the pathetic little bouquet. "We can ask Angela and Jessica. It was probably either Ben or Mike, making a stab at romance."

"Tying them with a black ribbon doesn't seem very romantic," Edward said.

"Maybe whoever tied them thought it looked elegant," Alice suggested, shrugging her shoulders. "We'll ask around, though I can't imagine anyone wanting them now, they're all dried up."

Jasper and Alice left and then I kissed Bella goodbye to go unpack my things and get organized. Bella was going to start on her assignments from Wednesday, so she could begin to catch up.

**BPOV**

_Holy shit! _I had so much to read! Chapters and chapters from various literary works and texts. I couldn't believe I had let myself get so far behind. I could have taken things with me to do, but I hadn't been thinking very clearly. And then, even when Edward had brought my laptop to his parents' home for me, I hadn't done any work whatsoever. I was paying for it now.

Shortly before six there was a knock at my door and when I opened it, there stood a very handsome Edward, smiling at me, ready to go down to dinner.

"Did you get much done?" he asked hopefully as I closed the door.

"I barely made a dent in things. I've got to get right back to work after dinner. My first class tomorrow is early, so I've got to finish stuff up for that one. I've got a break after that, so I think I can catch up more throughout the day tomorrow, before I have to actually go to each class. We'll see how much I can battle through tonight."

We walked to dinner holding hands. We spotted Jessica and Mike at one of the tables and asked them about the flowers. They weren't theirs. Jessica said they'd been there since this morning or maybe even last night. She hadn't noticed them until this morning. She said they didn't belong to Angela either, because they'd noticed them when the'd gone for breakfast. So now we had to track down Lauren and Victoria. Maybe either one of them. Or both.

The dining hall food was not quite of the same quality as all that we had eaten at the Cullens' home.

After a rather lackluster dinner, compared to the food we had eaten at the Cullens' home, Edward walked me back to the dorm. He stopped by his room to pick up a book and both of us ended up sitting in the swanky fort, reading for a while. I still had an essay to finish up and then I was going to go to bed. At about nine he kissed me goodnight and he went to go for a run before showering and getting to bed himself.

When Alice came to bed for the evening she said she'd seen spoken with Lauren, who also knew nothing of the ratty bouquet, saying that she just assumed they were ours. Alice picked the dead flowers up and tossed them into her trash can.

"Oh well, we tried!" she said, shrugging at me.

I shrugged in agreement. They must not have been important to whoever owned them.

On Monday morning I felt kind of sluggish. I think it was mostly the daunting task of trying to complete everything that I'd let slide for a few days. I showered to wake myself up, but still felt a bit out of it. I grabbed a quick bite from the dining hall and left for my first class. Later in the morning I went to the library to read between classes.

I realized that part of my problem this morning was my period, which had arrived in the middle of the night and would be spending the next several days with me. It was that wonderful time of the month when I just naturally felt my very best. Now I was putting up with cramps as well.

As the day progressed, I began to feel a little more wiped out. By the time my last class ended I practically crawled back to the dorm and up into my bed. I took a nap, something that I normally have a very hard time doing in the middle of the day.

Edward came up to check on me later that afternoon. Alice had told him I was sleeping, but that I hadn't eaten anything much the whole day, completely missing lunch. I didn't hear him knock. He crept in and climbed quietly halfway up the risers, putting the back of his hand to my cheek. I awoke, looking into his concerned face. There was a little pucker between his brows and his lips were pursed.

"I think you've got a slight fever, Bella. Your face looks a little flushed. How do you feel?"

"Still sleepy, but I'm kind of hungry. Is it dinnertime? What time is it?"

I looked at my watch. "It's five thirty. Can you get down from here okay?"

"Yeah, Edward, I'm just a little tired and achy."

**EPOV**

I helped her climb down, worried that she was going to take a tumble in the state she was in. I took her with me to dinner, keeping an arm around her waist. She seemed a little wobbly and out of it. She was still tired, but she was adamant that she was hungry. She got some soup and a few crackers and I carried the tray to the table for her. I ate quickly, realizing that she wasn't going to want to hang around long. She probably needed more sleep. It looked like she was fading fast.

"You going to make it, Bella?" I asked, putting my arm around her shoulders and leaning in toward her flushed little face.

"I feel terrible, Edward." She closed her eyes and leaned her head against my shoulder.

"What's wrong, love?"

She winced slightly. "I got my period today and I've got cramps and now I feel all achy and I think I've got the chills now, too."

I put my hand up to her forehead.

"You seem a little more feverish; let's get you back up to bed. I think you might have the flu."

She wrapped her arms around herself and her teeth started chattering. I pulled off my sweatshirt and pulled it over her head, helping her into the sleeves, pulling it down in back. I piled our trash onto one tray and carried that over to discard it. When I turned back to the table I saw that she had laid her head down on top of her folded arms on the tabletop. I went to her and gently helped her up.

"Come on, love, let's get you back to your bed."

By the time we got up to her suite I was practically carrying her. I helped her change out of her jeans and into some sweatpants so she would be warmer and more comfortable. I was worried about her sleeping up on her bed, but she wanted to be up there, not in the swanky fort. Once I got her situated I told her I was going to the store to get her something for her flu.

"I'll get you some medication for the flu and something for the fever. Do you need anything else from the store? Do you need something for your, uh, cramps?"

I couldn't believe that I was discussing a period. I mean, yes I had a sister, and a rather vocal one at that and I didn't get to grow up all oblivious to these things, but still, I was on the edge of my comfort zone. I think most guys would be. After all, this was our first period together.

"No, if you get me something for my fever, it will probably help the cramps as well. But, um… I do need…" Her voice trailed away and she was shaking her head minutely, turning her face into her pillow.

I rubbed her back. "What, love, what do you need?"

"Nothing, never mind, Edward."

"Tell me; you can tell me. I'll get you whatever you need. What is it?"

"Um… I… um, I need tampons."

I froze.

_Danger zone! Danger zone!_

She blushed, deepening the flush she already had from her fever.

"Don't worry about it, Edward." She was mumbling, her face turned in toward the pillow again. "Maybe I can get some from Alice or Rose or something. I seem to remember you saying something about drawing the line at feminine hygiene products that first day when we moved in." She smiled weakly.

I had frozen, but now I began to thaw. _Oh, just fuck it! _I took a deep breath.

"What kind? I mean, aren't there like forty different kinds?" I ran a hand through my hair, tugging it into a complete mess probably. Desperate times, desperate measures, even more desperate hairdos.

She looked at me with her bleary eyes, a slow little smile spreading across her flushed face.

"You're going to buy me my tampons?" Her voice was weak, but there was no mistaking that she was verging on incredulous.

I exhaled. "I guess so; I mean it's _our_ period now, isn't it? Besides, if I asked you to buy me condoms, you'd probably do it, wouldn't you."

She smiled shyly. "Yes, I would."

I asked her what kind I was supposed to look for.

She was just about to answer when her phone rang. I grabbed it off of her desk and handed it up to her. She opened it up, saying, "It's my dad, hang on a second, Edward."

She started talking to him and seemed fine one minute, then sat up quickly the next, tossing her phone down on the bed and saying, "Edward, help me down! Quick! I'm going to be sick!"

I helped her down and she stumbled out of the room and into the bathroom. I started to follow her, but she was waving me off.

"No! No way, Edward! Don't come in!"

She slammed the door and I went back into her room. I realized I heard tiny sounds coming from her phone. Her dad was still on the line.

"Bella? Bella! What's going on? Are you alright?"

I could hear the concern in the voice. I reached up to her bed, picking up the phone and held it to my ear.

"Um, hello, sir? Chief Swan?"

"Yes, who's this? Where's Bella?"

"My name is Edward Cullen. Bella's sick, sir. She just had to leave the room. I think she had to go throw up."

"What's wrong with her? What do you mean she's sick? What did you say your name was?"

"I'm Edward Cullen, sir. I think Bella's got the flu. She's got a fever and chills. She just started feeling bad a couple hours ago, but she suddenly had to leave the room. I'm pretty sure she had to go throw up. I should probably go check on her. Can you hold on a minute,sir?"

"Oh, um, sure. Thank you. Was it '_Edmund'_?"

"'_Edward_,' sir."

"Oh, right, Edward. Oh! _Edward!"_

"Um, that's right, sir." _Uh-oh, here it comes._

"You're the college boy? The one dating my daughter?"

"Yes sir." _Shit! Was I now one of America's Most Wanted? The "college boy"? Yes, I am a boy, here at college, making me a college boy. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?_

"Well, go ahead and check on her, please, then come back and let me know, would you?"

"Sure. Just a moment."

I looked in on Bella. She was splashing cold water on her face at the sink in the bathroom. She looked a little green.

"Your dad's still on the phone. He wanted me to check on you."

She looked aghast. "You've been talking to _my dad?"_

"Well, mostly he's been grilling me. But I think he's believed my story so far. I think my alibi sounds plausible." I grinned at her. "I'll go tell him you're still alive." She picked up her toothbrush and toothpaste. I went back into her room and picked up her phone.

"Um, Chief Swan? I think she's okay. I'm going to go get her some medicine at the store. My dad's a doctor, so I'll call him and see what he recommends."

"Oh? Well, that's…that's nice of you, Edward. Thank you. You'll take care of my little girl, then?"

"Sure. Of course. And I'll see to it that she goes to the Health Clinic if she gets worse."

Bella was tapping me on my shoulder and smirking at me.

"Here's Bella, sir."

I handed the phone to her and she covered it, whispering to me. "You seem to be hitting it off nicely. Are you trying to dazzle my dad?"

I shrugged. "Just answering his questions. What kind of tampons am I looking for?" I whispered at her.

She began speaking to her dad as she wobbled to her closet, opening the door and pulling out a box to show me. Good. A visual aid. I'd be able to find the little things more quickly this way. I didn't want to spend any more time in that aisle than absolutely necessary. And only if there was no one else in that aisle. Shit, this was going to have to be one heck of a covert operation.

I leaned in and kissed her cheek and mouthed the words that she should stay in the swanky fort until either Alice or I came back, to make sure she got up into her bed alright. I grabbed her blanket, covering her with it. She nodded, smiled weakly and I left.

I spoke to my dad briefly on my way down to my car, told him about her symptoms and he made a few suggestions, adding that I should take her to the Clinic if she seemed worse or if her fever seemed higher. I already knew that. You know most of the common sense stuff when your father is a doctor. It's pounded into you over the years.

At the store I grabbed a basket, filling it with flu medication, acetaminophen capsules, a fever thermometer, a six pack of waters and some 7-up, Jell-o cups, and last, but not least, the dreaded tampons.

Luckily I was the only one in line at the register. The middle aged woman looked at the items as she scanned them. "Sick girlfriend?" she asked, her eyes twinkling as I blushed.

"Sick girlfriend," I said, nodding, wishing I was already back out in the parking lot.

"You're a nice young man to do her shopping for her. Looks like she's got the double-whammy. I'll double bag these for you so they're not so noticeable." She smiled at me a little sympathetically as she indicated the tampons. I just nodded, anxious to get the hell away.

I got back to the dorm and hustled up to Bella's room, worried that Emmett might somehow appear and sense that I was toting tampons. He'd have a field day with that one. I'd probably hear that noise for the rest of my life.

Bella had dozed off in the swanky fort. I woke her up gently, gave her some of the medication, took her temperature, and helped her climb up into her bed. She was shivering as she got under the blankets.

"I'm s-s-so cold, Edward. W-w-would you s-s-stay with me?"

I climbed up after her to lie down on top of the blankets, putting my arm across her and pulling her up against me. I moved my leg to cover over hers. I grabbed my phone to text Alice that Bella was sick and that I was going to stay up here. I asked her to bring me one of my books and my iPod.

A short while later, Alice appeared. She had brought the things I asked for and grabbed a few of her own things to take with her down to my room, saying she'd just stay down there tonight. She saw the bags from the grocery store on Bella's desk and she peeked inside.

"Edward!" she gasped. I turned to look down at her. Her voice was a hoarse whisper. "You bought her _tampons_?" Her eyes were all twinkly.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Just shut up, Alice. Not a word." I whispered back.

"Edward, that earns you a lot of boyfriend points! You are in L-O-V-E, love!"

"Goodbye, Alice." I growled. "Not a word. I mean it."

"Your secret's safe with me. Goodnight, lover-boy."

I read for a while, listened to music for a while, then scrolled through my playlist and found "Green Eyes," listening to it and thinking of her brown eyes. I listened to "My Girl" as well. Both of those songs just made me think so much of Bella.

At one point I took off my T-shirt, unbuttoned my jeans, slid them off and dropped both clothing items down to the floor below. I scooted under the blankets in just my boxers, to keep her warm, and fell asleep holding a rather feverish Bella as she slept, bundled up in her sweatpants and my sweatshirt.

Tuesday she was about the same. Her fever was still there, but no higher. She was able to drink fluids, but didn't really want anything to eat. I went to my classes, returning to check on her when I could. I told her to text me if she needed me, but she just slept on and off throughout the day. I stayed there that night as well. Jasper and Alice didn't seem to mind. This was probably working out rather nicely for them.

On Wednesday I left for my classes, making sure that her fever was no higher. It actually seemed to be subsiding.

As I was heading up to the back door of the dorm, at about noon, I happened to glance over at the parking lot. What I saw there made me freeze. I did a double take. There, parked in the first spot, was Bella's truck.

It was empty, but wasn't it supposed to be in Forks?

I wondered how it had gotten here.

And suddenly it hit me.

_Fuck!_

_Jake!_

**A/N: So...what are you thinking? Besides the obvious, that you'd like to wring my neck.**

**chloe39**: I'd like to reply to your reviews but can't. If you go to "settings" on your profile and enable the Instant messaging button I will be able to respond to your reviews.


	51. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

**The Transfer (Revised)**

**A/N:If you are a reader from the original version of The Transfer, you need to read this chapter, but before doing so, you should make sure you've also read the revised chapter 31. There is material there crucial to this chapter and the following chapters.**

I'm borrowing Stephenie Meyer's characters' names and personality traits, more or less. I promise to put them back when I'm done playing with them. I'm not an infringe-er.

The truck and the flowers...how the heck did they get there? Read on...

**Chapter 51: Surprise, Surprise, Surprise** **(Revised)**

**EPOV**

_What the FUCK?_

I had just spotted Bella's truck in the parking lot as I was coming back to the dorm from class. The knowledge that Jake must have driven that thing here from Forks hit me like a wrecking ball. And then, realizing that the truck was empty, I knew he could only be in one place.

_That fucking son of a bitch! _

I was frozen on the spot for a second. I could feel my stomach suddenly lurching and knotting and my mouth had gone dry. I started walking again, woodenly, instinctively heading to where I knew he would be. My walk quickly changed into a jog and by the time I got to the dorm I was actually sprinting up the stairs and I could feel the hair standing up on the back of my neck.

_She wasn't his girlfriend anymore! What the fuck was he doing here? Who the fuck did he think he was?_

I got to her door, out of breath, with my heart hammering in my chest. It wasn't from the exertion of sprinting uphill and upstairs, but from the overwhelming feeling of dread. And then when I got to her hallway, for a split second, I didn't know what to do. I spun around, hesitant and indecisive. But only for a split-second. I wasn't going to waste hours this time around, waiting to find out what the hell was going on with him and Bella. I'd learned that lesson last weekend. I was going to confront this shit right here, right now. I strode up to her door and raised my clenched fist.

"Bella?" I yelled, banging loudly on the door. I couldn't help it, I was tempted to just crash right through the door or rip it off its hinges.

_What the hell gives him the right...?_

"Edward? Come in!" It was her voice, coming from inside the room.

I opened the door abruptly, shoving it inwards rather roughly so that it banged against the little door-stop on the wall.

I looked up as I stalked into the room and I was suddenly face to face with him.

_Fucker. _

It was probably only a split second, but it seemed like everything was in slow motion. I saw his hands moving out of the corner of my eye and I glanced down, following their movement. His belt was undone, one end in either hand.

_What the fuck kind of fucked up shit is this?_

I glared at him, furious, my fists balling up, the muscles in my shoulders bunching as I thought for a split second where I was going to land the first painful blow.

His eyes were wide and his mouth dropped open as he stood there looking at me, no longer moving.

"Whoa…take it easy!" he yelped. He slowly put his hands up into the air, like I had a loaded weapon pointed at him. He took a step back, hands still in the air. He backed up a little more and sat down on the chair at Bella's desk, where it was turned around, facing the room. Even as he sat, his hands were raised in surrender.

"Chill dude! Nothing's happening!" He followed the direction my eyes had taken, glancing down and realizing that I had seen him working the opened belt buckle. "My belt was twisted in back; I was just straightening it out. I'm serious. I'm not doing anything wrong; I swear."

_What? _

My eyes slid from him over to Bella, sitting in the swanky fort. She was still bundled up in some sweats and wrapped in a blanket. Her face didn't seem quite as flushed as earlier, but right now her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open. She looked surprised and uncomprehending.

The Hulk began speaking again. "I haven't touched her. She's your girlfriend; I accept that. I get it. Just calm down, dude."

Then Bella was looking from him to me; at my body language, my face, and then back to him, and his goddamned belt buckle, and she just started laughing. It started as a little bubble of a giggle, mind you, but then it turned into a full-on belly laugh.

_What the hell?_

The adrenaline was still pumping through me but it began to slow and ebb. That kind of laughter didn't go with 'tense situation' but my palms were still itchy. I was still looking at him a little uncertainly, still angered, ready to take a swing.

"Oh, my God!" Bella gasped between giggles. Then she performed the introductions: "Jake, you remember Edward, and Edward," she made a sweeping gesture from me toward him, "obviously you remember Jake." Then she started laughing again, tipping over sideways onto the cushions of the swanky fort, as he and I both turned to look at her, wondering, I think, if she'd completely lost her mind.

"Bella, you've got to be kidding!" Jake said. "I honestly don't think introductions are necessary." But then he looked back at me and shrugged. He gave a curt nod, saying, "Edward," but wisely didn't extend his hand. His hands were still in the air, waiting for me to relax.

I had no frame of reference for a situation like this. It was as though I'd suddenly found myself on some distant planet that had completely different social conventions than anything I was familiar with. I finally scowled and nodded back, mumbling, "Jake."

There was another little peal of laughter from the swanky fort. I wondered if her high temperature had somehow damaged her mind and screwed up her thought processes. I turned to look at her and she patted the cushions next to her, smiling at me.

"Edward, come on in. Close the door, and come sit down."

I turned uncertainly to the door, shutting it, noticing that I must have broken the little stopper when I'd banged the door opened so hard. I bent down to pick it up, setting it gingerly on Alice's desk, right next to the door, because I didn't trust myself to get near Bella's desk where _he_ sat.

I looked back at her and she patted the cushions next to her once again. I walked over, uncertainly, and sat down wondering when I would find out that I was being pranked or punked or whatever. I honestly didn't know what was going on or why he was here. I was on edge and still ready to pounce.

Jake spoke up, lowering his hands slowly to rest on his thighs. "You have probably got the worst timing in the history of the world, dude." He was shaking his head at me solemnly. "You always show up at the absolute worst time; for yourself, I mean."

I looked at Bella, feeling very confused.

"This, just now;" she paused, indicating him, "he _was_ truly fixing his belt, Edward. It wasn't what you thought. But I did tell him about his hospital stupidity, when you were coming to pick me up, when he, um… kissed me." She smiled at me tentatively.

"Yeah, sorry," Jake grumbled. "Bella told me that caused all kinds of problems, beyond the fact that I really angered her at the time." He paused, clearing his throat before continuing. "I was an emotional mess. I don't know what I was thinking. It was just a reaction to the situation."

I couldn't decide if he was being completely honest with me or not.

This was surreal, but I had decided that I would actually ask the important questions this time around.

"Bella, what's going on?"

"Jake brought the truck back to me. One of his friends, Paul, followed him in another car. Jake's got a car now, so he doesn't need the truck anymore. There was a car that they were fixing up to sell at the shop where he works, and once it was finished, the guys from the shop chipped in and gave it to him."

"We just got the last part yesterday; the master cylinder," he explained.

_Like I needed to know that, specifically?_

I looked back at her, my brows knitted together in confusion.

_So that was it? That was why he was here? Shit! _

I must have still looked angry, because she restated why he was here.

"So Jake didn't need my truck anymore and he brought it back. He and Paul are going back to Forks tonight after they go see a friend of Paul's. Oh, and Jake tuned up the engine, checked the tires and changed the oil for me."

I turned and looked at him. That was for Bella's safety, so that was okay, I guess. He could do that. I nodded at him. I realized that Bella's hand had somehow found mine, squeezing it, and she was rubbing soothing circles on the back of it with her thumb.

Jake cleared his throat and began speaking again, looking me in the eye.

"Uh, I came here for another reason, too. I told Bella that this weekend a lot of people are coming over to my dad's house to do a build; to make the house wheelchair-accessible before he comes back home. My sisters are both here visiting; we're barbecuing in the afternoon to feed everyone. I brought Bella's truck back in case she wanted to come. And I told her she could bring you, if you'd like to come with her." He looked down at his hands for a moment before making eye contact with me again.

_The Hulk's inviting me to his house?_

This was just getting more and more bizarre by the moment, and then I thought about what he had just said. It was a nice thing for their friends and family to do; a community pulling together like that for someone they cared about. But I began feeling disappointed; I had kind of been thinking about doing something together with Bella for this weekend.

I hadn't mentioned it to her yet, because she had been so sick and out of it. I was waiting until she felt a little better and it seemed now that she was starting to. I'd really missed her these past few days while she'd been groggy and ill, even though I was here with her much of the time anyway. I was looking forward to having her back, and …well, I was looking forward to the other stuff too. I couldn't stop thinking about that other stuff.

I just nodded and glanced at Bella, unsure if she was planning on going back home this weekend or not. Then I looked back at Jake, thinking about what his family was going through.

I finally manned up and said, "Hey, I'm sorry about your dad. And the whole accident. That was really terrible. You and your family have had a lot to deal with."

"Thanks." His eyes widened. He seemed a little surprised by what I'd said. Then he looked down at his hands, clasped between his legs as he leaned forward a bit His voice was quiet. "We're moving forward. I think this weekend will be a positive thing." He finally looked up once again. "You know, this will be like a barn-raising, where a lot of friends and family get involved. Kind of like community therapy. At least we'll all feel like we're doing something positive since there's not much else that can be done."

Bella squeezed my hand a little as she spoke. "I think it's a terrific idea, Jake. I'd really like to go. I've been so sick with the flu the past couple of days, but today I think I'm finally feeling better."

This last part she had turned to say to me. I lifted my arm to feel her forehead with the back of my hand.

"Yeah, you don't feel feverish like you were. Did you take your meds again?"

She grinned at me. "Yes, Doctor Cullen; exactly as prescribed."

She looked back at Jake. "I still feel pretty tired and my whole body aches, but by Saturday I'm sure I'll be fine to help at the build."

Jake smiled. "Just don't get your hopes up to work with power tools. They're off limits to you. I could just see you taking out yourself and a handful of innocent bystanders."

I snickered involuntarily, my eyes flickering to her blushing face. Bella with a power tool would be a complete disaster.

_Why was I laughing at what he had to say?_

I bit my lip to try to wipe the smile off my face.

_He had a good point, though. Obviously he knew the clumsy side of her too._

"Well," Jake said, "I'm going to call Paul. He'll meet me down in the parking lot." He stood, glancing down, and finally finished buckling his belt. "It was nice to see you Bella. Get well quick. Maybe you'll make it on Saturday. My sisters would really enjoy seeing you. Call the house if you'd like." He looked like he couldn't decide if he should try to give her a hug goodbye or not.

_Don't even think about it, dog._

He turned to me then, giving me another quick nod. "Take it easy," he said evenly, as he headed to the door. But then he paused and he grinned, flashing white teeth in a dark face, like something had suddenly struck him funny. "Really, dude, _you _need to take it easy. You already _got_ the girl."

He waved then as he left the room and I leaned back against the wall, exhaling and closing my eyes. I guess I had still been tense and on edge the whole time, because I suddenly felt exhausted; maybe from the initial adrenaline rush. I was also totally confused by Jake's whole attitude.

I felt Bella moving next to me and I opened my eyes as she was crawling onto my lap, facing me, wrapping her arms and legs around me. She leaned her head down onto my shoulder, cuddling into me, her face turned in toward my neck. I put one arm around her as my other hand went up to first rub my eyes and forehead, then I raked my fingers though my hair.

He'd been polite. I'd been ready to pound the shit out of him. I felt like such a jerk.

_What a Neanderthal!_

"Possessive much, Edward?" she asked quietly, her warm breath on my neck, her hands on the nape of my neck and in at the back of my head.

I exhaled breathing a long, low, "fu-u-uck," and shaking my head at my volatile reaction. "I'm sorry. That was ridiculous of me."

I felt her lips on my neck. I felt a light kiss, then I swear I felt a smile against my neck

"It was partly ridiculous, partly cute. Were you rescuing me?" She snuggled against me, laying her head down on my shoulder once again.

"I don't know what I thought I was doing. I saw your truck in the parking lot as I was coming back up here after class. It just freaked me out; I knew he was here. I don't know him, you know? I honestly didn't know what to expect from him. That day when you were breaking up and I saw him yelling at you and pounding on the truck, and shaking you, he seemed like he could lose control with you; like he could get violent and hurt you. And when I saw him kissing you…I guess I just can't imagine him letting go of you very easily. I couldn't let you go." I wrapped my arms tightly around her, pulling her up to me, burying my face in her neck, kissing her.

"Mmm," she hummed against my collarbone, lightly kissing me. "_Don't_ let go of me."

I hugged her, running my fingers through her hair and down her back. "I don't plan on it."

We sat there quietly for a few moments then she pulled back, sitting up a little and cupping my face in her hands. "You're a beautiful young man, Edward; a little possessive, yes, but I think that's part of your charm. I'm glad to know I'm so important to you that you'd bash down doors to protect me. You're that important to me, too."

I smiled a little weakly at her. "Did you know he was coming?" I asked, wondering if she had known, but just hadn't told me because she knew that it would upset me and turn me into a charging, aggressive lunatic.

"No, it was a complete surprise. I had no idea about any of it. He got here about an hour and a half ago. Paul came up with him and once they found me here, Paul left to go on an errand. Jake and I just sat here and talked for a while. He's still my friend, you know."

I wasn't especially pleased to hear that, but I guessed I would just have to get used to it. He was always going to be her friend, after all. I wasn't going to change that. She must have read the discomfort on my face, still cupped within her warm hands.

"Jake and I talked about you and me a little."

"About what?" I asked, surprised and not too sure I liked that idea. I brought my hands up to her wrists and pulled her hands down to rest against my chest.

"When he saw I was sick, he was worried about me being here by myself. I told him how you went and bought medicine for my flu symptoms for me, and that you've been taking care of me. He was glad to know that I have someone that cares and is watching over me. He said at least I'm with someone who really seems to love me; it would have been harder for him if I was with someone that didn't take the relationship seriously. That would have made him angrier about our breakup."

I was at a loss for words; surprised at Jake's kindness. "I don't think I could have been as charitable as he, regarding someone who had taken my place."

She smiled. "I don't think it's a question of being charitable."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Jake told me he's met someone. Apparently it's love at first sight, or something like that. It seems he's moving on. I thought you'd like to know."

My eyes shot to hers. "You're kidding me, right? Why wasn't that the first thing out of your mouth when I came up here?"

"You mean, right after you banged on the door I should have yelled, 'Jacob's dating!' And then I should have invited you in?"

I chuckled at that, but explained, "You could have saved me from a lot of offensive male posturing and subsequent embarrassment."

She giggled. "Well, I'm not sure how I could have smoothly worked it into the conversation. But seriously, Edward, Jacob was right about your incredible timing. What are the chances of coming into your girlfriend's room and seeing her ex-boyfriend unbuckling his belt, or rebuckling his belt? I think your reaction was somewhat justified. But surely you trust me, Edward, don't you?"

"Of course I trust you, love." I pulled her back down towards me and kissed her forehead. "I just don't trust him." I kissed her nose. "I don't know him." I leaned in to kiss her on the lips, but she quickly leaned back and turned her head to the side.

"I don't want you to get what I've been sick with, Edward. You'll probably come down with it any day now, but let's at least try to protect you."

"Oh, I might be alright. I don't get sick very often." I smiled at her for worrying about me. "Besides, I can't get sick; who's going to watch over you if I'm sick? I can't afford to get sick because you definitely need some watching."

She leaned back in as she turned my head to the side and kissed just below my ear, right near my jaw. I felt her tongue on my skin. Her fingers were knotted in my hair and I could feel myself getting harder by the moment.

_Shit, I'd missed this kind of attention from her the last few days._

"Thank you for taking care of me," she said, pulling away a little and looking up at me with dark eyes. "And thank you for staying with me. I felt so terrible; it was comforting to know you were here and you kept me warm when I had the chills."

"You were so hot; you had me a little worried. And even though I spent the past few days with you, you were so out of it; it wasn't like you were really here. I've missed you, Bella." I pulled her back tightly against me. I didn't bother telling her that I'd had a hard time sleeping, because it's hard when you're _hard. _She probably didn't need to know just how lecherous I was despite her being sick. At least I'd managed to keep the monster in me in check.

It was really nice to just hold a recuperating Bella in my arms right now.

**BPOV**

As I sat on Edward's lap I thought back over the past few days, or at least what was clear in my mind, because much of it was a fog.

Edward had spoken on the phone with my dad the other evening, assuring him that he would take care of me since I was sick. My dad had actually told me later that Edward seemed like a nice enough young man; that he was respectful and polite. Edward must have really charmed him; nobody passes inspection very easily with Chief Charlie Swan.

I was thinking seriously now about going home for the weekend. I wanted to help out at Billy's house. It would be nice to be a part of that for him and for Jake. It would be repair work in more ways than in just the literal sense. I also wanted to see Rachel and Rebecca; it had been a long time since I had seen Jake's sisters. I was just hoping Edward would be willing to go with me.

This would be an opportunity for Edward and my dad to meet. It was important to me that the two most important men in my life would get to know one another somewhat and hopefully like each other, at least a little bit. I wondered if Edward would be opposed to staying at our house. The sleeping arrangements would not be as lax as they had been at the Cullen residence. That wouldn't be any fun, but it wouldn't be for very long, maybe just one or two nights.

Las weekend now seemed so far away, even though it had only been a few days. The time I spent with Edward had been wonderful and so much fun. I wished we could have another weekend together like that. I knew this weekend wouldn't compare to that, even if he came with me. And I wasn't even sure yet if Edward would be willing to go.

I'm sure it would seem strange to him to go help out my ex-boyfriend's family. I knew Edward realized that Billy, Jake, Rebecca and Rachel were like family to me and my dad. I couldn't very well cut myself off completely from them, including Jake. Edward knew that, I just wasn't sure how well he understood that.

I had been completely surprised when I'd opened my door earlier to find Jake and Paul standing there. They were worried initially when they saw me and realized that I had been sick, but I explained that I was beginning to feel somewhat better today finally. Paul chatted just for a few minutes, then left, saying he'd be back for Jake in an hour or so.

Jake had handed me my truck key and explained about not needing the truck anymore. He told me all about the car they had finished fixing up at the shop and given to him. Paul had driven it here, following Jake in my truck.

He'd been going to see his dad, Billy at the hospital nearly every day. With his sisters there it had made dealing with his father's harsh reality a little easier to bear.

Then he told me about meeting a girl who volunteered at the hospital. She was a little younger than him, and for whatever reason, he seemed totally smitten with her. Maybe my being friends with Jake would be easier now for all concerned because he was interested in someone new.

I was happy for Jake. I think he knew that we had been holding onto a relationship that had run out of steam; that it had become habit, more than anything else. I had felt unhappy but hadn't realized that I really didn't belong in that kind of relationship with him anymore; it had run its course. It had taken a slow-burning, ever-increasing, interest in Edward Cullen for me to realize how much I was really missing in my lukewarm love life. Maybe Jake had slowly come to realize the same thing for himself.

He apologized for his unwelcome kiss last week, just outside the hospital. I let him know that it had caused major problems between me and Edward because he had happened to witness it and had misread the whole situation.

At first he joked that that wasn't such a bad thing; he had no qualms about upsetting Edward. But then I think he saw, in my reaction, how upset I'd been. He apologized more seriously then, adding somewhat reluctantly, that he was glad that I had someone who really cared and seemed to love me. He said it made things easier to deal with knowing that Edward wasn't some jerk who didn't really appreciate me or deserve me.

Jake was a good guy. He always had been. And he'd always been there for me when I needed him. I wondered if he and Edward could ever be cordial or even accept each other.

I realized I'd just been sitting there on Edward's lap, lost in thought this whole time. It was soothing and comfortable. His hand was stroking my hair. My hair that really needed to be washed. My whole body needed to be washed. I desperately needed a shower now that I was feeling better. It seemed like it would help wash away a little more of the remains of my illness and make me feel a little more human.

I pulled my head away from Edward's shoulder, looking at him. I wanted to tell him that I'd meet him for a late lunch in a little while after I had the chance to shower. But just then the door opened and Alice was suddenly standing there, surveying the scene in the swanky fort.

"Are you two still playing doctor? Whose idea is the lap dance therapy?" she asked suggestively, and then, without waiting for a response to either question, continued on with her next questions, "How's your patient, Edward? Is she going to live?"

**EPOV**

I smiled at her over Bella's head. "Yeah, I think she's responding to my efforts." _And Dick is responding to hers…_ "Thanks for switching rooms with me the past two nights, Alice."

My twin rolled her eyes and laughed her silvery little laugh. "Honestly, it was my pleasure; and you can quote me on that to Jasper." I made a face at that unnecessary information, but she just ignored me.

"Bella," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, "You didn't need to get all melodramatic and pretend to have the flu, just because you wanted Edward to move in with us. I honestly don't mind switching, although Jasper does snore a little."

Bella smiled up at her. "Thanks, Alice," she said.

"Not a problem, my dearest roomie."

"Now, the real reason I'm here, besides seeing if you two want to go to lunch at some point today, is because I need to talk to Bella." Alice turned and looked at me. "I need a few minutes. Edward, do you mind?"

"Yes, I mind."_ I just got a lucid Bella in my arms for the first time in two days. _I wrapped my arms a little more tightly around Bella.

"Leave, Edward. Please? It's just for a little while. You'll see her when we go eat." Alice put her hands on her hips.

But I didn't budge.

"Edward, please cooperate." Alice glared at me.

I just glared back. It took real backbone and determination to stand up to Alice.

"Fine," Alice said. "Suit yourself, Edward. Bella, I wanted to talk to you about tampon varieties, toxic shock syndrome and vaginal infections."

_Oh, for fuck's sake! She plays so goddamned dirty!_

"Okay, fine, I'm outta here," I said, quickly shifting Bella off my lap and to the side so I could stand up. "Come get me when you're ready," I told Bella, squeezing her shoulder. I leaned down and kissed her goodbye then I turned and stuck my tongue out at Alice as she did the same back at me.

**BPOV**

Alice giggled quietly, her twinkling eyes finding mine as the door shut.

"Well, that's one sure-fire way to get rid of a boy when you don't want him around," she said. "I must say, though, that I was impressed that Edward bought you tampons the other night. Jasper has never been in the position to buy them for me, but I'd like to think he would be able to. Maybe I'll do a little experiment with that the next time I'm rockin' my own period."

I grinned back at her. "Yeah, that was an excellent boyfriend gesture for Edward to buy them for me. He went to get me some medicine and other flu staples because I was sick. He's so dependable, Alice; he's my rock."

"You two are good for each other," she said, smiling.

"So, why do we need to discuss tampons, Alice?"

Her expression sobered instantly. "We don't. We have something more important to discuss."

"We do?"

"Yes. I've solved the mystery of the dead flowers." She looked at me intently before continuing. "I ran into Bitchtoria a little while ago on the stairs. I almost didn't say a word to her, but then I asked her if she knew anything about the flowers outside our door. She looked down her nose at me-you know how she does- and asked, '_Well didn't Isabella read the card?_'"

Alice had done a spot-on impersonation of Victoria's voice. But then what she had said hit me…

"Wait, _my_ flowers? And a card? _What_ card?"

"That's what I asked. Victoria told me a guy came by on Saturday night, looking around the dorm for you and was pointed upstairs here to our suite. She was just coming out of the bathroom when she saw him coming up the stairs. He asked her where you lived and she pointed out our door. She didn't think anything more about it and went into her room. A few minutes later he knocked at her door, telling her you weren't home and could she keep an eye out and give the flowers to you when she saw you. He also gave her a card for you. Then he left. Well, you know Victoria, she didn't want to keep the flowers in her room because she has allergies." Alice rolled her eyes at that but continued the story. "So she said she laid the flowers down by the door and flicked the card underneath the door."

"You're the one who got back here first, Alice. There was no card on the floor, was there?"

"No, I never saw one."

I shrugged at her. "So, who was the guy?"

"I asked Victoria. She didn't know him, but said he had longish, dark blond hair and steely blue eyes."

I gasped. "James!"

"James." Alice nodded. "That was why I had to get Edward out of here."

"Oh no," I whispered.

Alice walked back over toward the door. She bent down to her hands and knees, peering under her desk and moving her trashcan. "I wanted to check under here for…" she was crawling a little farther, peering under her desk, "…a card," she said as she backed out and withdrew her hand, holding a white envelope. She sat back on her heels, her wide eyes looking at mine.

_Holy shit._

"Either Victoria gave it a heck of a flick when she sailed it under the door, or Jasper or I kicked it aside when we walked in."

I was on my feet in an instant, moving to where Alice was kneeling. I dropped to my knees next to her, grabbing the card from her hand, looking at her as I ripped it open with shaking hands.

The card had an abstract design on the front. There were no words printed on it. I opened it up as Alice peered over my shoulder, looking at it with me. It was a blank note card, the kind in which you would write your own message. Scrawled across the card in black ink, in a rather jagged script was a handwritten message.

_Beautiful Bella,_

_I suddenly seem to have all kinds of free time now that I am no longer working at the coffee shop. I think we have a lot to talk about. I want to get together with you and set you straight on a few things. Don't worry your lovely little head. I'm not angry with you. _

_I look forward to hearing from you, Raw Sugar._

_James Hunter_

At the bottom of the note was a phone number.

I looked up at Alice.

"He's crazy. I'm not calling him. Why would I call him?"

"You wouldn't and you won't. But we need to tell Emmett and I think you need to tell Edward about all of this now. Why don't you go ahead and take your shower and I'll take this card down to Emmett. I'll make sure he doesn't say anything to Edward just yet, but I'll let Emmett know what's going on."

I nodded at her, still feeling somewhat shocked, as we both stood up.

_Holy crow!_

"I'll tell Edward today, Alice."

"I think that's best. We'll see you downstairs after your shower, okay? We'll wait for you."

I agreed and Alice left as I gathered some clothes to change into. I took my keys and pepper spray, locking the door to my room behind me. I also locked the door to the bathroom as I entered.

I hurried in the shower, not wanting to keep them waiting for me very long.

I thought about James and how strange it was for him to even think for one minute that I would call him and want to talk to him. I felt better thinking about telling Edward. I knew it would upset him, but I could maybe avoid telling him some of the specific details. He didn't need to know every single thing James had said or done.

I thought about that whole unnerving conversation from a week ago, when I'd dropped my purse in the hallway right outside the restroom of the coffee shop.

I hadn't seen James until he was right there talking to me, calling me "Raw Sugar" and standing too close. He'd touched my shoulder and then grazed my breast with his thumb. Almost like it could be inadvertent, but I'd known that it wasn't. He'd offered to help me pick things up, but when I said "I've got it," he'd said, "Oh, you've got it all right, beautiful Bella, I just wonder if you know what to do with it."

I could still see his smirk, his steely eyes and sharp white teeth, hear the sound of his oily voice, the way he'd looked as he barred me from moving past him. "We should get together sometime," his voice had oozed, "I'd be happy to help you figure out what to do with what you've got."

_Yuck! Like I would want anything to do with him!_

When I'd defensively blurted out that my boyfriend might not like that idea, he'd assumed I was talking about Edward and had ridiculed him. He'd offered to teach me a few things that I could show Edward. A shiver ran down my spine as I thought about how he had leered at me, appraising me, telling me I looked like a quick learner and that we could have a threeway, indicating Alice over his shoulder.

It was his parting shot to me, though, that bothered me the most. "Well, okay, Raw Sugar," his voice had drawled." I'll let you go. But when you get tired of Little Cullen, you know where to find me. I don't mind sloppy seconds."

_He was such a disgusting creep._

I'd managed to help get him fired, so he no longer worked at the coffee shop.

But the problem now was that he knew where to find me. He'd been here in the dorm; to my very door. Just what I needed, some weirdo showing up at my doorstep any time he felt like it.

I tried to scrub the thoughts of James from my mind as I showered and shampooed. I had to tell Edward but I hated to ruin the afternoon. I would wait until a bit later in the day. Or maybe tonight. I hated the thought of upsetting him with this scumbag.

I quickly dried off, dressed and brushed my hair, drying it a bit before heading back to my room for my shoes and jacket. I headed down to Edward's room to go to a very late lunch.

They were all there, waiting for me. We began walking over to the dining hall, when Edward sort of pulled back on my hand a little, slowing me down. I looked up at him, wondering what was wrong.

"You feeling okay, Bella?" He looked concerned at his eyes traveled my face.

I realized I'd been frowning as I focused on the James situation. I really didn't want to get into the whole James thing right now. I tried to relax whatever stress Edward might have seen on my face.

"Yeah, sure. I feel a lot better. I'm just kind of weak and tired out, but I feel better than I have in two days."

His mouth seemed a little tight and I could see the muscles in his jaw working. He stopped and ran his fingers nervously through his hair, looking around a little, before he looked back down at me.

"Bella, I know how important it is to you to go help out this weekend at Jake's house, and to see his sisters. Jake said that he'd told you that you could bring me. I'd like to go. I want to help you help them. I don't know how uncomfortable the situation will be, but I don't think it could be any worse than thinking he was unbuckling and stripping down in your dorm room."

I grinned up at him. I put my arms up around his neck and into his hair. His voice continued, softer, the humor gone, replaced by a much quieter, huskier timbre.

"The only thing is…I was really hoping that you and I could spend some time together this weekend, away from family and friends and school. I think Saturday night, after the day at Jake's, it might be nice to just get away together. I missed you the past few days, especially after this past weekend. I just really want to be with you, love. I want to make love with you, Bella. I want to show you how much you mean to me. And I don't know if you think you'll feel ready for that yet...but I just wanted…to see what you thought."

He gazed at me with his deep-sea eyes. His perfect mouth came down to mine, engulfing mine. I suddenly felt more feverish than I'd felt the past few days, as his demanding tongue found my own.

**A/N: You were so lovely to review and submit last chapter. Do it again, please?**


	52. The Gamut of Emotions

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: So, it turns out Jake is not the bad guy. And it turns out James is still lurking. Maybe even more now than Bella, you or I realize. Certainly more than Edward realizes-he's been kept out of the loop. Time for Bella to tell all.

bannerday isn't Stephenie Meyer. The Transfer isn't Twilight. This isn't infringing.

Now, let's bring Edward into the loop...

**Chapter 52: The Gamut of Emotions (Revised) **

**BPOV**

Alice, Jasper, Rose, Emmett, Edward and I had all been headed to a late lunch in the dining hall when Edward had pulled me aside, stopping me. The others continued on to lunch while Edward spoke to me quietly. He told me how much he had missed me since coming back from Port Angeles. It's not like we hadn't been together; he'd actually slept in my bed the past few nights, but I knew what he meant. I felt the same way; I really missed him. Since we'd returned from the weekend away I'd been busy trying to catch up after leaving unexpectedly last Thursday morning. Piled on top of that, I'd been sick with the flu and my period since Monday and had been completely out of it these past few days. And the worst part was I was now behind once again in my classes, having missed classes again Tuesday and Wednesday due to my flu.

What Edward was telling me at the moment though wasn't just about missing me, it was about wanting me; desiring me. He was telling me how much he wanted to be with me. He was telling me he wanted to make love if I was ready. And then he was kissing me, passionately, fiercely. The kiss was…absolutely amazing. There was so much love and need and desire in that kiss, it surprised me. I hadn't been prepared for the depth of his passion. Especially standing out there in the open, halfway to the dining hall, on public display. But at the time I had pretty much forgotten about everything around me; I was focused solely on Edward's mouth, his lips and his tongue.

_Holy. Freaking. Hotness._

When Edward finally released me, I was completely and utterly breathless, overheated from my own desire; dizzy and bedazzled by Edward's need. I was feeling like I had to sit down and take a few deep breaths, collecting my very scattered wits. He must have felt how wobbly I'd become, because I saw the concern growing in his eyes, and his arms tightened around me, supporting me.

"Bella?" His voice sounded worried. "Are you alright? Are you going to faint?"

"What?" I breathed at him, barely able to focus. "Oh…yes, um…I mean no, Edward. I'm fine… I think. I must have forgotten to breathe while you were kissing me."

_Sheesh, two days of being a sick zombie and you completely forget how overwhelming it is to kiss The King of All That._

The concern disappeared and his little lopsided grin slowly took its place. His lovely deep-sea eyes crinkled at the corners.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, smiling. "Are you still feeling sick?"

I blinked up at him, still in a daze, trying desperately to focus, and really only seeing his beautifully sculptured lips swimming before my eyes. "Well, I was feeling less feverish until you kissed me. Oh my goodness." I exhaled. "That made me feel awfully warm."

"My kiss did that to you?" He chuckled, pulling me closer up against him. "Well, it's good to know that I have that kind of effect on you. You certainly have quite the effect on me. But you didn't answer my question about going away for the night on Saturday."

"Well, you didn't really give me the chance to speak. Not that I minded, obviously. Yes."

"Yes?" he stooped down a little, looking me squarely in the eyes, his hands gripping my shoulders, a look of disbelief, delight and excitement on his face. "_Yes? _Really? Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to decide right this moment."

I giggled at him. "_Yes_. Edward. I'm sure. I think a night away together, just you and I, sounds lovely."

"We don't have to, uh, do anything, you know, I mean if you're not ready. I really don't want to pressure you at all. It's fine if you don't want…"

I put my finger to his lips, silencing him. He was adorably lovely as he worried about overstepping any boundary he imagined I might have.

"Edward. I love you. I want you, too. I'm ready. I think maybe I would have been agreeable the night after our date at The Pink Door, except my dad called and I was so upset afterwards. I was a mess and then I left for Forks the next day. And I would have been agreeable this past weekend, except that it would have felt too weird to be together like that under your parents' roof the first time you brought me home to meet them. And this week has been a total disaster for me, being behind in my classes, then being sick and having my period on top of all that. The Fates have put a real damper on romance. But I want the romance. I'm ready for it."

He pulled my finger away from his smiling lips, now that I'd finished my little speech. He hugged me to him again, giving me a quick, hard kiss. Besides seeming ridiculously happy, I'd say he also seemed overwhelmingly relieved.

"It seems the Fates have been working against us, love," he said, smiling down at me in his arms. "The Fates can sure be be capricious little shits, you know? But now we can get away from prying friends and family. This will be special, love," he said softly, as he bent his head down to kiss my temple. "I'm going to make this special for you; you mean everything to me, Bella."

"I love you, Edward," I sighed into his chest. "There'd be something wrong with me if I didn't want to be with you, too." I smiled up at him and I brushed a wayward lock of hair off his face.

We stood there, hugging in our contentment, oblivious to anyone and anything around us.

A moment later he turned slightly, looking toward the dining hall.

"Oh crap! Lunch! We're going to miss lunch completely! I've kept you out here so long and you've hardly eaten anything the past few days. We need to feed you, love. Come on." He put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me toward the dining hall. Something about it reminded me of Alice towing Jasper around. It made me smile.

"Edward, don't worry. I'm fine…I'm…happy." I looked up at his smiling face, grinning broadly myself. He knew I was happy. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head as we entered the doorway to the nearly empty dining hall.

We collected our lunch onto our trays. There wasn't very much to choose from at this point in the afternoon. I followed Edward to the table where the others sat, more or less done with their meals. They were all watching us as we approached to sit down.

Alice spoke up first. "Glad you could finally join us, Jessica, Mike. Nice PDA out there. You were on stage for the entire dining hall. Quite the performance. Definitely Best Kiss Award material."

She was beaming her little sunshine smile at the two of us, pleased once again that she had brought us together, I guess. Her hands were tucked under her thighs; it looked like she wanted to clap but was refraining. Or maybe her hands were holding her to the chair so she didn't bounce up and down involuntarily.

I turned to look at Edward, a bit embarrassed about our display, but he just smiled wryly, shaking his head and began eating the sandwich he'd put together, so I did the same with my soup.

"Yeah," Jasper was up next, addressing Edward with a lazy drawl, "Gumdrop, we've missed Jellybean here these past few days." He indicated me with a nod of his head, so I guess for all intents and purposes I was Jellybean to Edward's Gumdrop. Jasper continued, "Glad to see you two finally made it into the dining hall, and not just halfway across the lawn. I'm kind of surprised you didn't dip her after that display; you've really been The Big Dipper lately, Edward."

Edward didn't look up at Jasper, but he reached up, scratching the side of his nose with his middle finger, very obviously flipping him off.

Jasper snorted a laugh. "Don't be such a bitch, Gumdrop!" he replied, in response to Edward's gesture, making us all laugh.

Emmett was nearly beside himself, giggling. He must have been thinking about what he wanted to say in his head for a while now. He finally took a deep breath and, still giggling, asked his burning question.

"So, Edward, you've done the research. I've been meaning to ask, regarding Bella, tonsillectomy or no?"

His laugh bubbled out and turned into his signature guffaw as he watched Edward pinch the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slightly with his eyes closed, like he was in pain. Edward uttered a very quiet, "for fuck's sake, Emmett."

I really couldn't help giggling at that point. I wondered just how much they had planned out when we'd been standing outside, lost in each other's kiss. So much of their entertainment was at our expense. But I knew they all loved us and were happy for us.

Rosalie did the wrap up for the group. "I'd wager there's been a tonsillectomy, Emmett. It looked like Edward's tongue traveled pretty much unimpeded down Bella's esophagus."

They all laughed hard at that one. I'll admit I laughed too.

Edward looked a little embarrassed but he snickered as well, glancing at me and rolling his eyes slightly. He then looked back at all of them, not saying a word, as he drummed the fingertips of one hand against the tabletop. Before I knew what was happening, he had abruptly and smoothly turned to me, grabbing me and pulling me, twisting me so that I was more or less lying across his lap, face up, as he bent and kissed me once again, much like he had outside. Fiercely passionately. But up close and personal now.

Obviously I was otherwise occupied, but I heard the sound of four chairs scraping on the linoleum as they all stood up to leave. One after the other, I heard their four voices.

Rosalie said, "Okay, I've had enough; I'm not watching this disturbing display again. Edward, you're going to choke the poor girl. It's your fault if she asphyxiates on your tongue."

Alice's lilting voice had a giggle to it. "Yeah, let's get out of here. As glad as I am to see them both happy, you can only take so much of it. Now I'm at the point where I just may lose my lunch."

"That's it for me, too. Despite being his brother and Resident Advisor, I shouldn't have to be subjected to this. I'm heading back to my room to pour bleach in my eyes." It goes without saying whose voice that was.

It was clearly Jasper that finally said, "That's just frighteningly 'ookie,' Gumdrop. And you too, Jellybean, disgustingly 'ookie.' Get yourselves some new friends. Maybe Jess and Mike are available for double dating. And get yourselves a room too, for Christ's sake."

As soon as it was quiet around us, Edward pulled up slightly, placing a chaste little kiss on my lips before looking down at my eyes, as I lay there, still draped across his lap. His eyes were sparkling. He began laughing as I started choking on my own giggles. His nose rubbed languidly against mine as he said, "That's one way to get rid of them." He sat me back up and I saw that we were now practically alone in the dining hall.

**EPOV**

I pushed my tray away from me and stretched my legs out beneath the cafeteria table, putting my arm around Bella. My elbow rested on the back of her chair, my hand was at the nape of her neck, playing with the loose strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail while I'd been mauling her.

"So…about this weekend, Bella, how early would you want to leave on Saturday morning?"

"Um…actually, Edward, how would you feel about going on Friday afternoon, after my class? We could eat lunch on the way, be in Forks by dinnertime, then stay at my dad's house Friday night. I'll cook us all dinner and we can just hang out and visit. I want my dad to meet you and I want you to meet him. That way we'd already be there for Saturday. What do you think?"

_Uh…no? _

_"Nice to finally meet you, Chief Swan. I'm really looking forward to having sex with your ridiculously hot, little daughter tomorrow night. In fact, I've pretty much been thinking about it non-stop, 24/7 for the past week. Awesome to meet you, sir."_

She must have seen the look of fear on my face.

"Edward, it would be fine. You'll be fine. Besides, you already spoke to my dad on the phone. He thinks you're a good guy; you took care of me when I was sick."

_Uh…no? _

_"Daddy, I'd like you to meet Edward, he took care of me, bought me medicine for my flu, and he bought me tampons, too, because we were on 'our period'. That's what he called it because it affects him, too! Isn't he cute?"_

She was waiting for my response, her brow furrowed.

"Edward, come on. I went to your parents' house and stayed the whole weekend. I'm only asking you to stay one night. The house is small, only two bedrooms, so you'd have to sleep on the couch in the living room, but it would just be for one night."

_Uh...please, no? _

_"Good morning, son. Hope you slept well here on the couch. Oh, hey there, Edward, is that a flagrant boner you're sporting? That's a violation of the 'penile' code; a felony in my home, punishable by castration."_

"Edward, say something!" The little pucker between her brows was a little more pronounced now. "What the heck are you thinking?" she asked.

_Oh love, you don't even want to know the kind of shit that runs through my mind._

"Bella, I'm sorry. I was just thinking of some stuff. You think your dad would really be okay with me staying there? He probably won't be overjoyed at you bringing some guy home to spend the night on his couch."

"Edward, you're not 'some guy!' It's not like I'm bringing someone random off the street home to meet my dad! You're important to me and he knows that."

"I know, I know. Um…okay, I guess. As long as you really don't think your dad would mind. You'd better check with him to be sure." I sighed, giving up. "We'll go on Friday and stay at your house. And if your dad shoots me while we're there, just be sure and notify my next of kin, okay?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Deal."

We stood up and headed back to the dorm, Bella heading upstairs to get to work catching up on her missed lectures, assignments, and readings. She seemed a little preoccupied, and I had noticed that earlier as well, but I guess I would feel that way too if I had so much catching up to do all over again. I was going to join her shortly, but I had to swing by my room first and pick up a book and my i-Pod.

Jasper was there and I had an overwhelming urge to confide in him and tell him about the whole weekend ahead. Certainly not about the sexual aspect. I preferred keeping that to myself. But the whole, 'spending the evening with Bella's dad, then spending the next day with her ex-boyfriend,' was begging to be shared with someone who would tell me that I hadn't lost my mind completely. He would be able to give me a positive perspective.

"Jasper," I said, taking a seat on my bed and exhaling loudly, "I need to know what you think. I promised Bella that I would go with her to Forks this weekend. Her ex-boyfriend's family and friends are modifying their house to make it wheelchair-accessible. We're going to go and help with the renovations. I also promised her that we would spend Friday night at her dad's house. I'm going to sleep on the couch at the home of Forks' Chief of Police."

"Have you lost your mind completely?" Jasper asked. He looked horrified.

_So much for getting a friend's positive perspective._

"Shit, I think I have," I told him, hanging my head in my hands. "I _had_ to say yes, to both things." I began rubbing my temples. "Why am I _doing_ this to myself?"

"For love; you're doing it in the name of love," he answered. "Would you like that on your tombstone if you don't make it back alive? _'I did it in the name of love.'_"

"Shit, Jasper, I'm screwed. I'm screwed if I go and I'm certainly screwed if I don't go."

"Edward, don't be so ridiculous. You'll be fine. I was just kidding. You're not an idiot. Well, not always. But you do have your moments.

"Do you want my advice?" he continued, "I'm giving it to you whether you want it or not.

"While you're there at her dad's house, don't, under any circumstances, kiss her, especially not like you did earlier. If you absolutely must kiss her, then it had better be a sweet little peck on the cheek. Don't sit next to her on a couch; that just invites problems, she'll be in your lap pole-dancing and grinding before you know it. Sit in a separate armchair by yourself. Wear clothes at all times unless you're in the shower, and you'd better be alone, with the door locked if that's the case. Be polite to her father, be a gentleman to her, and whatever you do, don't discuss sexual activities you _have_ engaged in or _will_ engage in with his daughter. And that's all you need to remember. I think you're good to go."

I rolled my eyes at him and thanked him for his profound advice. I grabbed my book and i-Pod and left my room, headed up to Bella's room. I was feeling no more confident about the coming weekend, still wondering what kind of uncomfortable situation I might find myself in. There would doubtless be so many uncomfortable situations to choose from.

I needed a distraction. I would have to think about a plan for Saturday night. I began to think of Saturday night as my carrot; my reward. I could make it through anything if I knew that Saturday night I'd be alone with my Bella. She would be my reward.

I got to Bella's room and we settled into the swanky fort, both of us reading. Bella had some assignments she had to read; I on the other hand, was just reading for entertainment. And to keep my mind and hands busy while she worked. It wasn't easy. I knew, however, that if I distracted her I'd be asked to leave and I didn't want that.

Every time she'd stand up to get a pen or grab a notebook or a highlighter, I'd find myself getting my hopes up, wondering if she was done or nearly done. I was really quite pathetic and impatient. After a while I really had no idea what I was even reading. I finally stuffed my earbuds into my ears and listened to some music.

Bella seemed restless. I'd felt that earlier today, both before lunch and then again afterwards. I imagined that it was because of her assignments she had to catch up on. She'd missed class for two days, and that was on the heels of missing two days' worth of classes last week. At least she'd made it to her Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes on Monday—though she'd been coming down with something and I really didn't know how much she had gotten out of the lectures she'd attended.

I'd begun re-reading a page for the third time when she set her book down and turned to me, pulling the cords of my earbuds and popping them out of my ears. I grinned at her.

"You're done already?"

But then I noticed the expression on her face and my grin evaporated.

"No, but Edward, we need to talk." She looked so serious.

_The four most dreaded words in a relationship. "We need to talk" is never a good thing. I'll admit it, I'm scared already._

**BPOV**

His face fell before I even said anything. I'd been wondering how to bring up the whole James situation ever since Alice and I had found and read the card from him. I knew Edward would be unhappy at best, angry at worst, and probably somewhat uncommunicative either way, simply because I had knowingly withheld something that he would feel I should have shared with him. I knew I hadn't handled this right, given the kind of protective boyfriend Edward was. But that was also part of the problem. When this whole thing with James started, Edward hadn't been my boyfriend. And now that he was, the James thing seemed to be snowballing.

It wasn't that I didn't want him to know, or felt that I had to hide something from him, it was just that Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie had all kind of felt that telling him, at the time, was possibly unnecessary. I had let myself be talked into that, feeling that they knew him so well, and if I were to be completely honest, simply because it was the easy way out of an uncomfortable situation.

Emmett had dealt with the coffee shop episode for me, but the whole James situation had apparently not been taken care of. And now I had to tell Edward. And the fact that I had waited would not sit well with him.

_Shit! Here goes nothing…_

"Um, I don't know how to tell you this, without you being upset." I tried to smile at him, but I think it came off as more of a grimace.

"What, Bella?" he asked, looking very concerned and raking his fingers through his wild hair. "Is it about going away Saturday? We don't have to. I already told you that…"

"No, no, it's not that. I want to go away with you. Although maybe after I tell you this you won't want to go anywhere with me."

"What? What is it? Why would you say that?" His eyes were wide and…fearful.

"Um, Edward, it's about James…"

His brow knitted in confusion. "James? James who?"

"James Hunter. You know, James from the house party? Coffee shop James?"

"_Him?_" Edward's brows furrowed. "What about him?"

I took a deep breath. "He's really creepy."

"I told you that. That was why I pretended that we were together at the party. Why?" Suddenly Edward's face darkened. "What happened, Bella?"

"Nothing really. Well, not _nothing_, but it's really more of a feeling than anything else."

"What do you mean? What kind of a feeling? What are you talking about?"

"I think he's, um, _pursuing_ me."

"_Pursuing you?_ What do you mean? Bella, what did he do?" His voice sounded almost stern. The worry and concern were spreading across his face. He had turned his body so that he was sitting cross-legged, facing me, looking intently into my eyes.

"You remember at the house party, how you 'saved me' from him?" I used air quotes with my fingers. Edward nodded but didn't interrupt. "I had met him before that; he had waited on me at the coffee shop and he had given me a really weird feeling then. I had ordered my coffee with raw sugar and he made some comment about me already looking 'sweet enough.' Then he asked if he could get me anything else. I don't know how to explain it, but his facial expression implied more than just coffee shop fare. He just made me uncomfortable the whole time, watching me, smirking at me, almost like he knew he was making me uncomfortable and was enjoying that. And when he handed me my coffee he touched my hand for no reason."

Edward sat up straighter, looking carefully at my face as he spoke. "So he didn't actually say anything or do anything completely inappropriate, you just felt like the things he said and did were insinuations intended to make you feel uncomfortable?"

"Exactly."

"What did he say to you the night of the house party, before I got back to you? You never mentioned anything about that." Edward's face looked like he was working on a puzzle, analyzing the pieces to see how they fit together.

"Well, again, he touched me, just running a finger up the back of my arm. I turned around immediately, wondering who it was. He said, 'I remember you…you like it _sweet _and _ra_w.' More insinuations. He had remembered how I had taken my coffee: with two raw sugars. He also asked my name, and he knew that Bella meant beautiful. He made some comment about that. And he wondered who I was there with."

"What did you tell him?" He reached for my hand, taking it lightly in his.

"Well, since Emmett drove, and he knew him, I said Emmett, and then I added Rosalie. I never mentioned you or Alice or Jasper. He wondered why they had left me alone and _'unprotected'_. I remember thinking that was an odd word to use, or maybe it stuck out because he was standing too close and I thought maybe I needed protecting."

"Was that all he said?"

"No, he said he wanted to show me the house; take me on an exclusive tour so we could find a quiet spot. I remember thinking that was such a lame pick-up line and how creepy he was to even suggest it. And then you showed up and I was relieved. "

"Until I kissed you on the forehead," Edward said wryly.

I smiled, remembering. "Yeah, at the time I was really shocked when you did that."

He smiled. "To tell you the truth, I was kind of shocked myself. But I thought you needed rescuing and I just went overboard with the theatrics. Sorry." He grinned apologetically.

"But finish telling me about James," he said. "Was there anything else he said that night?"

"No, but I remember thinking he looked like he didn't believe that you and I were together…and at the time, we weren't. Then I went outside and you followed me out to the patio. Did he say anything more to you after I left?"

"No, I think I just said I had to go. I knew you were upset with me, but I didn't tell him that or say anything more to him."

Edward reached his other hand forward, clasping mine now within both of his big, warm, gentle hands. His face had turned very serious again as he looked up at me.

"Bella, why are we talking about this stuff with James now? That party was over two weeks ago. Did something else happen?" Edward's brow was creased with worry and his pouty lips had become a straight line. His dark eyes looked intently at me.

I took a deep breath and leaned back against the cushions in the swanky fort, looking down at my hand in his. I hesitated, worrying about how Edward would react. I knew he was going to be upset; he was too protective not to be.

"Bella," Edward's voice was a little sharper, "You've seen him since then? What did he do?"

I nodded my head. "He said some things to me that were upsetting; he was creepier than he had been at the party."

Edward began to look agitated. "Where did you see him? What did he say?"

I took a deep breath, exhaling through my mouth in a loud sigh. "The day I went shopping with Alice to buy my dress for our date, we met Rose at the coffee shop on campus afterward. I didn't see James working there, so I wasn't worried about running into him. But then, right before we were ready to leave hewas just right there and he cornered me in the hallway by the bathroom…"

"What do you mean he 'cornered' you?" I could sense Edward's agitation building. He was clasping my hand more tightly in his now. His body was on edge and I could sense the turmoil building.

"I had dropped my purse and everything fell out of it and when I bent to pick my things up, suddenly he was just there, calling me _'Raw Sugar'_ and standing too close and he said I looked like I needed his help. Then he bent down and handed me a tampon that had rolled out of my purse and he…I don't know…he just smirked at me as he handed it to me. Of all things for him to hand me…it was just suggestive, you know? He could have picked up something else, but he chose that. I said I didn't need his help, I said, 'I've got it,' and he told me I had that right; that he just wondered _'_if I knew what to do with _it.'_ He said we should get together and I told him my boyfriend wouldn't like that. I just said that so he would drop it, you know?" I shrugged my shoulders a little.

Edward nodded but his jaws were clenching and his lips were still pressed in a tight line. His hands were still holding mine, but his gentle movements had stilled.

"What did he say to that?"

I blushed, remembering that James had assumed that I was referring to Edward.

"He assumed I meant you, you know, after he'd seen us together at the party. He made some crude remarks about you…and about me…"

"Bella, what did he say? Tell me. His exact words." Edward's face was darker; he was obviously angry. I knew he mostly angry with James, but I knew he was probably at least a little bit angry with me because I was telling him these things a week after the fact.

"He said, 'Who? Little _Cullen_? You're still with him?' He said he didn't think you knew 'what to do with a chick.' But he said he did and that he'd be happy to show me; teach me a few things, and then I could show you what he taught me. He was looking at me as though he was appraising me. It was a little scary, even though we were in a public place and I knew he wouldn't dare do anything to me there. Alice must have realized something was going on, because she called me then from the end of the hallway. But James still barred my way and said, 'You look smart, Bella; you're probably a quick learner. And you can bring your friend. I'm okay with a threeway.' He meant Alice."

I heard Edward exhale a low "fucker" under his breath. His eyes were hard and I could feel that his grip on my hand had tightened like a vise. I could feel myself blushing, feeling slightly ashamed, although I knew I had done nothing wrong.

"What a fucking douchebag!" he suddenly exploded. "I can't believe he did that to you and said those things to you. Wasn't there anyone else around?"

"Well, like I said, we were in that little hallway, so there was no one else right there. I was in shock and couldn't even think to say anything. Alice was probably wondering what was taking me so long, she called for me, and then she came over. She must have seen the look on my face and she heard some of what he'd said. She reached past James and grabbed me by the arm and she pulled me past him. James just laughed; he didn't try to stop me. He said, 'I'll let you go. But when you get tired of Little Cullen, you know where to find me. I don't mind…'"

I winced, covering my mouth with my hand. I couldn't say it, it would upset Edward. It had upset me. I just shook my head.

"Tell me, love," Edward pleaded. His hand relaxed on mine; he must have realized how tightly he'd been clasping my hand. "Just say it; I want to know exactly what he said to you."

I took a breath and felt myself heating up.

"He said he didn't mind '_sloppy seconds.'_" I looked away from Edward's eyes.

"Oh, love," he groaned. "I'm so sorry." He reached out for me and pulled me toward him, enfolding me in his arms. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there." His arms tightened a little more and he kissed my temple. "He's a total shit and deserves to have the shit beaten out of him."

I looked up into Edward's eyes. He looked physically ill from what I'd told him.

"I was stunned. I was disgusted by everything he'd said but I just couldn't seem to speak up. I've never had anything happen to me like that before. Alice called him a fucking asshole and a dick, saying he had no right to talk to me like that. He just laughed as we left, saying he 'liked them feisty.' Alice flipped him off and we left."

"Did he touch you?" Edward's voice was tight, controlled, as he held me to him.

I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his jaw muscles clenching. I realized that he had stilled completely, waiting for my answer. I didn't want to tell him. I knew it would really bother him. But I knew he would see me blushing and would know otherwise if I tried to lie. Before I could respond, he asked again as he pulled away from me to look at me. I kept my gaze averted.

"Bella, look at me. Did James touch you?" His voice was deceptively calm and soft.

"Kind of," I whispered.

"What do you mean he 'kind of' touched you?" I could hear the anguish creeping into Edward's voice. I watched as he raked his hand hard through his hair as he stared at me. His sea green eyes were murky.

I exhaled, feeling the blush creeping up my neck again. Explaining this to Edward just felt dirty, like I had somehow caused James to say and do the things he had done. I knew it was irrational.

"Tell me what he did, love." Edward's voice was softer again now, gentler, but the softness belied the hard edge that was just under the surface. I knew that edge was directed at James, not me.

"He had put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a little squeeze, and then his hand moved down my arm and I felt his thumb run along the side of my breast." My voice had become a whisper. "He didn't grab me, he just grazed me, but I knew he had done it on purpose, but in a way that it could have seemed inadvertent."

"Oh, fuck. That goddamned fucker." Edward's head was in his hand and his fingers were wrapped into his hair, tugging at it. He looked back up at me. "Bella, I'm so, so sorry." His expression was pained. "Why didn't you tell me about this? This whole thing you went through... I should have known about it, love. Why didn't you tell me? I could have dealt with this."

I took a deep breath. He wasn't going to like this next bit at all.

"I, um, I thought it was dealt with. I told Emmett. Right when Alice and Rose and I got back from the coffee shop. Rose said that he could report it to Campus Security. And we decided to file a complaint at the coffee shop…"

Edward's eyes widened in shock. "So they all knew about this, but you didn't tell me?" He pulled away from me. "Bella, I don't understand. Why wouldn't you tell me about this? This was about you and _me! _This had to do with me and you didn't think you could _tell me_?" His voice was disbelieving. And hurt. I could hear the hurt.

"They thought that you might get overly upset and do something rash, like confront James physically. I didn't want you getting involved in another fight because of me. And besides, we thought that maybe if we took these steps, nothing more would come of it."

I could see the upset and hurt on his face. I should have told him. I knew he felt that I had betrayed him by not involving him.

"Anyway," I said, looking down, "Emmett picked up a complaint form from the coffee shop and I filled it out. He turned it in for me the next day. He also turned in a copy to Campus Security and let them know what had been happening. That was the day of our date, Edward," I said, looking back up at him, wanting him to understand. "I just wanted to move on and have a good day and a great night with you. I didn't want to think about disgusting James."

Edward still looked upset. He shook his head slightly; I could see that he was biting his tongue.

"Edward, say something, please. Tell me what you're thinking." I reached out to grasp his forearm.

I heard the anguish in his voice as he spoke. "The rest of Tuesday, the whole day Wednesday, Wednesday when we went out, you never said a word to me about this, Bella? Didn't you think I had a right to know; that I would want to know because I care about you? You were protecting _me_ from _myself? _That idiot was a dick to you, Bella. You didn't deserve that!"

My voice came out a whisper. "I'm sorry, Edward. I should have told you. I realize that now. I'm telling you now. Please don't be angry with me."

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm not…I just…I wish I had known. I'm angry that you were dealing with this and I had no idea. It just makes me feel foolish. I want to be there for you and you didn't let me."

He paused, looking down. "So what happened after Emmett reported this and turned in the complaint?"

"Well, Alice told me on Friday at your parents' that James had been fired from the coffee shop. I guess they let Emmett know that. And James has been blacklisted from working anywhere else on campus."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief. "So you don't have to worry about running into him at the coffee shop anymore. That's good news, at least."

He looked up at me but I didn't respond.

"What?" he asked. "What else? What aren't you telling me?" His eyes widened suddenly. "You said you thought that 'maybe if you took these steps, nothing more would come of it.' What else has happened?"

"The flowers that Alice found by our door when we came back from your parents' house, the ones we figured someone had accidentally dropped and left behind…they were from James. For me. He left a card with them. He had given the flowers and card to Victoria to save for me when he realized that I wasn't home. Victoria put them by the door and flicked the card under the door. Alice just found the card today under her desk."

"What? He's been _here?_" His voice had risen to a near shout. He stood up abruptly, looking wildly around. "He came here to your room? How did he know where you live?"

I nodded, knowing that James coming by my room was most definitely not a good thing.

"I don't know how he knew. Maybe he figured I lived in the same dorm as you and Emmett, assuming he knew where Emmett lived. Maybe he asked around. I've never seen him here."

"Where's the card? Let me see it!" Edward was furious. I could see it in his face and hear it in his voice. His fists were clenching and unclenching as he spoke.

"Alice took it to Emmett. I think he was going to make a copy of it and take it to Campus Security."

"Well, what did he say in it?" Edward's face was dark with anger, though I knew it wasn't directed at me. I had watched his lovely face change from a thing of extreme beauty to a dangerous, threatening mask. His anger made him seem dangerous

"I don't remember word-for-word, but he left his phone number and he wants me to contact him. He said he wanted to 'set me straight' or something like that."

"Fuck!" Edward was pacing the room like a caged wild animal, hands balled into fists at his sides. I could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. "He's not going to get away with this shit. He's got another thing coming if he believes he can just pull this kind of screwed-up shit and not pay the price. There's no reason for him to be harrassing you like this." He stopped and looked over at me where I still sat in the swanky fort, watching him. "Let's go downstairs; I've got to go talk to Emmett. I want to see the card this asshole left for you."

"Edward, I can't; I've still got assignments to get through before tomorrow. I need to stay here and get things done. I'll be okay. I'll keep the door locked. I can't let myself get farther behind. I'll wait for you to come back and get me for dinner. Please. I'll be all right."

He didn't look too happy about leaving me. But I knew I would be safe. I would keep the door locked; there were other people around; I had my trusty pepper spray. Edward knew firsthand that I knew how to use it.

"Fine," he finally muttered. "Keep the door locked. Keep your pepper spray on you. Don't answer the door unless you know who's on the other side. I'm going to go talk to Emmett. If Alice is downstairs I'll send her up to keep you company and stay with you."

"I'll be fine, really, Edward. Alice doesn't need to come babysit me."

He turned to leave the room and had gotten all the way to the door before he stopped and turned back.

"Bella…why did you say before that I probably wouldn't want to go away with you this weekend after telling me all this?"

I blushed. "I just knew you'd be mad at me for not telling you earlier. I didn't mean to keep this a secret or anything. I just was hoping it would go away. And I wasn't sure how angry you'd be with me after you found out."

He quickly came back across the room to where I still sat in the swanky fort. He knelt down before me, shaking his head. He reached up with both hands, caressing my face between his hands as he spoke.

"You silly, lovely girl. You're my Bella. I love you and that's not going to change. Of course I'm upset you didn't tell me sooner. I guess I kind of understand, but I hope you won't keep something like that from me again. We're still going away on Saturday night, at least I want to, and I hope you still want to."

He looked at me, his eyes searching mine, his hands softly cupping my face.

"I still want to. I love you, Edward."

He pulled me into his arms, grasping a handful of my hair and pulling it down to force my face up to his, up to his lips and the fierce kiss that met me there.

"We'll figure this out, love," he murmured.

**EPOV**

I hustled down to Emmett's room, my anger only somewhat abated. How could he have kept this from me? He thought this was a good idea? Emmett and Alice, both, had been trying to…what?...Shelter me from myself? It was absurd. If this affected Bella, then it affected me. Couldn't they see that?

I pounded on Emmett's door. He was surprised when he opened it and saw me standing there.

"Edward, what's up? Is this a social call?" He smiled, but his smile quickly morphed into a serious expression. He saw that I had no patience for that crap. At least he could read my moods…he'd gotten good at that over the years.

"No, I'm here to find out why the hell you don't think you can let me in on the crap Bella's been going through with James? My girlfriend's being harassed by some perverted lecherous asshole and you don't think I need to know? Alice knows, Rose knows, you know, Jasper knows, but I don't? Tell me how that makes any sense!"

"Jasper doesn't know. We didn't tell him. He'd have told you five minutes after finding out himself."

"Then he's a hell of a lot better friend than you are, Emmett!"

"I'm operating as your Resident Advisor and brother right now, not as your friend."

"Oh, fuck that, Emmett!" I seriously felt like taking a swing at him.

"Edward, I was trying to help. You didn't need the aggravation, you would have gone ballistic and run down there and beaten the shit out of the guy and gotten yourself into a shitload of trouble. Do you think that would have been helpful for Bella? I'm following the procedure for this. Believe me; I'm doing what's right. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, we should have, but look at how you're reacting. You're ready to jump into the ring with the guy and pound him until he's a bloody pulp. But what if _you're _the one to get hurt instead of him? How will that make Bella feel?"

I just waved my hand in the air at him. I really didn't want to hear his 'what if's' right now.

"Whatever. I want to see the card James left for her with the flowers. Bella said that Alice brought it to you."

He turned to his desk and opened a drawer. "Here," he said, withdrawing it and handing the card to me.

I opened it up and read it with Emmett looking over my shoulder:

_Beautiful Bella,_

_I suddenly seem to have all kinds of free time now that I am no longer working at the coffee shop. I think we have a lot to talk about. I want to get together with you and set you straight on a few things. Don't worry your lovely little head. I'm not angry with you. _

_I look forward to hearing from you, Raw Sugar._

_James Hunter_

At the bottom of the note was a phone number.

"He's threatening her, you know?" I softly said to Emmett.

"It does come across that way, yeah. Subtle, but its there. The coffee shop complaint we filed was completely anonymous. There was even already another one on file from someone else. But he must have figured out that the new one would have been from her and that was why he was fired."

"The 'I want to set you straight on a few things' sounds like he's angry with her for turning him in." I looked up into Emmett's serious, clear blue eyes. He nodded.

"I think so too. Even though he tells her not to worry her lovely little head and that he's not angry with her. I think it sounds like underlying anger."

I folded the card back up and handed it to him. I felt so angry and helpless, not knowing what to do to deal with this.

"What are you going to do?" Emmett asked me.

"I'm not sure. I've got to think about it. Bella's upstairs in her room. She's still got a ton of homework to finish catching up on. I told her to make sure to keep the door locked and keep her pepper spray handy. Do you know where Alice is?"

"I'm pretty sure she's with Jasper in your room. Why?"

"I told Bella I'd see if Alice would go up to keep her company. I think I need to go for a run to clear my head and think about all this shit."

Emmett nodded. "Let me know if you don't find Alice. I can go hang out with Bella upstairs."

I looked at my brother, realizing that he really had grown up when I wasn't looking. I knew he had been trying to do the right thing for Bella. And for me. He was trying to protect me. Just like I wanted to protect Bella. I guess that's just how you treat the people you love.

"Thanks, Em," I muttered at him.

He nodded and patted my shoulder as I left his room.

Alice was in my room. She was more than happy to go upstairs to keep Bella company while she worked on her homework. I reminded her to keep the door locked and not let anybody in unless she knew damn well who was on the other side of the door.

I changed quickly after she left and sprinted out of the dorm and down the hill, thinking about everything Bella had told me. Something was bothering me and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I thought about the things James had said to her on the different unfortunate occasions she'd run into him. I thought about what he had written to her in that card, and I thought about why he had brought her the flowers. I thought about what he had done to her. He hadn't aggressively harmed her, but I could see in the way she talked about it that he had hurt her.

I truly felt like I could kill him. I knew he had made Bella feel dirty, and she had done nothing wrong whatsoever. She didn't deserve this nightmare. What a fucking creep he was. I was about twenty minutes into my run, still trying to figure out what was bothering me about this whole thing when it suddenly struck me like a bolt of lightning. I sprinted back to Bella's room as quickly as I could.

When I got to her door I banged loudly on it, yelling that it was me. When she opened the door, I was out of breath, bending over, resting my hands on my knees. I staggered into her room, sweaty and breathless. Alice was in there with her. They both looked at me with wide eyes as I stumbled into the room.

"His card to you…he wrote it with his phone number…" Alice and Bella were looking at me like I was crazy. "He knew…he wrote the card…with his phone number for you to call…You said he had given the flowers to Victoria...when he realized that you weren't home, but he already knew it... That's why he wrote what he did. When he brought the flowers he'd already been here before…and knew you wouldn't be here. Bella…James is stalking you!"

**A/N: I'd like to hear your thoughts. Let me know.**


	53. Stealthy Maneuvers

**The Transfer (Revised)**

**If you are an original reader of The Transfer…this chapter is all new. Read it. Really. But only if you've read chapters 31, 50, 51 and 52. Really…you should just read them all from this point on. Hope you like it.**

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. I am still playing catch-up. Things got way beyond my control. I'll get there.

Stephenie did her own damn thing. I'm doing mine without infringing.

So what does our boy do when he realizes Bella is probably being stalked? Oh you know damn well what he does! He can't leave well enough alone!

**Chapter 53: Stealthy Maneuvers (Revised)**

**EPOV**

I couldn't shake the gut feeling that I had. Call it a sixth sense or intuition, fuck, maybe I was a mind-reader after all, but I just had this nagging feeling that James was indeed stalking Bella. As soon as the realization occurred to me while I'd been out running, I'd run like hell back to Bella's dorm room to warn her.

Alice was there with her when I burst into the room, out of breath and on shaky legs from my flat out sprint back uphill and upstairs. They were both surprised to see me again so quickly and probably shocked at the state I was in when I burst into their room. I think I was really just babbling at first, as I sucked in deep breaths and tried to speak.

I explained to them how James, having written his phone number in the card, and having told her he wanted to hear from her, implied that he already knew when he dropped the flowers and card off, that Bella wasn't going to be there. He somehow knew she wasn't home, so he must have been following her, or keeping an eye on her, or some such frightening thing.

If a guy wants to give a girl flowers, wouldn't he just bring them to her in person? Maybe James had already tried to bring Bella the flowers at some earlier point on the weekend, while we'd been away in Port Angeles. Maybe that was why the flowers were past their prime and turning into a dry, wilted, crumbling mess. Maybe when he dropped them off it was already the second time he'd showed up in our dorm. He had somehow known that this was the right dorm and the right suite, so it was either a very lucky guess, or he had to have either followed Bella at some point, or spoken with someone else who knew her. The question was, _with whom_? And I wanted to know _when_.

Alice didn't seem completely convinced with my train of thought and Bella was even less convinced. But I knew James must have known or guessed Bella wouldn't be there and that was why he had written the card in the first place.

Alice told me what Victoria had said, that James had been looking around for Bella's room and she'd pointed it out to him on Saturday night. She'd gone back to her room when he knocked on the door and asked her to give the flowers and card to Bella since she wasn't home. Victoria, being Bitchtoria, just left them there on the floor without ever any mention of it to either Bella or Alice.

The tone of the card sounded threatening to me. He wasn't some shy admirer leaving a romantic gesture on a girl's doorstep. And I knew enough about James to know that he wasn't a timid, shy guy; he was arrogant and self-assured and when it came to girls he was downright predatory. The card felt like a reminder and a warning to me. To me it said, "I'm still out there and I won't be ignored." Even though he said in the card that he wasn't angry, the fact that he started the note out mentioning having "all kinds of time because he no longer had a job", that was obviously directed at Bella. He somehow guessed or knew that she had instigated his being fired from the coffee shop. I think he wanted Bella and was having more difficulties than he had anticipated and was moving into the threatening mode to try to subdue her into being cooperative.

Bella argued that we'd have a hard time convincing any authority figures that James was stalking her. And really, once she explained what she meant to me, I had to admit she was right. Her first encounter with James had been at his place of work. Then she'd gone to a party at his house the second time he'd spoken to her. The third time was back at the coffee shop, during the hours he was working once again. Bella said if anything, it would look like she was stalking him and not the other way around. I guess I had to agree. And no one really knew the whole story on the flowers and how many times he'd actually come by over the weekend.

Still, I couldn't shake the creeping feeling that was making the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. I was worried for Bella. James just seemed ominous.

And that was why I'd left the girls' room shortly after that conversation to go back down to my suite and take a shower. I'd gotten dressed quickly afterward.

Even after showering, the hair-raising feeling at the nape of my neck wouldn't go away. It was actually what had driven me to pick up my wallet and keys and stuff them into my pockets. That hair-raising feeling then led me down to the parking lot and into my Volvo. I was now speeding in the direction of James' and Laurent's house. I wanted answers and I wanted them now.

I think I also wanted a fistfight, but I wasn't really going to acknowledge that after the talk Emmett had given me earlier in the afternoon. I knew Bella wouldn't want me to get involved, and certainly not physically; Emmett had even pointed that out to me, but I just couldn't sit around and wait and hope that nothing bad would happen to her. Some form of bad was already happening and we all knew it.

I knew exactly where James' and Laurent's house was, even though I'd never driven there before myself. We'd all gone there a few times with Emmett, since James and Laurent had thrown several big parties at their house. Emmett had always driven the Hummer so we could all go comfortably in one car. I think he also figured we'd be safe if we were all buckled into the off-roading harnesses in the event of a drunk-driving accident, although he never actually came out and admitted that.

He'd always made sure to drag me along when he went to a party, just to get me out of my room and out of the dorm and interacting with other people. He'd had such high hopes. I'd pretty much dashed them every single time, but at least he'd gotten me out of my dungeon and amongst the living for a few hours on each of those occasions.

I hadn't really cared one way or another. It was something different to do, although I usually avoided making too much conversation with other people and of course I shunned girls like the plague. I would usually hang with Jasper or Emmett. If they were occupied with Alice or Rose, I'd just try to fade into the background. It never seemed to work one hundred percent, though. That was inevitably when the girls would approach and I'd have to either act too drunk to function socially, or I'd have to come off like a dick so they'd give up on trying to approach me or start something up with me.

Of course when we would go to parties I would drink, initially even getting quite shit-faced, that being a sort of rite of passage for most guys my age and probably more so in my own particular depressing situation. Originally I had kind of sought out and liked the numb feeling that being drunk would give me. I guess that was understandable. I had still been trying to put my past behind me, or maybe I'd just used that as another way of punishing myself. Being sick at night and hung over the next day at least gave me a different kind of pain to focus on once in a while. Emmett and Jasper had always made sure to keep an eye on me and not let me go too overboard. I guess that wasn't really in my personality anyway. I have more restraint than most. And the excessive drinking had lost some of its allure once I had become of legal age anyway.

All that seemed so long ago now. That was a different lifetime, a different life, a different me. So much in my life had changed and all it had taken was letting an adorably clumsy, sweet and funny, brown-haired, chocolate-eyed girl get under my skin and into my heart. It seemed that just about everything I thought or did revolved around her. She had become the single most important thing in my life.

And fucking James was trying to screw with her.

I realized I was gripping the steering wheel overly tightly and relaxed one hand and then the other, flexing my fingers. I'd like to have wrapped them around James' neck overly tightly and squeeze the breath from him.

I had always been more of an observer than a participator, and once I had shut down the social aspect of my life, I had become even more of an observer. I'd been at a handful of parties at James' house, at the most, but it had been enough to watch him and see how he operated. I'd watched him on several occasions preying on girls at their parties; enough to know that he probably operated that way even outside of the party atmosphere. He would set his sights on someone and before long he'd strike.

I'm sure, to a girl who didn't know him, he seemed attractive at first. He was fairly tall with a slight, yet sinewy build and a graceful rather slinking, cat-like gait. He had kind of an edgy, dangerous look about him. I'd noticed a few tattoos on his arms, though they were often covered up by long-sleeved shirts. I guessed a girl might find his face good-looking, with slightly longer than normal, thick, streaky blondish hair and piercing, pale, icy-blue eyes. But I'd seen those girls disappear with him into his lair only to resurface and leave, usually seeming somewhat upset, if not in tears at having been cast aside, or who knew what else had happened behind that closed door.

He'd always seemed a little _off_ to me; a little dangerous. He was likely the sort that could usually get what he wanted. Then, after he'd used it, he would discard it thoughtlessly. And I had the distinct feeling that what he now wanted was Bella and that he just might be hunting her.

James Hunter, a very apt name.

Only I was now on the hunt as well.

I pulled down the relatively quiet street where their house stood. The houses all seemed to be in need of some paint or repair or other type of upkeep. The lots that surrounded the houses were in poor shape, the yards unkempt and ragged, with overgrown trees and shrubs in what had probably been flower beds at an earlier time. It was obvious that the homes in this area were rentals, without permanent owners to take pride in their appearance. The inhabitants of the few neighboring houses on the quiet street were probably other students or other young, financially unstable sorts. Certainly there were no families or couples who subscribed to Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

It was actually an ideal spot if you wanted to throw blowout parties with loud, thumping-bass music. The neighbors probably showed up to join in and partake and the police were probably never called to a disturbance. The overflow from the party would empty out into the patio out back and the relatively large backyard beyond that. The two-car garage had probably not housed a car the entire time James and Laurent lived there. Instead it was home to a beer pong table that remained perpetually set up and ready to roll.

I pulled up to the curb, across the street and two houses down from their house. I killed the engine, leaving the keys in the ignition. I turned off my lights and sat there looking at the house. It was already twilight and the house sat dark and still in the gloom. It was fairly obvious that no one was home. Which wasn't at all satisfying.

I decided I would wait a bit and so I texted Bella that I wasn't going to make it to dinner; I told her to go ahead and go with Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rose. I told her I'd come up to her room later in the evening.

When Bella had texted me back, asking where I was, I had merely replied that I was running an errand. I had received a text from Alice shortly afterward, asking what kind of an errand I was running. Damn nosey Alice. I had texted back that I had stuff to do, that it was no concern of hers, and then I simply didn't reply to any of the other texts I got as a result of that one. Alice and then Emmett had both had something to say and I just didn't respond. I knew they'd be pissed and I knew they'd probably figure out what I was up to.

I watched the house for a few more minutes after that, then I removed my keys and climbed out of the car, closing and locking the door and walking quickly across the street and down the block. The driveway sat empty. Usually James and Laurent would park in the driveway, I recalled, because of the ever-present beer pong table within the garage itself. As I walked toward the front door of house I looked around, seeing no one from the neighboring houses out and about on the street or their front yards.

I knocked on the door, not really expecting anyone to answer, and of course no one did. Just as I was about to head back to my car, I decided to walk around to the back of the house, maybe taking a peek into James' window as I passed his room. The heavy curtains were drawn, however, so I wasn't afforded a glimpse into the stalker's den.

I snorted at that thought. Here I was, stalking the stalker.

Finally giving up, I rounded the house and headed back to the Volvo in the ever-increasing dark.

Just as I closed the car door and went to put the key back into the ignition, headlights appeared around the bend in the road at the end of the street. I stilled instantly, wondering if it was James. I couldn't remember what kinds of cars James and Laurent owned, nor the colors of them, even though they had probably always been parked in the driveway at any of the parties I'd attended. It was just something to which I had never paid attention. The approaching car was black or dark blue, it was hard to tell. It slowed and pulled into the driveway in front of their house. Bingo.

**BPOV**

When Edward had left my room to go shower I had tried to concentrate on the work I still had to accomplish. It certainly wasn't easy, but I really had little choice if I wanted to be caught up for tomorrow's classes.

Alice and I had both felt that Edward was perhaps over-reacting a bit. Claiming that I was being stalked seemed a little extreme. Yes, James was creepy and yes, he'd done and said a few awful things to me, but I wasn't convinced that he was following me around. I'd never noticed him around me, and really, when would he have had the chance?

A week ago, on Tuesday was the last time I'd seen him; the day at the coffee shop with Alice and Rose. Wednesday, after my classes, I'd been busy with Alice and Rose in the afternoon, primping for my first date with Edward. The next morning I had left for Forks and from there, I'd gone to Port Angeles until Sunday, late in the afternoon. On Monday I'd attended my classes, but had come down with the flu that afternoon, virtually keeping to my room all that evening, all day Tuesday, and today until I'd ventured out with the gang for a late lunch in the dining hall. Thank goodness for Edward and Alice, bringing me the occasional drink or small snack if I'd felt at all like eating. Which I really hadn't.

So that would have left very little time for James to be tracking me on either the previous Wednesday morning or this past Monday morning. I was beginning to wonder if he'd simply come by the dorm at some point over the weekend, thinking that he could apologize for his inappropriate behavior with a bouquet of flowers. Maybe he'd spoken to someone who'd told him that I'd gone away for the weekend. Perhaps he'd left, written the card, and returned hoping to run into me or at least leave the flowers and card for me to discover upon my return. If that was the case, it explained why the flowers were in such bad shape on Sunday.

I really couldn't sit around and devote any more time to trying to figure out this riddle. I settled into the swanky fort, intent on making my way through another chapter of British literature for tomorrow.

Because we'd eaten lunch so late, we weren't going to go to the dining hall until nearly the end of the regular dinner hours. I figured Alice and I would head down to meet Edward and Jasper and we'd join Emmett and Rose at that point.

But the text that Edward just sent me told me differently. And worried me. A lot.

"Why are you making that face, Bella?"

I looked up to see Alice regarding me carefully from where she sat at her desk. I quickly flipped my phone closed. Then I opened it back up and glanced back at the screen.

"It's a text from Edward, saying he's not going to make it to dinner, that I should go with you and Jasper. He says he'll come up here later in the evening."

"Why?" she asked. "Where is he?"

I shrugged and began texting him back. When my phone vibrated shortly after that, I read the incoming message and looked up at Alice.

"He says he's got an errand to run." I was conscious of the fact that I couldn't erase the worry from my face.

"What kind of an errand?" Alice asked, her lips pursing and her brows knitting.

"He didn't say."

Alice quickly grabbed her phone up off the desktop and began tapping out a text. She set her phone back down and looked over at me, neither of us saying anything, both of us thinking the same thing.

Her phone chimed and she leaned over, reading it. "He says, 'I've got stuff to do, it's no concern of yours.'"

"Alice," I began, "you don't think he's…"

"Yes, I do. I'm sure he is." She didn't even have to elaborate. "Let's go get Emmett. It's almost dinner time anyway. Damn it all, Edward!"

I immediately set my things to the side, standing up with my phone in hand, just in case he were to text me again.

But he didn't. He didn't respond to either Alice's texts or Emmett's, once we told him what we suspected.

I headed to the dining hall with Alice, Jasper and Rose. Emmett hung back in his room to try to work on the Edward situation. It felt odd to be at dinner anymore without Edward at my side. I really wasn't hungry, after having been sick and not eating much for several days. I think my stomach must have shrunk. I think worrying about Edward's current whereabouts and well-being was making it shrink further, into a tiny little knot. But I was desperate for the company of the others, realizing that if I stayed by myself I'd be overcome with worry.

Alice and I filled in Rose and Jasper with the latest developments and Edward's suspicions. Jasper was completely blown out of the water by all that had happened regarding James. This was the first he'd heard of it and was obviously offended that we'd left him out of the loop. He was only slightly appeased when I confessed that Edward had only found out about it a few short hours ago.

The four of us sat together then at the table near the wall, trying to figure out the pieces to the whole puzzle, including the card and the dried up flowers tied in black ribbon, as well as whether Edward's suspicions had any kind of merit.

We each tried to call him once again during dinner, hoping that he might respond to one of us, if not the others. But it was to no avail.

**EPOV**

A dark colored car had pulled up into the driveway in front of James' house. I sat and watched as the car quieted and the headlights were turned off. A moment later a figure climbed out of the driver side, bending over and leaning back into the car to retrieve something. I watched as the figure straightened up and was instantly disappointed to see that it was a fairly tall, dark-skinned guy of medium build with relatively long dark hair. Laurent.

Laurent was actually a fairly nice guy, or at least that was the impression I'd always gotten. He seemed rather easy-going and friendly in a semi-stoner sort of way. Really, the only dealings I'd ever had with him had been at their parties, while he'd been drinking and probably under the influence of something in the narcotic realm. His demeanor though, was quite the opposite of James'. Laurent was a sort of free spirit and a lover of women. He didn't seem to treat them poorly; he seemed to treat them well. And there were a lot of them. There never seemed to actually be just one, he had more of a harem, it appeared. Emmett had even made the remark one time that James was a "user" and Laurent was a "schmoozer." That seemed pretty damned apt to me.

Laurent had left his car and headed into the house, turning on the lights within the area I knew to be the living room. I deliberated for about two seconds, then I climbed out of my car, intent on talking with him. It might be better than coming away completely empty-handed; he could hopefully give me some kind of information or something. I was really grasping at straws.

I walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. I could hear the weak chime from within. A few moments later, the door opened up, spilling light onto me. Laurent stood there, hard-muscled, barefoot, with a brief slight frown on his face and his phone in his hand. It took a second for him to realize who I was, and then his gleaming white teeth were flashing in his rich, dark skin.

"Edward, my friend!" he exclaimed in his relaxed voice, with the slightest of French accents. "What brings you here?" He looked past me toward the street and I figured he was probably looking to see if Emmett was following behind me. He had a questioning look on his face, probably surprised at seeing that I was alone.

It was easy to see the allure that Laurent would have to the opposite sex. His voice had a rich, mellow quality. Combined with the French accent it came across as exotic. Women would find him attractive, too. I actually knew that for a fact; watching and listening to girls at his parties stare and plot and make their moves, which he usually welcomed. He was sociable and had an easy smile and always spoke in a friendly tone. I didn't think I'd ever seen him angry or even at all ruffled about anything.

"Hey, Laurent, how's it going? I was wondering if James was home," I said, although I already knew that he wasn't.

"James?" he seemed surprised. "Now why would you be looking for James, Edward?" He stepped back from the door, waving me inside as he looked down at his phone, quick fingers on the keypad. I glanced back out toward the street, checking to see if there were any other cars approaching and then I followed Laurent inside, shutting the door behind me.

He knew James and I had never really had anything to do with one another; we'd never been that friendly, we weren't in any classes together, we weren't even in the same year of college. James was a year older than me, like Emmett, and Laurent was actually two years older and had always been the supplier of alcohol because of his age. At least that was until we'd all caught up and turned legal.

"I just need to talk with him; it's kind of personal." I had no idea if Laurent had any idea about James and what he'd done or was potentially doing to Bella, but I wasn't ready to show my hand quite yet.

"Well, you'd have to consider yourself very lucky to come here looking for James and actually find James to be at home; he's not often around. He has always worked long hours, both at school and at his job, however he recently lost his job at the coffee shop." Laurent shot me a sideways glance as he headed toward the kitchen, beckoning me to follow him.

"I was just about to have a beer; can I offer you one, Edward?" he asked pleasantly over his shoulder.

"Sure, Laurent, thanks." I leaned against the counter in the drab kitchen, watching him as he set his phone down and opened the refrigerator. He pulled out two bottles, handing me one.

"À votre santé!" he said as he removed the bottle cap and clinked his bottle against mine.

I snorted. "Yeah, 'to my health;' I just might need those good thoughts."

Laurent just looked at me and smiled a little uncertainly.

"So, you don't know where James might be?" I asked him.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I do know, however, if I were him, I'd be out hunting for a job. If he doesn't find himself another job he may be looking for a new living arrangement before long. And I may find myself in search of a new roommate. You wouldn't happen to know anyone looking, would you, Edward?" he asked, bright teeth gleaming.

"Sorry, can't help you there, Laurent. So James may get the boot, huh? What's with his job situation?"

"James was fired a week ago, can't get work on campus anymore for some reason, and has been looking for another job since then. He has to work to afford to live here. His father pays for his tuition, but James has always had to pay his own living expenses, including his rent. He used to have some kind of financial assistance, but I believe he has lost that or squandered it away. It's just James and his father; his mother left when he was young. I don't remember what his father does, but I know James has always needed a job to supplement what they can afford."

I nodded my head and sipped at my beer, peeling at the label on the bottle as I thought about the information I had just gleaned from Laurent.

"So, Edward," Laurent said after a moment, "what is going on between you and James? What brings you here, seeking him out? Not that you are not welcome, of course. You can tell me. There is no love lost between James and myself. We have a financial arrangement more than anything else. As long as he can pay his share of the rent, he is an okay roommate. He is neat. He does his thing and I do mine and only a few of those things overlap; like our parties. We do not bother each other too much beyond that."

I took a long pull from my beer and set the bottle down on the counter. I eyed him speculatively and then just decided to go for it.

"He's after my girlfriend and neither she, nor I, are okay with that."

His eyes widened. "The small, dark-haired girl that was here with your group at our last party?"

I was surprised that he remembered. He must have seen it in my reaction.

"She is a beautiful girl, Edward. It was hard not to notice her that night. Besides, seeing you with a girl was quite a phenomenon. You are usually fighting them off, but you were with that one the night of the party. Or were you?"

I took a quick breath, surprised at his words, especially his question.

"Her name is Bella. She wasn't actually my girlfriend then, but since then we've gotten together. She's definitely mine now."

He nodded. "So, you were trying to protect Bella from James' advances that night?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Yeah, why?"

"He was intrigued by her," he continued, "I can tell you that much. Someone new; someone so pretty. You know James; a new 'toy' in his eyes. When you defended her, I can imagine it must have set him off. It would have made her that much more alluring to him. He welcomes a challenge. You have presented him with a beautiful challenge, and the fact that she was here with you, and you have never been involved with anyone that we have ever seen…" He shrugged apologetically. "I hate to say it, Edward, but he probably does not see you as a very deserving opponent. And nothing stops James when he gets started, you know."

"Well, I'm stopping him now," I said heatedly. "He needs to leave her alone and keep his hands off of her! She's not interested!"

"I won't get involved, Edward. This is between you and James and this girl, Bella. Do what you need to do, but don't underestimate James. He's very determined when he wants something. Or someone. One might call him 'obsessive.' I'm truly sorry for what has been unleashed here, but I don't know that I could really do anything about it."

I was frustrated, but I didn't know that I really expected anything of Laurent. I now knew that James had been dependent upon his job and no longer had that. I was sure he would view Bella as being responsible for the loss of that job, failing to see his own behavior as the catalyst. I was sure he was angry with her, but it sounded like he was also somewhat obsessed with her.

"Um, this is going to sound weird, but do you think I could take a look in his room?"

Laurent laughed his deep, mellow laugh. "So, this is becoming espionage now, Edward?" He shrugged at me, smiling. "Be my guest. I really don't care what you do." He waved in the direction of the hall off of the living room.

I felt like a tool asking him, and even more so actually taking a look into James' room. I think I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't a creepy shrine to Bella with lit candles or strands of lights tucked into a corner, or photos of her covering an entire wall with the eyes blacked out in each one, or some such horrific thing.

When I opened the door and turned on the light I didn't see either of those two things that my imagination had conjured up. However, looking at James' room did kind of make my skin crawl. The room looked like a motel room. Completely devoid of any personal touches. Slightly shabby, but clean and neat as a pin. Obsessively so. Compulsively so. I'd never seen anything quite like it. And to imagine that a twenty-two year-old guy lived there…well, it just wasn't natural. It seemed blatantly fucked up to me. I could be accused of being excessively neat and organized. I liked control of my environment. But this...you could only call it blatantly fucked up.

I had just turned off the light and was about to shut the door to James' room when I heard the front door open and shut and the sound of Laurent's voice.

"I was wondering when you would finally show up!"

I heard footsteps heading in my direction, where I stood, stock still, just outside of James' room. I glanced up just in time.

_Holy crap!_

"What the fuck is with you, Edward? Do you have a death wish or something?"

"Shit, Emmett! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Are you going all vigilante on me, or something? Use your head, moron!"

Laurent was standing back behind Emmett, stifling his laughter.

"You're not my parent, Emmett!"

"No, but I am my brother's keeper and I'm trying to keep my brother out of the hospital or even worse, out of jail!"

"I'm just talking with Laurent! And how the hell did you even know to show up here?"

Emmett just rolled his eyes at me. "Oh, come on! You can't possibly really be asking me that! Where the hell else were you going to just disappear off to on an 'errand'?" He made air quotes as he spoke. Then he just stood there for a moment, with his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "Did you even stop to think about how this would affect Bella? She's beside herself worrying about you and then you stop answering your phone; what's she supposed to think?"

I clenched my teeth together tightly so I didn't just roar at him. I was pissed off at him for running after me like I was a baby. I was pissed off at him for being right about scaring Bella. I was pissed at myself for being an idiot and worrying Bella. I was absolutely, fuckingly, lividly pissed off at James for doing this to all of us in the first place.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "So you just thought to show up?"

"No, I called Laurent earlier to see if you were here. He wasn't home yet, but he was on his way here at the time..."

"And when I got here," Laurent's soothing, mellow voice continued, "and you showed up at my door, I texted Emmett. Don't be angry at your brother, Edward; he knows James better than you do. And apparently he knows you pretty well too." He chuckled softly.

Laurent looked at my brother. "Edward told me what has been going on with James. I am truly sorry. I don't know that there is really anything that I can do. If James says anything to me or does anything that I think you need to know about, I will call you."

Emmett and I both thanked him and left the house a short while after that. Once we were outside, Emmett stopped me to talk to me before we got into our cars.

"I'm sorry, Edward, but you can't just go off half-cocked like that. I know that you feel like you want to do something about James, but there's better ways than to just try and ambush him. And really, you do have to think about Bella in all this. I know you think you're doing this for her, but realize that if something happens to you when you go on a rampage, she's ultimately going to blame herself. Don't do that to Bella."

_Shit! Emmett had turned into a fucking parent! The worst thing of all was that he was right. The scariest thing of all was that he'd probably make a really great Dad someday. _

"Now, just so that you know, I've posted signs on all of the doors at the dorm, reminding people to keep them shut and use their keys, when going in and out, so people that don't live there can't just waltz in uninvited. I've also put up flyers announcing a dorm meeting tomorrow evening to go over safety procedure reminders."

He was looking carefully at me. I knew he wanted to let me know he was taking his job as Resident Advisor seriously. I also knew that he was taking his job as my brother seriously too.

I exhaled loudly. "Thanks, Emmett. Sorry if I worried you. Sorry I made you drive all the way over here chasing me. I just feel like I need to fucking _do_ something, you know? It's so hard to just sit and wonder and wait to see if that asshole is going to try to pull something else on Bella."

"I know, Edward. I get it. Why don't you go home and spend some time with her? She'll probably feel safer and it'll help keep her mind off things. And it won't give her extra stuff to worry about." He raised his eyebrows at me, his eyes twinkling.

I nodded. "You're right. As much as it pains me to say that to your face."

He grinned, dimples blazing in triumph.

We both got back in our cars and Emmett followed me back to the dorm.

I headed up to Bella's room with my tail between my legs. I knew I was headed directly for the doghouse. I felt terrible about what I'd done and I knew she was upset. Actually, she was angry with me. She'd never been angry with me before. I could tell by the tone of the text she'd sent me. When I'd gotten back into my car I'd texted her immediately.

_I'm so sorry, love. I'm OK. _

_I'm on my way back. _

_Can I still come see you?_

Her response had been rather cold.

_Suit yourself._

That was only slightly better than a flat-out '_no._' I realized I was fairly fucked at that point.

I stood before her door now, gathering my courage. Somehow I think I felt more fearful now than I had felt earlier, thinking that it was James coming down that hallway when Emmett had appeared. I raised my hand and knocked lightly. I heard movement from within.

The door opened and Bella stood there, looking up at me without a single trace of a smile on her lips or in her eyes. I was aware that I exhaled slightly, involuntarily, like you would if you'd been punched in the gut and hadn't been expecting it. I swallowed and heard an audible gulp. She must have heard it too but she didn't say a word. She just backed up a little, allowing the door open a bit wider. That was my invitation inside, I realized.

_Holy shit! What do I do? She's not even speaking to me._

_For starters, apologize you fuckwit!_

"Bella, I'm so sorry," I mumbled. I saw movement out of the corner of my eyes and realized that Alice was in the swanky fort. She was in the process of standing up. I glanced over at her for the briefest of moments and saw her glaring at me. Then her eyes shifted toward Bella. Alice bent and picked up her book, shaking her head in what had to have been disgust at me. And then she came toward me, heading for the door.

"I'll leave you two alone, now," she said in a sweet lilting voice. Then she looked at me as she passed. "You're i-in troub-ble," she said happily, in a little sing-song voice, smiling at me as I groaned in response.

_Don't leave me! I can't do this alone! Please stay with me!_

The door shut and the room was silent. I turned and looked at Bella. I didn't dare touch her…I could tell that was off limits right now. I knew I was in deep shit.

"I am so stupid and I am so, so sorry, Bella," I said for starters. "I should never have gone there; I just…I couldn't sit by and not do anything. I don't know why I thought going there would be a good idea." I paused wondering if she would say anything; wondering just how deep this deep shit was.

"Edward, how did you think I would feel?" Her voice was soft but pained. Her eyes had a wounded look that I'd never seen before. I realized with a start that it was because I'd never hurt her before this.

_Oh, love!…I didn't think_. _Not for one second._ _I just fucking reacted._

"I'm sorry, love, I just…I didn't think about how you would feel. I just reacted…to everything you told me and the feeling that he's watching you. I know you disagree, but I just can't shake it, Bella."

I ran both of my hands up into my hair, clasping my fingers together and holding onto the top of my head, just to hold onto something.

"I just want to protect you; to keep you safe and I don't trust him. I just can't help thinking that something is going to come out of left field."

I clenched my teeth. I could feel the lump rising in my throat, the stinging sensation in my eyes and within my nose as I looked down at my lovely, fragile, beautiful girl.

"Bella, if something…happened to you…"

_My voice fucking cracked. _

I swallowed and tried again, whispering hoarsely this time. "If something were to happen to you, I don't think I could take it."

I clamped my teeth and lips together tightly. I wasn't going to fucking quiver, but I couldn't help the hot pooling of liquid that I could feel forming within my eyes. I roughly dragged my hands over my face, hoping she wouldn't have noticed.

_This whole thing with James was making me so fucking emotional!_

"Edward, I feel the same way. Don't you know that? I feel the _exact_ same way. That's why you can't do something like that." She took a step toward me.

That was all it took. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, cradling her snugly against my body and felt her arms sliding around my waist, her hands kneading my back. We just stood there for the longest time, leaning into each other, rocking slightly from side to side.

"I'm so, so sorry, love," I whispered into her hair before kissing the top of her head and then leaning my cheek against her.

I managed to make things right, vowing to myself that I wouldn't do something so stupid again; that I would try to keep in mind that Bella felt about me the same way I felt about her.

Alice returned later in the evening. Bella was working on a paper, and I headed down to my room for the night, telling her to make sure to keep her pepper spray and phone on her, and to make sure the door was kept locked.

I spent quite a while in my room that night, sitting on my bed, using my laptop, reading and re-reading everything I could think to look up regarding stalking laws in the State of Washington. It was after midnight when I finally lay down under the covers. But I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep any time soon. I kept glancing at my phone on the bed next to me. I finally gave up and picked it up and fired off a text.

_Are you asleep?_

I felt it vibrate in my hand a moment later.

_No. And obviously you're not._

I smiled. And then I sent another one.

_Are you in bed?_

The response was quick.

_Yes. So is Alice. _

_She's sleeping._

That wasn't what I'd been hoping for. I texted again.

_I'm worrying about_

_you. I love you._

The responding vibration was there in an instant.

_Come up. But be quiet._

That was more along the lines of what I'd been hoping to read. I pulled some flannel pants on over my boxers and then a T-shirt over my naked torso and then I slipped out of my room, barefoot, and headed upstairs quickly and quietly.

When I got to her room, I tapped on the door with just one finger. The door opened instantly. She stood there in the dark, wearing pajama shorts, a tank top, the silver necklace I'd given her, and a smile. Her finger was in front of her lips, reminding me to be quiet. I shut the door soundlessly and we both crept silently up to her bed, scooting under the covers. Just before I lay down I pulled my shirt off over my head and dropped it down to the floor below. I usually slept without a shirt on and sleeping next to her always made me hot. Yeah, _both_ ways: temperature-wise and 'for her'.

"The pants stay on, Edward Anthony Cullen!" a cranky voice, coming from Alice's bed, said out into the blackness of the darkened room. "I hope you don't expect me to get up and go downstairs at this hour. And so help me, if there's a fire alarm tonight and Mike Newton even hints that there might have been a menage a trois going on in this room, I will beat you with _both_ of the baseball bats that are in the trunk of your car!"

**BPOV**

Edward and I both giggled quietly into each other at Alice's threat.

"Hi, Alice," Edward sweetly said.

"Fuck off," came her voice out of the blackness. "I don't mind if you kiss, but no funny business, you two. I have an eight o'clock class. And don't you dare leave this room in the morning, Edward, until I bring you a change of clothes. As far as anyone knows, you slept in your own damn room and just came up here early in the morning to take Bella to breakfast before her classes."

"I love you, Alice. You're a wonderful sister. Goodnight, sweetie."

"Fuck. Off."

Edward bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud as he looked down at me, his eyebrows raised. We were in such big trouble. But we'd worry about that in the morning. Edward's lips came down to mine. We really did quite well, I thought; kissing each other with minimal noise; no moaning or groaning. Eventually Edward sighed and pulled back. I raised my hand to his face and cupped his stubbly jaw. And then I turned over so he could spoon me.

He pulled me tightly up against his warm body and quite evident arousal. I reached behind myself and briefly hugged his very lonely erection with my hand.

I felt him tighten his arm around me a bit and sigh and then I felt his warm breath on my ear as he leaned down toward me.

"Saturday is only three nights away," his voice whispered.

I wondered if he could feel me blush. Probably. I sensed it in the smile I felt against my temple as he kissed me goodnight.

**A/N: So...feedback. I want it. And...Where on God's green Earth is that Rat Bastard James? Is he stalking her or not?**


	54. Out of Left Field

**The Transfer (Revised)**

**This chapter is all new. It wasn't in the original story. Enjoy...er, I guess. At least enjoy part of it. ;)**

A/N: Saturday just can't get here fast enough. Bella is having one heck of a bad week, except for the Edward factor. But seriously: the flu, her period, missed classes and a mountain of make-up work, oh, and a potential stalker.

I know you don't think this is Twilight and I know you don't think I'm Steph Meyer. And I'm fairly certain you don't think I'm infringing.

There was a slumber party going on in Alice's room last night...Mike Newton would call it a menage a trois. We would call Mike Newton a doofus. Today will turn out a little differently...

**Chapter 54: Out of Left Field (Revised)**

**EPOV**

_Lavender and freesia. And strawberries._

Her scent had filtered through the haze of morning sleep. The first thing I was aware of before anything else. Before hearing the soft sound of her breathing, before opening my eyes and catching the first sight of her, before even being aware of her in my arms, it was her scent that had filled me with happiness and made me think of a field of flowers and bright summer fruits.

"Mmm," I breathed, and stretched when I felt her arm slide around my waist and her body burrow against mine. I breathed in a deep, yawning breath and hummed as I exhaled. Every morning should start like this. I'd sign up for this in a heartbeat.

"Are you awake?" her soft little voice asked quietly.

"Mmm-hmm," I answered, smiling but not opening my eyes yet, as I scooted my hips toward her a little more closely, pressing myself against her.

"Well, good morning!" she said, sounding surprised, obviously sensing my desire. Actually, I don't know how she could have been oblivious to my desire; it was straining towards her, poking her rather persistently in the thigh, demanding attention. It was really rather impressive, if I do say so myself.

She made me smile. She made me happy.

_She made me really horny. Is it Saturday yet? Nope, only Thursday. Two days to go. _

"Mmmm," I replied in a rather more growly voice, moving my hips slightly, pressing myself a little more insistently against her. "Good morning to you, from both of us," I said in a low voice just above her ear. I felt her answer as she squirmed against me, making a happy little noise and eliciting a responding groan from me.

I abruptly lifted my head up off the pillow, glancing across to the opposite wall, horrified, remembering where I was and that Alice lived here too. But her bed was already empty and made up. My head dropped back down to the pillow in relief.

"That could have been awkward," Bella said with a wry smile, as I turned to look at her.

"Shit! I forgot where I was," I said sheepishly.

She reached a hand up to my cheek and I bent toward her to kiss her. I rocked my hips slightly and moved against her again, raising my eyebrows at her meaningfully and giving her my best sexy smirk. She couldn't help but catch my drift in the state I was currently finding myself. Shit, I was packing a goddamned steel ramrod.

She slung her leg across me, kneeling up so that she was leaning over me, looking down at me and smiling in her little tank top and pajama shorts. She settled down onto me, straddling me and pressing herself against my own personal morning sunrise that was trying to burst out of my pajama pants.

I looked up at her face, she was biting her lower lip but she looked rather triumphant and salacious as well, as she sat on my groin. I felt the heat of her quite distinctly through her panties, pajama shorts and my own boxers.

"Fu-u-uck," I murmured, as I felt my eyes roll back in my head just a little.

The door swung open suddenly as Alice entered the room, completely dressed and carrying my backpack. I abruptly grabbed Bella, but couldn't very well pull her sideways off of me; she'd crash to the floor below. We were caught. So there she sat, perched upon my morning wood in all of her scarlet-hued, blushing glory.

"Oh! Holy shit! I didn't think you guys would be awake yet. Obviously you are! Oops! Sorry!" Alice said as she turned slightly and quickly averted her eyes and then brought her hand up to further shield her eyes from the sight of Bella straddling me, up on her bed. She tried to stifle her giggling as she looked away from us.

_Fuck, Alice! Great timing! And don't bother to fucking knock._

Bella's face was crimson; mortified at being caught sitting on my overly eager crotch. I could feel matching heat in my own face. But Alice didn't leave; she just stood there, trying to supress her giggle.

_Shit, Alice, learn to take a hint or read a situation, for Christ's sake!_

Without looking at us directly, Alice began giving instructions.

_Such an Alice! _

"Okay, Edward," she said, as her giggling finally ceased, "So, I brought you shoes, socks, fresh undies and a nicely coordinated outfit for the day." She set my backpack down on Bella's desk. "It's all in here. For whenever you're…done." She choked back a quick, short laugh then cleared her throat rather theatrically.

_Great, Alice, you're hilarious. Oh, and please stay longer._

"Don't forget the story is that you came up earlier to take Bella to breakfast with you. I'm not going to let the dorm think that the three of us had a slumber party last night. I already spoke to Jasper, and as far as he's concerned, you were safe and sound, tucked into your own little bed last night. Don't blow your cover or you'll have to deal with your very angry sister. You know what a bitch-harpy I can be when provoked."

_She's right about that. I'd stick with her story. The bitch-harpy could make life miserable._

"Yes, I'm aware," I answered her honestly. "Thanks for being such a wonderfully understanding, sweetly cooperative, best-sister-a-guy-could-ever-hope-to-have."

She didn't make eye contact, still looking away, but I could tell that she was rolling her eyes in disgust. I knew I was laying it on a little thickly, but I knew there might be other occasions down the road and I was just paving the way so she would know how appreciative I was.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a crock and you know it, Edward. But anyway," she moved her hand aside and glanced up at us with her rather merrily twinkling eyes, "I'm leaving for breakfast and my classes and I'll lock the door, so…as you were! Carry on!" She laughed her silvery little bell-like laugh and waved her hand at us, wiggling her fingers, and with that she spun around and left, the lock on the door clicking into place.

Bella immediately flopped down onto my chest as the door shut, burying her face into the crook of my neck.

"I'm soooo embarrassed!" she squealed into my shoulder.

I chuckled into her soft cloud of strawberry scented hair.

_God, she smelled wonderful._

"If it makes you feel any better, I've walked in on her and Jasper in my room; thankfully they were only about as occupied as you and I just now; no actual naked poetry readings or anything of the sort. Still, it's embarrassing. Don't worry; she won't say anything. Alice can be annoying, but she'll be cool about it now that it's over." I raised my eyebrows and grinned as she looked up at my face and smiled. I cupped her face in my hands and pulled her mouth toward my own.

I had really missed Bella the past few days. Port Angeles had seemed just a hazy memory, but now we were making up for lost time. I kicked the blankets down off my legs and held Bella in place over me, kissing her deeply. Her fingers wove up into my hair and she began that sexy raking and tugging thing she did and I felt myself getting even harder.

_My steel ramrod was verging on…what? What the hell is harder than steel? Well, my dick, for one._

My hands strayed up under the back edge of her little tank top, feeling her soft, warm skin. As I ran my hands up her sides and back I felt her ribs, maybe a little more prominently than normal. I knew she hadn't eaten much at all since Monday morning. Maybe it was just because I knew she hadn't eaten, but she seemed just a little thinner to me. I'd make sure she had breakfast before her class but for now we were otherwise occupied. Breakfast could sure as hell wait a bit.

**BPOV**

Once Alice had left the room, Edward and I cuddled and kissed and somehow my tank top wound up on the floor next to Edward's, where he had dropped it the night before. And now that Alice was no longer in the picture, Edward's pajama pants no longer in the picture either, and they, too, eventually fluttered down over the side of my bed. I kept my pajama shorts and panties in place.

It was so nice to really be aware of Edward being there with me, although the bed was a rather tight fit and because of the altitude we had to be careful. It had been the third night in a row that he'd been in my bed, but the last two I had been ill and barely aware of him. In the mornings when he'd gotten up, I'd remained where I was, fast asleep or dozing in and out of consciousness. I appreciated him being there for me each of those nights but it was so much lovelier being aware of his delicious presence.

At the moment, I think he appreciated me being well once again. I was a lot more receptive to a big, warm, Edward-body in my bed now than I had been when I had been ill. He rolled us over carefully until I was on my back and he was hovering over me, his weight resting on his elbows…well, some of his weight was resting on his elbows, the rest of his weight was rather firmly resting against me, right between my legs. Well, not actually _resting_ there. It was more like he was _rocking _and _thrusting_ there.

There's something awfully wonderful about waking up with a sleep-warmed and sexy, messy-haired, gloriously beautiful Edward, nearly naked and obviously horny. He felt so good I just wanted to absorb him through my skin. I felt loved and cherished and protected and safe.

He had been holding me, rather pinned beneath his big, lanky body, when he pulled his head away, breaking our kiss to look at my face. His green-blue eyes were the color of a stormy sea. They were his sex-eyes, I'd come to learn.

"Bella, are you still…do you still have your…uh…_our…_period?" he asked in a rather thick voice.

I giggled at his terminology. He'd called it that before. _He was that possessive, that he was claiming my period as ours?_ But I nodded resignedly.

"Yeah, unfortunately." I looked away, feeling like I was letting him down a little.

"Will we be done with 'our period' by Saturday?" he asked with a hopeful little grin as he lifted my chin up with a long index finger so he could look at me with his storm-colored sex-eyes.

I smiled back at him, feeling myself blush slightly as I thought about our plans for Saturday. "Yeah; we'll wrap things up today or tomorrow."

He grinned back at me. "Perfect timing, love."

"Mmm-hmm. I'm doing what I can."

I still had my period, but that would be gone in another day. I knew I probably would never be comfortable having sex while I was on my period. I had always had an aversion to blood, menstrual or otherwise.

People might think I was crazy, but I swear I can smell the salty, rusty, coppery-metallic scent of it and that always makes me queasy. I would feel the clammy moisture on my forehead, the ringing in my ears followed by dizziness just before fainting. I had fainted on more than one occasion from the scent of blood, after simply scraping up a knee as a child or having blood drawn in later years at doctor's appointments, and once in high school biology when we'd done a blood-typing lab.

"But I guess I'm still out of commission at the moment," I said, feeling myself blushing as I felt Edward thrust against me again.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," he smiled as he cupped my breast with his big, gentle hand, his feather-light thumb lightly sliding over the taut nipple. His voice was muted. I looked up at his perfect face in surprise, wondering exactly what he meant. He must have read my confusion, quickly adding, "You're not out of commission, maybe slightly limited; but hopefully I can still make you feel good." The sex-eyes were now the color of storm seas by night.

And with that he smiled a little crooked smile and bent his head down to my breast. I felt his perfect, sculptured lips kiss me and tease me and then I felt his tongue, dancing lightly over my nipple; his mouth taking me in and sucking; driving me crazy. I groaned at the sensation and felt him shift across me as his mouth found my other breast and gave it the same attention. I moved my hips against him, feeling his very hard erection pressing and sliding against me as he did the same with his hips.

"You came that first night in my bed like this," he said in a low, velvety voice, making me melt as he moved his hand down to the apex of my thighs and began to rub his thumb against the satiny fabric of my underpants, directly over the little bundle of nerves that he found there so deftly. His head tilted back down to my breast.

I groaned again, reaching down, snaking my hand into his boxers, feeling the hot, silky skin covering his very turgid cock. I wrapped my fingers around him and pulled, sliding my hand up slowly over the tip and then back down as he inhaled in a sort of controlled hiss. I felt his cool breath tease my nipple as he exhaled.

"Oh-h-h, Bella," he growled into my neck, "You make me crazy for you, love." He nuzzled his way up to my ear.

"I love you, Edward," I sighed as I grasped him and slid my hand up and back down over his erection again.

We continued touching each other, stroking each other, kissing and bringing each other closer and closer to that pinnacle until I finally gave myself over to the sensation of him thrusting against me. I wrapped my arms and legs around his body as he moved. I pressed him against me; against the heat of my core as he began moving harder and faster, kissing me deeply and settling into a rhythm that I only just barely matched, bucking up against him as he thrust against me.

It wasn't long before my breathing had sped up and become rapid pants and I suddenly felt myself winding up and then exploding beneath him. He captured the sounds I made with his mouth as he kissed me deeply. And once I had come, he wasn't far behind, breathing hard, his beautiful face tightening up into an erotic grimace as he found his release and groaned out my name, making quiet sounds and grinding erratically against me, clutching me tightly to him with frantic long fingers.

His movements slowed and stopped and I felt his delicious weight more heavily upon me. After his heartbeat and breathing had slowed and returned to near-normal, he moved sideways off me, pulling his boxers off and cleaning up with them before balling them up and throwing them to the floor below.

"I love you, Bella," he murmured against me. He kissed my temple. "I'm sorry about last night." Another gentle kiss. "I just want to keep you safe, love."

I looked up at him. "I know. I understand why you did what you did but I'm glad nothing came of it. If you'd gotten hurt somehow…because of me…" I could feel my voice catch in my throat.

"Shhh, love…I know. It was a bad move." He kissed me softly.

We lay there together, holding each other for a short while before we finally decided to get up and start our day. I climbed down and gathered my things, pulling on my robe to head for the shower. Edward had followed me down off the bed, unzipping his backpack, pulling out the clean clothes, and pulling on clean boxers. I was mesmerized, watching his perfect, naked, lean, muscular body move in the light of day. He was magnificent and totally unaware of his beauty.

_Damn! Isn't it Saturday yet?_

I finally blinked and managed to look away. As I turned to the door I gasped and froze in my tracks. A feeling of dread washed over me. There on the floor, sticking out from under the edge of the door was a lavender envelope, lying face down. Edward looked over when he heard my sharp intake of breath. He strode quickly over to the door and bent, snatching up the offending envelope.

"It's from James, isn't it?" I asked in a small voice.

He was frowning, but as he flipped it over and looked at the front of the envelope, he grinned suddenly and snorted a laugh.

"No, but it's almost as frightening. It's from my mom. It's for you. Alice must have checked the mail and dropped it off after she had breakfast."

"For me?" I said in surprise. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I was confused, wondering why Esme would send me mail.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a thank you note. She always sends them to all of us after her birthday. It doesn't matter that she's already hugged us, kissed us, and thanked us profusely for each gift. She always sends each of us a personal note."

He handed me the small, lavender envelope with a smile, "Here."

Alice must have checked the mail and brought it back for me, but obviously decided not to interrupt us and simply flicked the card under the door. I suddenly flushed, wondering if she had heard me and Edward earlier. But there was nothing I could do about that now.

I opened the envelope and pulled out the enclosed card.

_Dear Bella,_

_I can't tell you how happy Carlisle and I both were to have the opportunity to meet you and get to know you a little this past weekend. _

_We had heard so many nice things about you as Alice's roommate, of course, and were happy you two girls seemed to get along so well. Imagine our surprise when Edward started mentioning you as well. I think you know how unexpected that was for us._

_It was amazing and wonderful to see our son so happy, carefree, and full of life. It was something we hadn't seen in quite some time and we know it has everything to do with you. Watching the two of you together was a joy. You are both so very sweet to one another._

_I'm certain we'll see a lot more of you and we look forward to that. Know that you are welcome anytime; you have a place in our hearts._

_Thank you for the lovely bouquet of flowers and for baking a fabulous birthday cake for me. The best gift of all, however, was something you didn't even realize you were giving. _

_It was really a most memorable birthday and I'm so very glad you were part of it. _

_With love, _

_Esme_

By the time I finished reading I could feel the sting of a few tears in my eyes.

"What's wrong?" Edward immediately asked, worry lines etching his face. He moved toward me and wrapped his arms around me, comforting me. I felt his fingers stroke through my hair. He cupped my chin and tilted my head up to look at me.

"It's nothing. It's silly." I smiled at him, feeling a little embarrassed.

"My mother made you cry! Do you want me to speak to her? I'll tell her to just lay off."

"No!" I laughed, wiping at my eyes. "What she wrote was touching. Your mom is just so sweet."

"I haven't checked our mail, but Jasper and I probably got them today, too," He said, smiling. "And Alice. What did she write to you that was so touching?" he asked me, his brow furrowed.

I hesitated for a moment, and then I handed the little envelope to him. He pulled the card out, opening it and read. As he was reading, his arm reached out, pulling me to him. He finally folded the card and slipped it back into the envelope, setting it onto the desk, before enfolding me in both of his arms.

"It's all true, my love," he murmured, burying his face in my hair and kissing the top of my head as my arms tightened around him. "She's glad I met you and let you in. She told me that if it took this long to find the perfect girlfriend, it wasn't time wasted. And I have to agree with her."

I held him tightly, amazed at the love that had found me. He kissed the top of my head once more. We stood there for a moment, swaying a little. I listened to the sound of him breathing as his hand ran slowly up and down my back.

After a bit he cleared his throat and said, "Promise me you'll hold me when I get the card your father sends me after this coming weekend."

I choked back a surprised giggle. "You think he's going to send you a card?"

He nodded. "I'm pretty sure of it. Promise me," my silly boy pleaded.

"Okay, I promise. What's his card going to say?" I couldn't help smiling, knowing it would be something ridiculous.

He paused for a moment. "Just one line: 'Keep your damn hands off my daughter.'"

I laughed. He can always put a smile on my face. Such a dork.

"You're such a silly, adorkable boy," I teased.

He grinned. He started to put his arm around me again, but I scooted out of the way, saying "Keep your damn hands off the Police Chief's daughter!"

"Oh, yeah, right, Bella! Like that's going to happen!" His eyes were wickedly amused. He laughed as he advanced on me, until I was forced backward into the swanky fort, where he rather gently tackled me and began tickling me, touching just about my entire body as my robe fell open around me.

He finally let me go, after I nearly kneed him accidentally and I was completely breathless from giggling. He pulled me back up to a sitting position.

"Well, Bella, I'm sorry my mom made you cry, but if it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure your dad is going to make me cry too." He was once again wearing that crooked little grin that lifted the corner of his sexy mouth.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Quit worrying! You'll be fine with my dad. Granted, he's not as warm as your parents, maybe, but it will be okay. But seriously, your mom was so sweet to write what she did to me," I told him. "I love your whole family."

"Some more than others?" He was hopeful as he raised his eyebrows and took my hand.

"Well of course! That little pixie, Alice, is just as cute as a button!"

It was his turn to roll his eyes at me. "Thanks a lot." He let go of my hand.

"At least I didn't say that Emmett is as cute as a button."

He shrugged, agreeing. "On the bright side, there is that."

He stood up then, pulling me to my feet and closing my robe around me, tying the sash in place. He looked up at me with darkened eyes and breathed in, his nostrils flaring slightly.

"That wasn't easy to do," he said softly. I glanced down, noting that he was once again erect. He rolled his eyes at me and took a deep breath, exhaling resignedly and turning to the desk, where his backpack and clothing lay. He began pulling on the jeans Alice had brought him. He told me he'd wait in my room for me once he was dressed and I padded off to the bathroom.

As I ran the water and stepped under the shower spray, I thought back to the previous night and the conversation Edward and I had had.

We had talked last evening after he'd come back from his man-on-a-mission trip to James' house. He'd been reluctant at first to tell me what he'd done, but he knew that I was already aware of where he'd been. Eventually he'd told me the entire thing, about driving to the house and finding it dark and deserted. He'd told me how he'd been about to leave when Laurent had pulled up and he'd decided to talk to him about James a bit.

"How well do you know Laurent?" I'd asked him.

"Not that well," Edward had explained, "But I know from Emmett that he's a pretty nice guy; easy going, you know? I've never gotten any kind of a weird feeling from him. Not like with James. I think he's harmless, Emmett feels the same way; they're just roommates because it works out and they throw massive parties because they have the perfect house. Actually, it sounds like James' days might be numbered at that house."

I'd asked him what he meant and he continued telling me what he'd learned from Laurent about James' financial situation and his current need for a new job since he'd been fired from the coffee shop. I knew he probably blamed me for losing that job and Edward had reluctantly agreed. I worried that Laurent might tell James that Edward had been there, but he dismissed that, saying he didn't like to get involved in other people's business.

"Weren't you scared James would show up?" I asked him.

"I was so hell-bent on protecting you I think I wanted a confrontation. James has never felt like a threat to me and I've got a little bit of size on him; I'm not afraid of him. When Emmett showed up I thought it was James coming home. That did creep me out because I had just been looking in his room and he would have caught me."

"You were snooping in his room, Edward! Why were you looking in his room?"

"I don't really know, I guess I just wanted to see how he lived. James is even weirder than we thought. His room looked like a motel room. Nothing personal anywhere. Too neat; nothing out of place. Very OCD. It was so odd it was kind of scary."

I was glad Emmett had showed up then and had corralled Edward back home. Something could have happened to him. Edward had been upset with me for not telling him about James in the first place, and then he goes off and does something like that.

Edward had been quite contrite when I had pointed that out to him and he had apologized profusely. Once we'd smoothed things out, Edward had gone back downstairs to his room. Alice and I had hung out together doing homework before going to bed.

I realized that I was keeping Edward waiting in my room. I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair and stepped out of the shower, drying myself off, thinking about how my evening had ended last night.

I'd had a hard time falling asleep, re-thinking everything that had happened regarding James. When my phone had vibrated with Edward's text, asking if I was asleep, I was almost relieved, and so I had invited him to come up. Alice had been asleep and I had figured she wouldn't care if Edward was there, as long as there was no hanky-panky.

I giggled to myself now, as I dried my hair, thinking back to Alice's comments the night before. I'd never once thought how it would appear if Edward had spent the night while Alice was there in the room.

I went back to my room and was surprised to find that Edward was no longer there, but then a moment later I heard a knock at my door, his voice on the other side, and there he was, dressed and ready to go to breakfast, waiting for me to get ready.

"Where did you go?" I asked as I let him into my room, still wrapped in my robe.

"Um, I thought I'd better wait out in the suite, in case anyone who didn't belong here came up while you were in the shower. I'd see them from there, but not if I were in your room."

"Oh," I said, blinking up at him in surprise. I hadn't even thought about that. "Well, I thought Emmett put signs on the doors, people are supposed to be more careful about keeping the doors closed and locked."

"Yeah," he shrugged, "but I'd rather be certain."

I dressed quickly as Edward kept a watchful eye on me. They were rather dark, somewhat heavily lidded, watchful eyes. More like ogling eyes. He ran a quick hand through his hair and then over his face, shaking his head as if to clear the thoughts there.

He cleared his throat and spoke, once I'd gotten my shoes on and was ready to go.

"Watching you get dressed is only slightly less hot than watching you undress. Except the end result isn't nearly as satisfying." He bit his lip and smiled a sexy, little, wistful, lopsided grin.

I rolled my eyes as I locked up and we left the room.

"I'm just telling it like it is, love." He smirked at me and I wedged my hand into his back pocket, giving his butt a squeeze as he looped his arm around my shoulder.

I leaned into him and spoke quietly up to him, "Well, I do love clothed-you, but I have to admit, naked-you is hotter."

"That's a relief," he said, chuckling and squeezing me against him for emphasis. "I'm glad you didn't say that you preferred 'clothed-me' to 'naked-me.'

We had breakfast together in the dining hall, Edward making sure that I stuffed myself. Apparently he was afraid I was wasting away from not having eaten much lately.

Once we'd finished breakfast, we grabbed our books and headed off to our Thursday morning classes together. We didn't normally walk together; his class was in a different building from mine, actually nearly across campus from mine. But he had decided I needed an escort to my class, and so we were leaving a little earlier than normal since he was going to drop me off first at Humanities Hall.

As we walked away from the dorm, hand-in-hand, I was aware of Edward scanning the area around us, watching for James, I assumed. He did it somewhat surreptitiously, but I knew he was doing it. He probably didn't want me to worry and so I didn't say anything. I knew he wanted to protect me and if it made him feel better, that made me feel better.

He walked me to my classroom and looked inside. It was nearly empty; still twenty minutes before the class would begin. Only a few early birds had arrived, sitting spread apart in their chosen desks, looking over their notes, re-reading the last assignment.

He turned back to me, looking at me carefully. "So, I guess I'll see you after class. I'll come back for you, Bella; wait for me here and I'll get here as quickly as I can."

I smiled up at his earnest face. "I'm sure I'll be fine, Edward. There are hundreds of students around. I really think you're overreacting." I saw the worry and concern crop up on his face instantly. "But I'll wait for you."

He sighed and looked down. I grabbed a fistful of his sweatshirt and pulled him close to me as I looked up into his tight, yet beautiful green-blue eyes, forcing him to look back at me.

"Thank you," I said seriously. "For wanting to protect me and keep me safe. I love you."

He scratched at the nape of his neck and then ran a hand through his hair.

"I just didn't want to worry that you'd run into James on your way to class or on the way back or something crazy like that," he quietly said.

I nodded. "I know."

He leaned toward me slightly and pressed a light, quick kiss to my forehead.

"I'll see you in an hour, love."

With that, I turned and entered the classroom, looking back over my shoulder only briefly, watching as Edward glanced both ways down the hallway from where he stood. I knew he wouldn't stay there for long. He really had to head off to his class in the Social Sciences Tower.

I looked around the classroom, and finally headed down the central aisle, to a desk about one-third of the way into the room. I took my seat and pulled my books out of my tote bag. I'd managed to read the assignment, but I had read rather quickly, worrying that I wouldn't get it all done in time. Now that I had a little time before class started up, I could go back and re-read a bit. It would be just my luck to get called on today out of the blue and have no idea what was going on.

I looked up as a girl from my class passed by and moved on down the aisle and then a moment later a couple came in holding hands and moved a few desks over from where I sat. I opened my book, found the chapter in question and began reading. As I read, I became less and less aware of the sounds of the few students coming into the room and taking their seats and more and more involved in what I was reading, scribbling notes in the margin as I went.

"So, Raw Sugar, I guess you've decided to play hard to get."

I snapped my head around, recognizing the oily voice immediately. There sat James at the seat right behind mine, with a patronizing smile on his face, sunglasses tucked into the neckline of his shirt, and a baseball cap resting on the desktop. I hadn't even heard anyone take the spot behind me. I quickly looked toward the door, searching the doorway to see if somehow Edward was still outside in the hallway beyond. James followed my glance with his own steely, pale blue eyes.

"Little Cullen? Nah, he left. You're on your own, Beautiful Bella. It's just you and me until Doctor Bertie gets here and starts his lecture on the Romantic Movement in English Literature."

_He had followed me! And had waited until Edward left! He even knew who my professor was and what course I was taking!_

"You're not in this class!" I blurted out at him even as I felt a wisp of fear flicker through me.

He smirked. "Nope, just passing through. I just happened to see you and thought I'd come say hello. I've been hoping I'd hear from you. Unfortunately, that never happened. I hope it wasn't because of the flowers...the were fresher earlier in the week...you just weren't available for me to give them to you. But you don't need to play so shy with me, Raw Sugar; I know your game."

_What?_

"What do you mean, 'you know my game?' I'm not playing shy, James; I'm not interested!"

"You can say whatever you'd like, Bella. I know what's going on here, I can read the signs. Your mouth says 'no', but your body tells a different story. I've seen your reaction to me and I've seen how you are with Dick-less Cullen."

"What are you talking about?" I whispered harshly, glancing around the room to see if anyone was paying attention.

"That first day, when you came in while I was at work, you smiled at me. I saw you blush and bite your lip. I saw how it affected you when I touched your hand. I knew you were interested."

I gasped. He was delusional.

"James, I'm sorry, but you've got it all wrong. I'm not interested. I've got a boyfriend."

He laughed, but there was a hard edge to his laughter. He shook his head, then he leaned a little closer, his voice dropping.

"Yeah, about that…I saw you and your _boyfriend_ at my party." His tone of voice was scornful. "Cullen doesn't know what the fuck to do with a girl. I told you that. He's asexual and incapable. He probably can't even get it up. I knew you weren't together. That was obvious. When I asked you who you were there with, you never even mentioned him. You said you were there with Emmett and Rose. When he came up and put his arm around you, when you and I were talking, I saw how caught off guard you were. You were upset with him for touching you and showing up when he did. After that, he never touched you again. I watched you two out on the patio…you weren't a couple. Edward doesn't even deserve you. You need more than a pretty face and a limp dick. I can tell just looking at you. Too bad you had to leave when you did, we could have gotten to know each other that night." His eyes narrowed suggestively and his tongue flicked out along his lower lip.

My mouth opened in shock. He had gotten it all wrong! But I suddenly couldn't say a word. He kept right on talking, each statement proving him to be less and less in touch with reality.

"That day you came back to the coffee shop, I know you were hoping to run into me. I saw through your act; playing hard-to-get. Playing all coy with me; quiet as a mouse and blushing. And what I did and said, didn't even bother you…you wanted me to touch you; I know that. You never said a single word. Cullen's sister thought she was sticking up for you, but I know better. You were interested. I could smell it on you." He leered at me.

He was absolutely nuts, thinking that he'd seen things that didn't exist; smelled something that didn't exist.

"James, you have it all wrong. Edward _is_ my boyfriend. He wasn't at the time of the party, but he is now. I'm with Edward and I'm not looking for someone else. You read the situation wrong. You need to leave me alone. I don't want you following me around. I don't want flowers or cards. Don't try to contact me. And I'm not going to call you."

I began to quickly gather my things, preparing to get up and move next to another student in the rapidly-filling classroom. It was nearly time for class to begin, thank God!

"Sit your pretty ass back down, Beautiful Bella; I'm taking off. And I know you'll re-think what you've just said. You won't be happy with Dick-less Cullen. I'll give you a few days; you'll change your mind. I've got what you want; I can give you what you need. I'll be seeing you, Raw Sugar."

He laughed as he stood, like he was enjoying his own private joke. He put the baseball cap on his head, pulling his ponytail through the band at the back of the cap. He plucked his sunglasses out of the V-neck of his shirt and put them on. He turned and slunk out of the classroom, pausing at the door and glancing back at me, pulling the sunglasses down a bit to wink at me and blow me a kiss. With that he was gone.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I gulped a few quick breaths then I reached for my phone to text Edward.

_He was just here._

I looked back toward the doorway but James didn't reappear. More students filed into the room, taking their seats. A girl I recognized sat down near me, greeting me.

My phone vibrated in my hand, startling me and I almost dropped it.

_I'll come get you._

The seats around me were filled now. I quickly sent a text back to Edward.

_It's okay. He's gone now._

_There are other students._

_I'll be okay. Class is_

_starting._

My phone vibrated once again and I flipped it open and read Edward's reply.

_I'll be there before your _

_class is over. _

Professor Bertie entered the room and the class began shortly afterward. I tried to stay focused on what he was saying, but my mind kept drifting back to James and the things he'd said. I took notes as much as I could, and tried to pay attention to the lecture and discussion, but grateful that I could read the lecture notes online later. Thankfully, Doctor Bertie never once addressed a question to me directly. The hour seemed to drag by. Eventually it was over and I quickly packed my things together.

I wasn't sure if I should stay there in my seat, or look for Edward in the hallway. I knew that I didn't want to run into James, although he had made it sound like I wouldn't have to worry about running into him for a few days.

I finally decided to head for the doorway with the last of the students who were exiting the room. I peeked outside, making sure James wasn't there.

But outside the door to the classroom, leaning against the wall—looking more like a Greek god than anyone had a right to, stood my guardian angel, waiting for me. His jaw was clenched tightly, but when he looked over and saw me approaching, I saw the relief flooding through his features. For a brief moment, his stunning face was unexpectedly vulnerable. I saw how very deeply he cared for me and what it would do to him if James were to hurt me in any way.

**EPOV**

I couldn't believe that fucking psycho bastard had followed Bella _into _her classroom. I couldn't believe I had just left her there to deal with him alone. I had been tempted to leave my class immediately, just to get back to her and make sure she was all right. Of course I couldn't pay attention to a damn thing during my class, so I finally did give up; cutting out halfway through the class and heading quickly back to her building. I took up my post outside of her classroom, keeping en eye on the far ends of the hallway, watching for the fucking psycho bastard.

When Bella's class finally ended and the students began filing out, I wondered if James would return, hoping to catch Bella leaving. I watched for him, antsy and on edge. Bella finally appeared and I was so relieved to see her looking relatively calm, that I felt some of my stress and anxiety lift immediately. It had devastated me to think that she had been in that classroom upset and virtually alone with that asshole nutjob.

I strode towards her and wrapped my arms around her immediately, clutching her tightly.

"Love, I'm so sorry! I should never have left you here alone. I watched for him. The whole way here and even after you went inside I waited and watched for him."

"Edward, it's not your fault. He had a hat with him and sunglasses. You might not have noticed him. He waited until you left, so he was watching from somewhere. He knew you'd been out here before class. And who would have thought he'd follow me _into_ my class?"

"Bella, did he touch you?" I asked, looking carefully at her face, feeling the anger building within me with my suspicions.

"No. He just came and sat at the desk behind me. I didn't even know he was there until he started speaking to me."

"Did he threaten you at all?" I tried to keep the anger out of my voice. I didn't want to upset her. I just wanted to beat that fucker to a pulp.

"No, he said that he was just passing through and he'd happened to see me and came to say hello. Edward, he's delusional; he thinks I'm playing hard-to-get. He said he'd been hoping to hear from me and that I didn't need to play shy. He said he 'knows my game.'"

I pulled her into my side as we began walking, leaving the building.

"What the hell did he mean by that?" I asked. I could hear how tight my voice sounded. "Bella, tell me everything he said. Everything. I don't care if you think it's embarrassing for you or for me; just tell me all of it."

She did. She told me everything he said. I just felt more and more disgusted by him as she spoke. He thought she was coming on to him that first day in the coffee shop. He hadn't believed that we were a couple at the party…he'd thought she was upset with me for interrupting the two of them. He hadn't even believed that I was capable of being part of a couple. I'd show him fucking capable. I'd fucking capably rip his goddamned head off.

He thought he'd seen some sort of positive reaction to him in her face and body and that she had been acting coy by being quiet. And when she'd been shocked at what he'd said and done at the coffee shop the day he'd cornered her, he thought she was being agreeable by not responding to what he'd said.

I was enraged when she told me that he'd said he could "smell" the interest she had in him. As if she would ever feel any kind of arousal for a lowlife as filthy and disgusting as him. He would never know the way she smelled when she was aroused. She was mine. I knew her scent. I knew her body and she knew mine. I would fuck him up like he couldn't even begin to imagine if he tried to get to my Bella again.

I was incredibly proud of her for telling him off. She told him she was with me and that he needed to leave her alone. She did the right thing when she told him she didn't want the attention or to have him following her around. She had told him she wasn't going to contact him, she didn't want him to contact her, and that he had to leave her alone.

And if that fucking psycho bastard thought she was going to change her mind in a few days, he was dead wrong. He didn't have a damned thing she wanted or needed.

But I sure as shit didn't like his parting words to her. _"I'll be seeing you." _It sounded like a promise and a threat.

I was glad Bella and I would be leaving tomorrow for the weekend. I didn't have any classes on Fridays, so I could go with her to hers. I could sit next to her and walk her back to the dorm when it was over. I had decided that I would skip my other class this afternoon so I could take her to hers. Even if I had to sit out in the hallway, where I could keep an eye out for delusional predators who needed the shit beaten out of them.

But for now, we were headed to the Campus Security Office. It was time to take this to the police. Bella was being tracked by a predator.

**A/N: This one was a hard one to write for some reason. I wrote and re-wrote and then changed and re-did it. It was a struggle. Let me know what you thought.**


	55. The Waiting Game

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: This one turned out very long, then I pared it back to kind of long.

I wonder if Stephenie ever takes a look here to see what her characters are up to. She probably notices that they're not experiencing infringement. We would never do that.

This is the aftermath of having James show up unannounced and sharing his take on reality. Here's how the gang handles it. Don't really know what you'll think of this one. Let me know.

**Chapter 55: The Waiting Game (Revised)**

**EPOV**

Bella and I were headed over to the U-Dub Police Department. It was time to take some proactive steps in the James Hunter situation. Today he had crossed the line.

I had done some research on my own the previous evening, before going to bed in my room, which was before going to bed in Bella's room. With Alice in attendance. _God, how needy was I?_ Previously, however, I had been looking into the laws regarding stalking in Washington. I hadn't mentioned it to Bella last night or this morning, because I didn't want her to think that I was overreacting. She had already pointed out to me yesterday that James hadn't done anything yet that could be considered overt stalking. It no longer felt like I was overreacting, however. His actions today had been overt.

We knew it was happening, but there probably wasn't yet enough evidence of it. I wondered if James was aware of that fact. He just might be sick enough and slick enough to know what boundaries to push and when, and exactly how far to go, so that he would fall just this side of the law and not yet on the other side. If he did, in fact, calculatingly know what he was doing, then I was worried that it would begin escalating.

I hadn't been able to bring myself to tell Bella my fears. I didn't want to worry her since I was hoping it would all be unnecessary. But on the way over to talk with the police I finally decided to tell Bella what I'd found out in my research online.

I glanced down at her face, the little v-shaped pucker between her brows, the slight look of frustration on her face, her teeth chewing a bit at her bottom lip. I cleared my throat.

"So, uh, last night, after I went back to my room while you were studying, I spent some time looking into the stalking laws and what exactly constitutes stalking."

"You researched the law for me?" She looked up at me in surprise.

I smiled at her. _How could she even need to ask? I was all about her._

"Well, of course, love. I just wanted to find out what the parameters were so we could be prepared and to see what we could maybe do about James."

"So what did you find out?"

"Well, in a nutshell, if someone intentionally harasses or repeatedly follows another person, to the point where that person fears for himself or herself, or another person or their personal property, that's stalking. And 'repeatedly following' only means on two or more occasions."

"That's it?" she asked, frowning a little. "James has only followed me this one time."

"That we know of," I said, hugging her against me a little more tightly. I felt guilty pointing that out to her. "He might have followed you before. He knew where you were headed or where to find you today, unless it was just a big coincidence and he just happened to see us on our way to your class.

"And the law say a stalker would either be trying to frighten, intimidate or harass the victim, or even if they're not _trying _to do that, the law says if the stalker knows or _should reasonably know_ the victim is afraid, intimidated or harassed, that's still stalking. Even if the victim doesn't tell the stalker they don't want to be followed or contacted."

"But I did tell him that today. I think I was pretty clear about it."

"And I think that was a really good thing; you were brave to tell him off, love. Now he knows exactly how you feel, even if he chooses not to believe it. If he tries to follow or contact you now that you've told him that, it can be used as evidence that he intends to intimidate or harass you."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I just want him to stop." She paused, thinking. "This could wind up going to court."

I nodded. I knew she didn't want to contemplate being put through that but if that was what it took…if James couldn't be stopped any other way…Well, we'd cross that bridge when we came to it.

"So what would happen if he doesn't stop?"

"He'd be committing the crime of stalking and would be guilty of a gross misdemeanor."

I didn't elaborate, but if anything like this had happened with James on a previous occasion and he were convicted of a misdemeanor previously, it would actually make this second time a felony. And if it ever turned out that James was armed while stalking Bella that would be a felony as well. If that happened he'd probably never even get the chance to have his day in court or serve out any jail time, because I would kill the goddamned psycho motherfucker quite painfully first.

Her voice brought me out of my dark thoughts.

"What would happen to James?"

"He'd be looking at a hefty fine and jail time. Obviously he'd be kicked out of school."

We neared the U-Dub PD and headed up the steps. I pulled the glass door open and followed Bella inside, my hand gripping her shoulder. Whatever she had to go through, I would go through it with her. I knew Alice, Emmett, Rose and Jasper, too, would all stand by her side and help her deal with whatever came her way. Hopefully, this whole thing _would _just go away.

There was a clerk sitting at a desk, on the other side of a long counter. She was sorting through some paperwork but she looked up as we approached. Peering at us over the top of her reading glasses, she spoke.

"May I help you?" She seemed just a little bit harried and distracted.

Bella hesitated and so I spoke up for her.

"We'd like to speak to someone about a potential stalking situation."

"Oh. Of course." She looked from me to Bella. Her features softened into a look of concern and she set down the papers she had been organizing. "Won't you have a seat? It should just be a moment." She disappeared down the hallway.

The clerk returned after a moment and smiled. "Officer Peters will be right with you."

"Thank you," Bella said, leaning back in her chair, laying her hand on my thigh.

I rested my arm along the back of the chair where she sat, my fingers stroking the nape of her neck through her soft hair. I hated that she had to go through this. I was glad we had the weekend away to look forward to; Bella would need a break from all this.

A tall, dark haired, fairly young officer in uniform approached us from the hallway.

"Hi, folks, I'm Officer Peters." We both shook his hand and introduced ourselves. We followed him back down the hallway and into a small side office. He pulled over an extra chair so that Bella and I could both sit next to each other, facing the desk where he settled himself. Once we were seated, I reached over and covered Bella's hand with my own.

"How can I help you?" he asked, looking from me to Bella.

I squeezed Bella's hand encouragingly and she began speaking to the officer.

"Um, I think maybe I'm being stalked." She glanced at me for a second before she amended what she'd said. "I'm pretty sure I'm being stalked." I nodded at her.

_Might as well call a spade a spade. It would feel awfully good to clout James over the head with a spade. I'd show him how capable 'Little Cullen' could be._

"Why don't you tell me what's been going on," the police officer said rather kindly.

Bella launched into an explanation, starting with the first time she had encountered James in the coffee shop.

"Oh, wait. Hang on a second," Officer Peters said, squinting in thought. "Bella Swan you said? _Isabella_ Swan, right?"

Bella nodded.

He looked back over at me. "You said your name was Cullen?"

I nodded."Related to Emmett? Big football-player-looking guy, dark hair, blue eyes and dimples?"

I nodded again. "My brother and Resident Advisor." It had killed me to say that; Emmett would have been delighted. Bella peeked at me and gave me a quick little smile.

Peters looked back at Bella. "Emmett brought some paperwork in here regarding this. You live in his dorm and had a problem with this guy last week, right?"

"Yes, it wound up getting him fired and today he turned up in my classroom out of the blue, sitting right behind me before class started. And he's not even in the class. I'm sure he followed me and waited until Edward…my boyfriend..." she glanced at me, acknowledging my status, "… left after walking me to my class."

I threaded my fingers through hers and moved our hands to rest on my lap. I brought my other hand up to sandwich her small hand between mine.

_Damn right I'm her boyfriend. And she's my girl. And she does not now, nor will she ever, belong to some fucking, psycho, lunatic, stalking motherfucker._

I didn't bother to elaborate out loud on her statement to the officer.

"I see," Peters nodded. "Give me just a moment," he said, standing up and heading out the door. He returned shortly afterward with a file in his hands, took his seat again and opened the file, looking over the information within, flipping through a few pages.

"I was the one who spoke with Emmett last week when he filed a copy of the complaint you made about…" he flipped to the first page in the file, reading, "…James Hunter, formerly employed at the coffee shop here on campus."

"Isabella…Bella, why don't you start from the beginning for me once more," he said.

Bella recounted everything with a few reminders from me. The initial encounter. The party at James and Laurent's house. The second incident at the coffee shop. The flowers. The card. And finally showing up in Bella's class today just after I had left, sitting behind her and telling her his warped version of reality.

**BPOV**

I told Officer Peters everything I could remember or think of regarding each and every time I had run into James. The initial meeting in the coffee shop, though weird and a bit uncomfortable was rather innocuous. The second encounter, at the party when Edward had joined me, pretending at the time to be my boyfriend. The only thing weird had been James running his fingers up the back of my arm when he first approached, but Officer Peters said with the loud music playing, it could have simply been that he was getting my attention to speak to me at that point.

The third encounter had already been documented with a complaint form filed at the coffee shop, a copy of which was in the folder Officer Peters was holding and reading. I recounted the things James had said and done, blushing through the worst of it. James had said and implied a lot of inappropriate things, and several downright offensive and disgusting things. The way that James had brushed his thumb against my breast as he ran his hand down my arm could possibly be construed as accidental, although as Officer Peters said, we both know that it wasn't.

"It's important for someone in your situation to believe in yourself and trust your instincts," he said. "The reason the hair stands up at the nape of your neck or a chill runs down your spine is because something seems 'off.' We all have that innate ability to sense a potentially dangerous situation. If you feel unsafe, you probably are."

Edward's hand released mine and his arm went around the back of my chair and I felt his hand clasp my shoulder. Officer Peters caught the action and looked at Edward.

"This is hard for you, as well, Edward, worrying about Bella's well-being."

It was a very understanding thing for him to have said. I glanced over at Edward to see his mouth twist into a slight grimace, acknowledging the officer's words. I realized that I was here making a report not just for myself, but for Edward as well.

I told the officer about the flowers that had been found upon our return to school after the weekend in Port Angeles, and the fact that we didn't know whose they were, or for whom they had been left. I explained about the card Victoria had said was left behind and finding it those few days later under the desk.

"So James Hunter was in your dorm and left flowers and a card on Saturday night, according to this Victoria, who lives in your suite in your dorm?"

"That's right," I answered. "He gave the flowers and card to her, for her to give to me when I returned. She didn't want to keep them in her room so she put them on the floor outside our door and tossed the card under the edge of the door. The card went beneath my roommate's desk and we never noticed it until Victoria mentioned it to Alice."

"And who is Alice?" Officer Peters asked as he scribbled notes down on a pad.

"My roommate," I answered.

"And my sister," Edward added.

"Your whole family lives in that dorm, Edward?" Officer Peters said with a little smile on his face.

Edward smirked a little. "Pretty much, we're just missing my parents, but they've already completed college, so they probably won't be joining us."

I let out a little breath, grateful for the moment of lightness. I had been feeling on edge this whole time. I felt Edward's hand instinctively massage my shoulder and neck and then I felt his knuckles brush against my jaw. I turned to look at him and he gave me a quick reassuring wink. I smiled back at him, so glad that he was there with me.

Officer Peters looked up from his notes. "I'm concerned about James getting into your dorm. The doors to the dorm should be kept closed and locked so that only people who live there can come and go, or bring friends in with them. That's the whole idea behind those pass keys. Do you have any idea who let James in?"

"Well, Victoria told him which room was mine, but he was already up in our suite when she saw him. So someone else must have told him where I lived before that."

"I see. I think your dorm mates need a refresher course on security and safety procedures. Maybe someone else there knows how James got in. You should ask around."

Edward cleared his throat and spoke up. "Emmett is calling a dorm meeting this evening to go over security. He can ask at the meeting who might have let James in."

"That would be a good idea. It's important that he mentions exactly what's going on with Bella," Officer Peters said, looking at me. "You should alert your dorm mates to what's going on; they can help keep you safe. A warning and reminder of safety precautions means more when people realize there's a specific person they know involved.

"So the card that James left for you…this is it?" He held up a white envelope that had been in the file. I nodded. Emmett had brought it over, I realized, after Alice had given it to him. Officer Peters withdrew the card from the envelope and opened it up, laying it on the desktop and reading it.

"Do you think it sounds threatening?" Edward asked, hunching forward in his seat and looking at the card, turning his head on an angle, apparently reading it from where he sat.

"We should take it seriously. He doesn't threaten outright, but it feels like a threat, doesn't it?"

Both Edward and I nodded.

"Like I said to Bella before, you don't want to downplay any danger. If something feels unsafe, it probably is. Hopefully it turns out we're wrong." I knew he couldn't be too encouraging because that would just go against what he had said a moment ago.

"I think the card implies that he was in the dorm more than once," Edward said. "I was thinking that he maybe came by, found out she wasn't there, left with the flowers, wrote the card, and returned. That's why the flowers were wilted and why he included his phone number. Bella was gone from Thursday until late in the afternoon on Sunday."

Officer Peters tilted his head from one side to the other. He seemed to mull over what Edward had said before responding.

"That could be. Perhaps he was just going to drop the flowers off without knocking, in which case it would make sense to leave a card with his number. If you can find out who let him into the dorm, or told him in which suite she lived, maybe you'll find out that happened on that same night, or perhaps it happened sometime before Saturday. Then we'd know for sure that he had been there on more than one occasion."

"Hopefully we can find that out tonight," I told him and turned to look at Edward, who nodded at me.

"So tell me about what happened earlier today," Officer Peters said.

I thought for a moment, wanting to be sure that I didn't leave anything out. I told him about the whole incident: Edward walking me to class early, me sitting well within the classroom, Edward leaving for his own class, and then James, who had crept in to sit behind me, surprising me with his presence. I told him about the hat and sunglasses, which might have been a disguise of sorts, although it had been a rather sunny morning, so that could have been a coincidence.

I told him he knew the name of the class and the professor. I mentioned James had said he'd seen me and decided to come and say hi, but that was so unlikely, because I was so far into the classroom. No one would have noticed me in the room unless they'd seen me outside of the room and had watched me enter.

And then I told him, word for word, about the entire delusional conversation we'd had; how James had interpreted each event differently than what had actually been the case. I told him about my final words to James: that he had it all wrong, Edward was my boyfriend and I wasn't looking for anyone else. I told him I'd said James had read the situation wrong, needed to leave me alone; I didn't want him following me around, giving me flowers or cards or contacting me. And that I would not contact him.

"It's a good thing you had the nerve to tell him all of that, Bella. He's been warned off, and if he disregards what you've said, that could be used as evidence that he does indeed intend to harass and intimidate you. I couldn't have instructed you to be more explicit with what you said to him. Do you know if anyone overheard any of that conversation?"

"Maybe. There was a girl that came in shortly before and also a couple who weren't sitting too far away. They might have heard something. I don't know their names, but I can look for them on Tuesday when the class meets again."

"Okay, good," Officer Peters said. "Anything else that was said?"

I told him James' parting words to me: _"I'll give you a few days; you'll change your mind. I've got what you want; I can give you what you need. I'll be seeing you, Raw Sugar."_

"At least it sounds like he's backing off a bit for a few days. If he does show up a second time, then he can be picked up for stalking. If he follows you, maintaining visual or physical proximity to you, whether it's where you live, go to class, work or anything of that nature, that would be sufficient to find that he is indeed following you."

Officer Peters paused and finished jotting down notes, filling in some information on a form and attaching it to the file that had already been started.

"There are several things I want you to make sure you do, Bella. First of all, if, at any point, you feel that you are in immediate danger, call 911; don't even hesitate. Secondly, you should make whatever changes to your daily routine you can and if you go anywhere, use the buddy system." He looked over at Edward. "Edward seems like a pretty imposing buddy, but if he's not available, you can call Husky Night Walk after dark and a security guard can escort you safely on campus.

"You should also keep a log if anything else happens, whether you find that he follows you, sends you any gifts, or flowers, or any other type of communication, such as a phone call, email, note, and so on. If he damages any of your personal property, too. Write down times, dates and places; keep anything he sends you or gives you; these can be used as evidence. If anything gets damaged, take photos to document that. And ask any witnesses to write down what they saw, and include their names and telephone numbers.

"You were very clear in what you said to him. I would not engage him in any conversation, as he can just turn that into 'playing hard-to-get' in his own mind. If somehow he gets your phone number, don't change it, just let it go to voice mail and get another unlisted number. If he leaves messages, that would also help in a police case.

"And at your dorm meeting tonight, make sure to let everyone know what's happening. Maybe someone will remember seeing him. Be sure to give your dorm mates a detailed description of James. Have them alert you if they see him and again and be sure to get a written statement, name and phone number from them.

"Let me also give you this," he paused and opened a drawer, pulling out a brochure. "This is information about SARIS, the Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Information Service. They have specialists who are trained to help you with counseling services, academic help or even changes in living situations. A SARIS Specialist can even assist you with filing a protection order, which would be done through a civil court.

"If you do contact SARIS, you can ask for Charlotte, if you'd like. She's great. She's also my wife." He smiled. "She takes her job very seriously and she would be a great person for you to talk with; for both of you." He glanced over at Edward.

"Other than that, keep us posted, Bella. A detective who specializes in these kinds of cases will be assigned to this case. He'll probably have a few additional questions for you. He'll call you in a few days. Will you be around?"

"Um, well, Edward and I are leaving tomorrow for Forks. We'll be back on Sunday."

"What's in Forks?" Officer Peters asked.

"It's where I'm from. My dad lives there."

"He's actually the Chief of Police there," Edward threw in, and then looked at me with wide eyes, biting his lip, like maybe it wasn't his place to say that.

"Oh, really?" Officer Peters said with interest as he stood. "Well, we'll make sure we take extra good care of his daughter, you can let him know that, Bella."

"Thank you, Officer Peters." I extended my hand to him and he shook it.

"You're welcome, Bella." He handed me his business card with phone numbers on it.

He turned toward Edward and took his outstretched hand. Then he looked carefully at Edward before he spoke, his eyes narrowing a little.

"The best thing you can do at this point, Edward, is to be supportive. You can be the buddy in her buddy system as often as possible. Just don't go trying to be a hero."

I watched as Edward flushed and mumbled an answer.

Officer Peters walked us back out to the entrance. "All right, you two, take care. Keep in touch. Most of what we talked about is in that brochure. Contact Charlotte if you'd like."

**EPOV**

We thanked him, said goodbye, and headed home for a quick lunch before Bella's other class, which I would be attending today in lieu of my own class. I figured I could miss one this afternoon. I would have been preoccupied the whole time anyway, just wondering if that unhinged freak had tracked her to that class too.

We made it back to the dining hall for lunch, joining Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose, who were already nearly done with lunch.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Emmett asked with a big smile as we approached their table.

"Holy shit, you're not going to believe this," I said, rolling my eyes. "We've been at the police department on campus, giving a statement about James."

"What?" four voices yelped simultaneously.

"James showed up in Bella's class."

"Ohmygod!" Alice shrieked. They were all wide-eyed.

Bella and I proceeded to tell them what had happened between bites of cheeseburgers and fries. When Bella left off, I picked up the storyline, and as soon as I paused for a breath, Bella continued, filling them in with the events of the morning.

"Fuckin'-A," Emmett said, shaking his head when we finished. "I can't believe that whack-o. I'm glad you both went and talked to Peters. He's a cool guy, isn't he?"

Bella and I both agreed with his assessment of Peters.

"James is completely batshit!" Jasper said emphatically. "What are you going to do, Edward?"

"Edward isn't going to do _anything,_" Bella said rather pointedly, glaring at him.

Jasper pulled away from her and looked back to me for guidance.

"Sore subject," I told him quietly. "We're going to follow Officer Peters' guidelines. Meeting tonight, right Emmett?" I asked, quickly deflecting the heat away from me.

"Yeah, posters are up, the word has been spread. Eight o'clock meeting downstairs," Emmett replied quickly, glancing at Bella.

"Are you going to your class this afternoon, Bella?" Rose asked with concern.

"Yeah, I can't miss any more classes," Bella replied. "But Edward is coming with me. He's going to skip his class this afternoon. He hasn't missed any so far, so I told him just this once was okay with me. He can come with me tomorrow as well since he doesn't have any classes on Friday."

Rose and Alice both nodded at that.

We had to scramble after that, stopping by my room and Bella's to drop off books from this morning and pick up stuff for her next class. We were just leaving her room when I pulled her to me and pressed her up against the wall, kissing her hard; allowing myself to feel the frustration of the day. I think, as I kissed her, I was promising her that I'd take care of her. She kissed me back hard as well. We really didn't know what else to do.

I held her hand as we walked to her class, scouting the area for James as we went. I didn't really expect to see him after what he'd told Bella earlier. We settled into two seats at the back of the small lecture hall auditorium just a few minutes before the class was starting. James was nowhere in sight. I kept looking toward the door and at the heads of the students in the room. No James. No known lunatics.

Bella looked over at me and smiled weakly. It made me crumple a little inside. She needed a distraction. The trip to Forks tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. I took a sheet of paper from her notebook and wrote on it, passing it to her.

_I'm in love. _

She read it and smiled, raised an eyebrow, wrote on the paper, and handed it back to me.

_Who's the lucky girl?_

I almost burst out laughing when I read it. I wrote a line and handed it back to her.

_Third row from the top, tenth seat from the end._

Bella looked at the paper and looked behind us, realizing we were in the third row. I watched the path of her eyes then, as she looked down to the far end of the row and began counting ten seats in. I began shaking with silent laughter, realizing that her eyes had landed on a rather grumpy looking, heavy-set girl with very frizzy hair. Bella looked at me in surprise. I snatched the paper back out of her hand.

_Other end of the row, silly Bella!_

She looked back at our end of the row and realized that she, herself, was in the tenth seat, third row from the top. She looked back at me with a radiant smile and grabbed the notebook paper back, passing it my way after a moment.

_Oh! Duuuuh! _Beneath that she had drawn a heart and had written _Edward + Bella _within the heart.

A few minutes later I passed it back after I had added to it:

_Edward + Bella 4-Ever._

The note was passed back into my hand a short while later. I looked at it.

_Do you want to kiss me? Circle your answer: Yes No_

I smiled as I circled _Yes_ about forty times and added the following line:

_How do you feel about hugging me? Underline one: Love it. Hate it._

She plucked the completed note from my hand before I had the chance to hand it to her. When she passed it back to me _Love it _had been underlined three times and _Hate it_ had been scribbled out darkly. She had also drawn a smiley face.

I passed it back to her with my next thoughts:

_I want to kiss you and hug YOU!_

I handed it over to her, but then I quickly grabbed it back to add more:

_I also want to lick you and suck you and poke parts of my body into parts of your body. _

She read the note and blushed furiously, her mouth dropping open in shock.

When she turned to look at me I smiled wickedly at her and opened my mouth, sticking out my tongue and pointing to it, indicating that my tongue was the particular body part and I'd really only been talking about heavy-duty kissing. Actually it was rather convenient that I could indicate my tongue, because I sure as hell hadn't been thinking about tongues when I wrote that originally.

She rolled her eyes and wrote on the paper, passing it back to me.

_What are you trying to do to me? P.S. Licking, sucking and poking will be taking place on Saturday night. I can't wait. _

I nearly groaned aloud when I read that and now my pants were becoming uncomfortably tight, no matter how I shifted in my seat. I scribbled a response and handed it back to her.

_Thanks. Do you have any idea how you affect me?_

She looked back, smiling a little quizzically. She shrugged an innocent 'no' at me.

Dick wanted me to grab the paper and write _Straddle me, please! Naked, please! Let's start Saturday now, please! _Instead I moved my book aside and nodded my head toward my lap, indicating the quite obvious bulge in my jeans.

Bella choked a cough and then her liquid chocolate brown eyes twinkled as she raised an eyebrow. The tip of her tongue appeared and she slowly licked her lips.

_Oh. Fuck. Me. _

I didn't write it, I just thought it. I nearly whimpered it. I was done passing notes. It had become too hazardous and uncomfortable. I took that sheet of paper and folded it up, tucking it into my back pocket. After that, I relaxed down into my chair a little to give Dick some breathing room, closed my eyes, and tipped my head back against the back of the chair, praying that I'd be okay by the time the class ended. My goal was to be able to move about and walk normally, without hindrance from overly-excitable Dick.

I felt Bella pat my arm reassuringly. I opened my eyes, glancing up at her from my slumped position. She had a naughty smile, biting into her lip. I shook my head and closed my eyes and listened to the professor, trying to concentrate on what he said so I wasn't concentrating on my own thoughts as they ran amok, starring Dick in the lead role and featuring several of Bella's body parts in supporting roles.

After the class Bella and I talked about how fun it would be to have a class together. We also talked about the fact that we would probably both fail that class miserably because we'd be too distracted by each other to get any kind of a passing grade.

As we were headed back to the dorm after Bella's class, I received a text from Emmett.

_U on ur way bk?_

Emmett's texts were always short and to the point and filled with shorthand that sometimes no one other than him could understand. I liked to drive him nuts with longer vocabulary.

_Affirmative._

His answering text appeared quickly.

_U & B my rm qwk._

I showed it to Bella. We both agreed it looked like we had to stop by and see him quickly, not that we needed to quack.

We could hear the sounds of all four of their voices within Emmett's room as we approached the door. I knocked and the door was opened by Jasper, wearing a grin.

"Well, speak of the Devil and he shows up at your door. Along with his little girlfriend, Beelzebub. Or maybe that's Bellazebub."

Alice cut him off. "Just stop right there, Jazzy, before you call her 'Bellasboobs' inadvertently and are embarrassed and can't make eye contact with her for the rest of the afternoon.

I had to put a quick end to that. "So, we're here. What gives? What's going on?"

Emmett grinned as he pulled a baseball cap onto his head backwards. "This is Operation Keep Bella Smiling." Welcome to our headquarters. The six of us are playing a game of Over-the-Line today. Two teams. No couples on a team; that way there won't be any marital strife because half of the couple is a horrible player." He coughed loudly, but the cough came out sounding suspiciously like "Alice."

Alice glared at Emmett. "How do you know that I haven't improved?"

"Have you?" he asked, surprised.

"No, I still suck, but you don't have to rub it in."

I looked down at Bella. "What do you think? Want to play?"

She had a smile on her face. "Sure, as long as Alice is bad I won't feel out of place."

Alice grinned happily at Bella. "That's the spirit!"

"Come on!" I said, pulling her to my room to drop off her books and purse. I grabbed us each a baseball cap, putting one on her head, then taking it back off and adjusting the strap at the back to fit her better. I replaced the cap, straightening it out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as I pulled the cap down snugly. "Perfect," I announced.

We all marched down the hill to my car and grabbed the bats, a few balls and the gloves out of the trunk. We sorted ourselves into teams. Emmett, Jasper and Bella made up one team and Alice, Rose and I made up the other. Emmett made some crack about my team being the all-girl team, so I clocked him in the head with his baseball glove. It was more satisfying than just handing it to him.

"So, Bella Actually, do you know how to play?" Emmett asked her as we walked to a large park area that wasn't far from our dorm.

"Nope. I've never played before and I'm just warning you there's a reason for that." She grinned at Alice. They bumped fists in a show of poor-ball-playing-skills solidarity.

"Okay so here's how you play," Emmett began explaining, "It's basically baseball without really running the bases. You would still think of a player making it to first base, and then advancing to second base, and so on, but you don't really run. It's imaginary."

"Okay," Bella nodded.

Emmett continued his instructions. "Each player on a team keeps hitting until they get 'out.' After three 'outs,' one for each player in this case, the other team is up to bat."

"How do you get an 'out'?" Bella asked.

"Well, it's called Over-the-Line because when you hit the ball, it has to cross a certain imaginary line. If it doesn't go that far, it's a foul and you hit again. On the other side of the line, the other team has an infielder and two outfielders. If the infielder manages to get the ball on the ground or as a fly-ball, or if the outfielders catch a fly-ball, the batter is 'out.' If the ball gets past the infielder, but is on the ground, it's a 'hit' and your imaginary runner is on first base. The runner would advance to the next base each time you get another 'hit.' Four 'hits' would count as a 'run' and you've scored a point, essentially. And if a fly-ball goes over the farthest outfielder's head, it's a homerun; that's a point automatically."

"Got all that?" I asked her.

"I think so. It'll probably make more sense as we play. Who pitches?"

"Well, someone from your own team can pitch to you or you can just throw the ball up and, you know, pitch to yourself. We just usually pitch to ourselves. Can you do that?"

She stuck her tongue out at me in response.

"Okay." I grinned at her. "So you _can _do that."

"We'll be up to bat first," Emmett explained, "so you can watch me and Jasper a little bit before you're up to bat, and you can see how Edward, Rose and Alice play the field."

"That means you're third in the batting order, Bella," Alice chirped as she walked to the infield. "That's where all of the stinky players go in the line-up."

"Is that where you are, too, Alice?" Bella called after her as she giggled.

"Naturally," Alice called back, laughing.

**BPOV**

Emmett batted first. He threw the ball up in the air, swung the bat, and the ball zipped by on the ground beyond Alice before she could get to it. A hit; his imaginary runner would be on first base. Alice picked the ball up off the ground and returned the ball to Emmett.

The next one went over Alice's head and Rose couldn't quite get there before the ball hit the ground. Another hit; his runner was on second base. Rose tossed the ball up to Emmett.

On the next hit the ball went high and fast beyond Edward. A homerun. A point for our team. Edward sailed the ball back to Emmett, who didn't even try to catch it barehanded, instead just batting it down to the ground in front of him.

On the fourth time he hit a ground ball that went past Alice again. The imaginary runner would now be on third base. Rose got the ball and threw it to Emmett.

"Thanks, baby!" Emmett cheerfully yelled.

"You're welcome, baby!" Rose yelled back.

Emmett's next hit went over Rose's head and landed before Edward could get up to catch it on the fly. I heard a loud 'Shit!' in the outfield. It was Emmett's fourth 'hit' which counted as Emmett's second run. The score was now two to zero. Edward was obviously irritated in the outfield.

"Why's Edward mad?" I asked Jasper, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground next to me.

"Edward's the fastest of all of us, but he didn't get there in time. He usually does. And it's kind of a competitive thing between Edward and Emmett. Baseball has always been Edward's sport; Emmett is more of a football guy. Edward gets cranky if Football-Guy does better than Baseball-Guy in a baseball game. It's kind of funny to watch the two of them." Jasper grinned at me.

"You should have had that!" Jasper yelled out to Edward.

Edward took off his glove and bent parts of it in his hand and held it back up in the air. The glove had been bent so that it appeared to be flipping Jasper off. Jasper and I both began laughing.

Emmett batted the ball again, sending it high and fast over Alice and Rose. Edward took off running farther back at an angle, looking over his shoulder to gauge where the ball was going to land. Somehow he got there in time and the ball landed neatly in his glove. I heard a loud 'Boo-Yaaahhh!' from the outfield.

"You're out, Emily!" Edward yelled, hurling the ball to Rose who tossed it up to Alice.

"I noticed! Thanks, Edna!" Emmett hollered back, catching the ball Alice tossed him.

Jasper turned and smiled at me as he stood up. "You just gotta love Emily and Edna Cullen. The girls are always good for a laugh."

"Hi, Jazzy!" Alice called as Jasper picked up one of the bats and grabbed a ball off the ground. He winked at her. "Hit it nice and easy right to me, baby!"

"That would be cheating, my little Graham Cracker." Jasper smiled broadly at Alice's pouting face. Then he tossed the ball in the air and hit it over Alice's head, but to the far right of Rose, who couldn't catch the ball before it hit the ground. That would mean a runner on first.

Then he batted a second time, this time sending the ball in the opposite direction. Another 'hit,' with the man advancing to second.

On his third swing, he launched the ball hard and fast out beyond Edward. Homerun. It was now three to zero.

On his fourth hit he just tipped the ball and it went just shy of Alice, not over the imaginary line, so that was a foul. He hit again and Rose ran for it, caught it, nearly dropped it, but managed to hang onto it.

"That's an out, Little Guy!" she called to her younger brother. Jasper smiled amiably and walked toward me with the bat.

_Holy crow. My turn now._

"Okay, everyone, quiet on the field, Bella's up," Emmett announced loudly.

"This isn't golf," Alice pointed out.

"You want to take a practice swing or two first?" Emmett asked.

_Or five._

"Yeah, I think I'd better," I told him. I threw the ball up, swung the bat hard, and completely missed the ball.

"YES!" Alice shrieked. "Go, Bella! You're so awesome! I love you, roomie!"

I glanced out to the outfield. Edward and Rose had moved quite a bit closer. Because I was so bad, I realized. Edward was standing with his hand on his hip and appeared to be wearing a crooked grin. I tried again, barely hitting the ball, making it spin and plop to the ground, about four feet behind where I stood, nearly hitting Emmett as it went.

Alice did a cartwheel. Edward was doubled over, laughing, in the outfield. Rose was seated on the ground, her legs stretched out before her. Jasper sat cross-legged on the ground again, clapping slowly.

I tried once more. This time I made it out to the area where Rose sat, but in the other direction. She jumped up and ran to get the ball.

"Now you're getting it, Bella!" she called enthusiastically.

I heard clapping from the outfield and saw Edward, glove-free, with his hands, raised over his head, applauding my endeavor with a big grin on his cute face.

"Okay, I think I'm ready!" I announced.

I threw the ball up, swung and it didn't quite make it to the line. Foul ball. I tossed another ball into the air and swung. It made it slightly past Alice. A 'hit.'

_A hit! I got a hit! _

Jasper's runner from his at-bat was now on third.

I swung again, hitting the ball in a small arc; hard enough to make it past the imaginary line, but right toward Alice, whose hands were outstretched to catch it. She missed.

"A hit!" I yelled. "I just scored a run for us! I scored a run!"

Jasper grabbed my hands and we did a little skipping circle-dance. I looked over toward Alice from where I skipped, round and round with Jasper. Alice was lying on the ground, facedown, kicking her feet in a mini-tantrum.

"Alice!" Edward called from the outfield, "You stink… like usual!

Alice picked herself up off the ground. "It's my one imperfection, Edward!"

It was now four to zero. I picked up the bat, tossed the ball in the air, swung and hit the ball right into Alice's glove. So I was out. Alice was deliriously happy to have gotten me out. Me…the other player that stunk. It was only fitting, I guess. She ran towards me and hugged me tightly.

"Bella, you are the best! The. Best. Because you're the worst. Like me!" she laughed.

As I trudged to take my place in the infield, Edward and Rose headed toward me, to take their turns at bat. Rose passed me by, but Edward planted himself right in front of me, flashing that lopsided, delicious, highly-kissable grin at me. He angled his head to the side, peeked out from under the bill of his baseball cap to see if anyone was watching, and leaned down into a kiss. He pulled back and smiled down at me.

"Nice job, there, Slugger." He winked at me before he headed to where Rose and Alice were awaiting him.

Edward was up first and hit two powerful homeruns in a row. It was lovely watching him hit. He looked so powerful and comfortable and moved so smoothly and easily. I'd never thought of Edward as being an athlete until now. I knew he ran and enjoyed swimming, worked out and was in great, well, more like _perfect _shape, but I'd never seen him play any kind of an organized sports-activity. I realized how athletic he was. It probably came somewhat naturally to him, I decided. He was always graceful and moved fluidly. I thought about him in a baseball uniform and I found myself blushing, thinking of how hot he would look to me.

_Note to self: get Edward involved playing organized baseball or softball. Surely there were men's leagues he could join._

_I'd buy him the uniform with my own money._

_And encourage him to wear it often. _

_Holy crap! I'd love to watch him run the bases and slide into home. Shit! I'd let him slide right into my…_

"Emily!" Edward's voice interrupted my musings. He was yelling to Emmett who was now in the outfield with Jasper. "You're supposed to be trying to catch those! Didn't anybody tell you how to play? Just back way up and you'll get them!"

"Right, Edna!" Emmett yelled in return, "The minute I back up, you'll drop them short in front of me."

Edward glanced at me in the infield. "He knows me so well," he said with a devilish gleam in his eye.

Emmett and Jasper had both backed up a little farther and I watched Edward neatly place the ball over my head for a 'hit'. He proceeded to get another homerun followed by another 'hit.' He tossed the next ball up, swung, connected, and it headed right for Jasper.

"Miss it, miss, it, miss it!" Alice was chanting. That quickly changed to, "Drop it, drop it, drop it!" as Jasper displayed the ball he'd caught in his glove.

"So that makes it three to four and we've got a runner on second," Edward announced. "Rose, you're up."

Rose had been a swimmer, but she was also a fairly good ball player. I found out that she had played softball as a kid and in high school. No wonder Rose was so imposing. She had the body of an Amazon and was athletically gifted and as beautiful as a model. It was easy to see how she was Emmett's dream come true.

For her at-bat, Rose proceeded to get two hits that had gone over my head, but had been too short for Emmett and Jasper to get to before they landed on the ground. She hit a homerun next, the ball flying over Emmett's head. He whistled a loud wolf-whistle from the outfield. She had just made it five to four.

"That's my Wonder-Woman!" Emmett bellowed as he ran to pick up the ball behind him.

On her next swing she popped up a fly ball. It was right over me. Headed right down toward me. I was so not going to miss that ball. I didn't!

_And I didn't drop it either!_

Jasper came running at me to dance our skipping, circle-dance again. Everyone was cheering for me. Even Alice, who must have suddenly felt out-classed.

"Alice!" I called out, "It was a fluke! You'll never get to see something like that again!"

"Don't worry! I'm sure it's just beginner's luck. I'm confident that you'll stink like me again soon." Alice laughed as she took her spot to bat.

She tossed the ball up in the air, swung and missed. Three times. Jasper offered to pitch it to her. She declined. One more toss and she finally connected, the ball passing me by, just out of my reach. Jasper didn't seem to be able to get to it in time, so it was a hit. Alice did a sexy little victory dance at having gotten a hit. She managed to get one more hit before Emmett ran into the midfield and caught her next hit and she was out.

The score was now five to four, with Edward's team in the lead and a man on second.

The game continued for a while, with numerous pauses for laughter, circle-dances, sexy-dances, Emily and Edna arguments, and even the opportunity to watch Jasper juggle. We'd played a total of four innings by the time we were done and had to go back to the dorm for dinner.

The final score was twenty-one to sixteen. Or maybe it was twenty to thirteen. Emily and Edna argued about it for a while. Jasper, Rose, Alice and I really didn't care. I had enjoyed myself immensely and hadn't thought for one minute about James or possible impending legal proceedings.

The hike back to the dorm was entertaining with Emmett and Edward continuing their argument, off and on, as we walked. We stopped at Edward's car and put everything back into the trunk for another day. I agreed with the rest of them that we would be doing that again soon. It wasn't so much for the sport of it, but for the silly camaraderie of this close-knit little group of siblings and friends.

It was time for dinner, maybe a little homework after that, then a quick dorm meeting about stalkers and personal safety.

I really resented James for ruining my fun afternoon. I'd really enjoyed our Over-the-Line game, but now I felt like I was back to the waiting game.

**A/N: Next chapter: A Friday evening in Forks. That's a promise. We're really going to get there. ;)**

**So how was this one? Not sure if you would have liked it. Some of it was dry, maybe the game was confusing.**


	56. The Long Arm of the Law

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: I thought this one was going to go fast. But then it went slowly. Then it was ridiculously long. But then I pared it down to a manageable length. I knew you'd come after me if we didn't get to Forks in this chapter. But I did have a few major things that needed to be included.

I wouldn't dream of telling you that I wrote Twilight or that this work of nonsense was Twilight.

I hope you like this. I love a rambling, slightly neurotic, anxiety-filled Edward. He's gonna meet her dad; of course this would bring out the very best in Rambleward.

**Chapter 56: Flirting with the Long Arm of the Law (Revised)**

**EPOV**

When Emmett had graduated from high school, he and a few buddies had gone on a celebratory road trip that lasted from the end of June into the beginning of August. It had been his graduation present and a reward for getting into college and not becoming a derelict. The summer trip had led to California, hanging out at the beach, watching an Over-the-Line tournament, and joining in on the party atmosphere.

Emmett and his cohorts had managed to make it back home in early August after more than a month of on-the-road mayhem. He had returned home with only half of the clothes he'd taken along, missing a tooth, sporting a bleached-blond Mohawk and a brand new tattoo on the inside of his left hip that my mother still does not know exists. The big positive of that trip, however, was returning with the rules and enthusiasm for that particular summertime baseball game. We'd played Over-the-Line ever since as a family and with friends.

Even though Emmett hadn't been able to keep score today worth shit, I was still indebted to him for thinking to play this afternoon. It sure lightened my heart to see Bella smiling and laughing as we all played and took turns ridiculing each other. Turns out Bella is just slightly more skillful than Alice, so Alice still wears the crown in the stink department.

We'd all returned to the dorm afterward and met up in the dining hall for dinner. As the meal went on and we ran out of things to pick on each other about regarding our baseball skills, the conversation dwindled and reality set back in.

Emmett was gearing up for his dorm meeting, getting input from us from the discussion we'd had with Officer Peters and speaking to someone at Campus Security. Rose offered some input as well and said she would also be there for our meeting for moral support. She had plans to do the same kind of thing over at her dorm in a few evenings. Better safe than sorry.

Jasper and Alice were rather subdued, simply listening to the conversation. That seems totally out of character for Alice, of course, but it does happen on the rare occasion. At those times Jasper usually tries to influence her mood and get her smiling and peppy again. Jasper, however, was equally as adrift in this, quietly mentioning to me that he didn't know what he'd do if this were happening to Alice. I nodded. It was hard to know what to do.

After dinner, Bella, Alice and Rose went on some sort of last-minute errand together off campus. They assured us they would be back in time for the dorm meeting. I knew that Bella still had a little homework to catch up on for her class tomorrow morning, so I wasn't sure I'd get much more Bella-time in today, but apparently she realized she needed to go shopping for something.

**BPOV**

I really don't know what I was thinking, asking Alice and Rose if they wanted to go shopping with me after dinner. Obviously I hadn't been thinking very clearly. It wasn't until we were driving away in Alice's car-yes she had insisted on driving, saying that it would be faster that way-when it dawned on her that I'd told her I wanted to buy some new underwear.

"So, Bella, what kind of underwear are you in the market for?" she had asked innocently enough.

I began blushing instantly. I thought back to the conversation I'd had with Edward, asking him what I needed to bring in the way of clothes for Saturday night and Sunday. His reply was that he didn't think I'd need much in the way of clothing. The sexy expression on his face nearly made me combust. I'd decided afterward that I could at least go buy some pretty new underwear.

"Um…just, you know…something new. I, uh, I have a few things that are ratty and old and they just need to be replaced."

Rose's voice came from the backseat. "And you just happen to need to replace these 'ratty and old' items right before your trip to Forks with Edward? The night before you're leaving, almost like it's an emergency situation?"

"Um, well, yeah, Rose. I've been sick, you know. I haven't been able to get to the store and then this stuff with James…" my voice dwindled away. I hoped that had sounded convincing.

_Who the hell was I trying to kid? It sounded pathetic and Alice had some kind of intuition superpower._

"Okay, my dear roomie," Alice said, "just spill it. What's going on with you and Edward with this trip to Forks? I mean besides the fact that you're going to Jake's house for renovations? Are you buying 'underwear' as in 'basic foundations'? Or are you about to go buy 'sexy, skimpy, scamp-y, vampy lingerie'? And if it's 'sexy, skimpy, scamp-y, vampy lingerie,' what's the special occasion? Out with it!"

I slumped in the passenger seat, raising my hands to hide behind, as my face fired up an intense blush.

Rose began giggling in the backseat. "From that reaction, I'd say it looks like Bella's going to go buy _Emergency _Sexy, Skimpy, Scamp-y, Vampy Lingerie!"

"Oh, for God's sake you two!" I was horrified and overheated and wondering why the hell I hadn't elected to go do this by myself.

Alice smiled sweetly in my direction. "Tell us, Bella!" Her eyes were sparkling and she was begging.

"Yeah, tell us, Bella! What's going on?" Rose's voice had that same cajoling tone. "You guys have something special planned? Something hot and heavy?"

I sighed. "Edward and I are going away Saturday evening somewhere."

_Please don't ask me any more questions._

"Where's he taking you?" Rose asked.

_Shit!_

"I don't know; he won't tell me. It's a surprise."

_No more questions!_

"And he's surprising you with this because…..?" Alice's voice had now officially taken on a wheedling tone. And she looked so damn hopeful that she was going to get to the heart of the matter.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! _

_Oh, the hell with it, already!_

"Because we're going to do it." My voice came out a tiny, tight squeak.

"What?" Their two voices shrieked in unison.

_Wow! Who would have thought that Rose could shriek like Alice?_

"You mean you're going to _'do it,'_ do it?" Alice asked excitedly.

I nodded mutely.

"You're going to _'do it'_? You mean you haven't 'done it'? I would have thought for sure you two already 'did it.'" Rose seemed surprised and intrigued.

I shook my head lamely. I wanted to put this whole conversation on rewind. In fact, I wanted to rewind to the point back at dinner when I'd asked them if they wanted to go shopping with me. I was thinking I'd do things differently this time around.

"We haven't done it," I finally sighed. "When we came back from our date, last week on Wednesday, I got the call from my dad about the accident with Jake and his dad. I was all upset that night, so that ruined the mood and then I left for Forks the next morning." I shrugged. "I didn't see Edward until Friday, when he thought that I had gotten back together with Jake. And then, even though we talked things out, I felt really uncomfortable about 'doing it' at your parent's home," I looked over at Alice, who nodded understandingly in my direction. Rose, on the other hand, looked somewhat baffled.

"Well then, what about earlier this week?" Rose asked.

"I was sick with the flu and then I also got my period."

"OhmyGodRose!" Alice blurted suddenly. "I forgot to tell you! Edward went to the grocery store and bought Bella tampons!"

"What?" Rose shrieked for the second time.

_Wow! That really is exactly like Alice's shriek. It's uncanny._

I rolled my eyes. "I was sick with the flu. Edward went to the store to buy me some medicine and a few other things and I needed tampons. So he bought them for me. I showed him the box so he'd get the right kind. I don't think he was overly happy about doing it, but he didn't complain. But don't you dare tell Emmett! Either of you! Emmett would give Edward such a hard time about it."

"Oh my," Rose breathed, "That is sooooo romantic! Emmett would never be able to do that. Unless maybe he had a bag over his head or was wearing a mask. No, even then, he could never live with himself. It would involve touching the box. But maybe if he were wearing gloves… Wow. Amazing. You'd better treat Edward to some extra special sexual activities as a thank you."

I blushed furiously.

Alice interrupted her. "Okay, Rose, stop right there. Don't say anymore. This is my twin brother we're discussing and I really don't want specifics, even if they're just suggestions. I mean, I'm happy for Edward, and you too, Bella," she glanced at me quickly. "And I want you guys to have a wonderful time. But I really don't want specific visual images of your Saturday night to come."

They both shrieked simultaneously: "…to…_COME!_" And then they both laughed like hyenas until they had tears rolling down their cheeks.

_Rewind! Rewind! Rewind!_

I sat there petrified with my arms crossed over my chest until they were able to finally stop their hysterics and dry their tears of laughter.

"Okay, we're over it! This is now officially Operation Jaw-Dropping Undies," Alice said as she pulled her car into a parking spot at the mall. The three of us climbed out of the Porsche and headed to the lingerie shop.

It actually went better than I had expected. I was returning home with a beautiful rosy-blush-colored, lacy, push-up bra and matching lacy thong and a stretchy black satin, strapless bra and matching boy shorts. Alice and Rose had given both sets their highest approval ratings. I had effectively nixed the red bustier that Rose had fallen in love with. It really wasn't me. Apparently it was really very Rose. Or very much like one she already owned.

I didn't want to spend my limited time with Edward feeling embarrassed about exceptionally wanton underwear that didn't allow me to breathe in the first place. I wasn't going to be wearing any of this stuff for very long once he saw it anyway, was my best guess. I'd leave some of those wilder things for some point down the road in the future, perhaps.

We got back to the dorm and I made both Alice and Rose promise not to say a word about our shopping trip or Edward's and my planned "Saturday Night Sexscape," as Rose had termed our little getaway. They both promised, zipping their lips, locking them, and throwing away the imaginary keys.

With a little time to spare before the dorm meeting, I headed up to my room, carrying my purchases. Once I dropped my things off I went back downstairs. I walked into the crowded dorm living room, looking for Edward, and spotting only Jasper, seated in a chair with Alice sitting on the floor at his feet. Jasper waved me over. There wasn't much room left, so Alice stood up and sat on Jasper's lap, leaving the spot on the floor open for me.

"Where's Edward?" I asked as I approached them.

"He'll be here in a minute; he was fiddling with his iPod, downloading something, I think. I promised him I'd keep an eye out for you. Have a seat, Pete!"

A moment later, Edward walked into the living room, looking around. He had just spotted us when Emmett's voice boomed over the noise of the gathering crowd.

"Come on in, everyone! Quiet down! Pick your seats and sit!"

I watched as Edward caught Jasper's eye as he came toward us. He rolled his eyes at Emmett's comment regarding seat-picking and made a slight move with one of his hands, seemingly adjusting the seat of his pants. Jasper was chuckling in response.

Rose was sitting in a chair right near Emmett. She rolled her eyes and looked over at Alice and me, shaking her head a little. I think she was acknowledging the fact that Emmett was pretty much a lost cause.

Edward came over to us and sat down behind me, fitting himself in between me and Jasper's chair. I leaned back against him as he leaned back against the edge of Jasper's chair. It felt like a very safe arrangement as I sat there ensconced within Edward's protective arms and legs. He leaned his head against mine and murmured into my ear.

"How was shopping? What did you buy?"

I turned my head and peeked up at him.

"Shopping was fine. I bought some stuff for the weekend."

His eyebrows shot up. "Is it 'inner stuff' or 'outer stuff'?" he asked with interest.

"Inner stuff. Rather little inner stuff." I blushed up at him.

"Hot damn!" he murmured in that low, velvety voice as he pulled me back against him a little more snugly. I could tell that he was fixated on 'rather little inner stuff' and judging by his body's reaction as he contemplated my 'rather little inner stuff,' I was glad I had endured shopping with my two hyena girls.

"Alright, people, settle down, listen up!" Emmett was bellowing, starting the meeting. "Thanks for showing up this evening. It was mandatory, so you had little choice; I would have come to drag you out of your room if I had to, but I still appreciate you all being here in a timely fashion." He scanned the room, his smile becoming a more serious expression.

"We need to discuss and re-emphasize safety procedures tonight. Some of you have gotten a little lax about leaving the main doors open or ajar and as a result we've got some problems that need to be dealt with.

"Most of you are sitting there rolling your eyes at me, thinking I'm talking out my ass, but this stuff is important. It affects all of you. In particular we have a situation that is affecting one of your dorm mates."

Everyone seemed to quiet down a little more once he said that. I watched as people began looking around the room, wondering to whom he was referring.

Emmett looked over to where we were sitting, looking first at Edward and then his eyes shifted to me. I felt Edward's lips press lightly against the side of my head. Emmett's eyes roamed around the room, looking at every face there, making eye contact to insure that they all knew he was serious and were listening closely.

"Most of you know Bella Swan pretty well…" He glanced over at me, smiling briefly. "Wave to them, Bella." His smile broadened and his dimples appeared.

I blushed and then gave a little wave, looking around the room as I did so.

Emmett began speaking again. "Bella is on the receiving end of some unwanted attention from…"

"From Edward?" Mike Newton piped up, looking around and smirking at the faces near him. There were a few quick nervous giggles.

Emmett glared at him. "Cut the crap, Newton. This is serious. It's a potentially dangerous situation and not something to joke about."

I looked over at Jessica, who had nudged Mike with an elbow and was now whispering to him, apparently chiding him.

"Sorry, Emmett." Mike glanced from Emmett to me. "Sorry, Bella."

I nodded, acknowledging his apology.

"Such an idiot," Edward growled in a low voice behind me. I patted his hand that was pressed flat against my stomach.

"Anyway, Bella is having some problems with a guy that appears to be keeping an eye on her. He's been to this dorm and up to her suite uninvited, and as of today, he followed her into a class."

Angela was sitting across the room with Ben. She looked over at me, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock. She blinked rapidly a few times, mouthed the word, "stalker" to me and looked to be asking a question with that single word. I shrugged slightly and then nodded. Her eyes widened. I saw her turn and talk quietly to Ben then.

Emmett proceeded to give a detailed description of James and explain that he had been in the dorm sometime over the past weekend and possibly more than once, looking for me and leaving me flowers. Emmett also mentioned the situation this morning in my class, when James had stealthily appeared in the seat behind me.

"Whether someone intentionally or unintentionally let James in, or if the doors had simply been left opened is irrelevant. We all need to do a better job of maintaining the safety and security here for each other. And we just want you all to know who this guy is and to keep an eye out for him for Bella's sake. He doesn't live here. He's not a guest here. He has no business being here."

He went on to explain that I had been to the U-Dub PD and that they were also aware of the situation and were keeping a file on the situation.

"Hopefully, he leaves her alone and we don't see him turning up here, but if he does, Bella needs your help. Let her know if you see this guy. And let me know. We'll need that information. They're building a case against him if he persists.

Emmett then asked if anyone had any questions and answered a few random questions before wrapping things up.

"So, a few other general reminders for your own personal safety: In case of fire or other emergency, evacuation procedures are located on the back of your doors. Make sure to secure doors and windows when you are alone, asleep at night, and when you leave the room. Keep the outside doors closed. Only let people you know into the dorm. If you have guests over, accompany them at all times while they are in the dorm. Don't allow anyone you don't know into the dorm. Be especially aware of someone who may try to follow you into the building. Any suspicious circumstances or activity should be reported to me or by dialing 911. And don't forget to always let someone know where you're going and when you'll return. We've all got to do a better job of taking care of each other.

"Now, if any of you have any information regarding James Hunter, or think you may have seen him here last weekend, or if you've noticed anything else suspicious or if you have any questions, stick around and talk to me. Otherwise, thanks for coming, keep your safety and the safety of others in mind, and be on the lookout for this guy I described."

People began standing up, talking quietly amongst themselves before beginning to file out. Emmett looked over at Edward and moved his hands in a slight "how'd I do?" gesture. Edward lifted his hand and gave Emmett a thumbs-up. I gave him a small smile and a wink in agreement. I thought Big Sis had done a great job.

A few people immediately came over to me and expressed their concern, promising to be of help and watch for James.

Jessica dragged Mike over and he apologized once again profusely. I told him it was okay; I understood that he didn't realize how serious it was. Jessica and then Angela both said that they hadn't seen him, but would keep their eyes out for him. Angela grabbed my hand, squeezing it.

"I'm just glad you have Edward," she quietly said, glancing up at him as he stood close behind me, talking to Emmett. "I'm sure he's going out of his way to help keep you safe. We'll keep an eye out for that jerk for you." Then she and Jessica gave me a small group hug before leaving the living room.

Victoria stood there with Lauren. She seemed a little uncomfortable.

"Isabella, that guy…James…I'm afraid I pointed your room out to him last Saturday evening. He seemed harmless. I didn't know he shouldn't have been here. He asked if I knew where you had gone. Of course I didn't have the slightest idea, but I told him I hadn't seen you or your roommate for a few days, so I thought the two of you had gone somewhere together perhaps. He wanted me to keep the flowers for when you got back, but…I have allergy problems, as you know…so I just left them on the floor for you and tossed the card under the door."

She paused and looked at Lauren before continuing.

"Isabella, we've had our differences, but our roommate switch worked out well for both of us. I wouldn't wish you any harm and I'm sorry if what I did contributed to the situation you are in now."

_Holy shit, a gentler, kinder Bitchtoria! Who would have thought Victoria did "apologetic and contrite"?_

"I understand," I told her. "I would probably have done and said the same things you did. It's just an unfortunate situation that none of us saw coming. I appreciate you letting me know what happened. Emmett may want to get a statement from you." I looked from her to Lauren and back. "Thank you for telling me."

Victoria and Lauren both nodded and then left.

Tyler Crowley was the next person to approach me. He was staring anxiously at me and fidgeting as he stood before me.

"Bella, I'm so sorry!" he suddenly blurted.

"Tyler, why? What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry!" he repeated, a little more anguish in his voice now. "This is all my fault! I'll make it up to you, Bella. I am so, so sorry!" He was beginning to babble.

"Tyler!" I interrupted him, speaking a little loudly to cut through his babbling. "What are you sorry for?"

I was aware of Edward behind me, touching my back. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Edward frown at me in confusion and then he looked at Tyler, waiting for him to explain.

"That guy…I let him in. He said he was a friend of yours. He had some flowers and said they were for you."

"Did he ask you if Bella lived here?" Edward suddenly asked.

"Um, I think it was more like a statement. You know, like, 'Bella lives here, right?' I just said yes. He said he was a friend and he asked if I could let him in because he wanted to give you some flowers he had with him."

"Do you remember when that was, Tyler?" Edward asked.

Tyler thought for a moment. I was aware that both Edward and I were holding our breath.

"I remember I was heading downtown to meet a friend. That was why I was leaving the dorm. This was Friday afternoon."

I suddenly felt lightheaded. I turned to Edward.

"You were right," I whispered. Edward's face was slightly paler than normal.

Tyler began babbling again. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I apologize. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. Maybe I can take you out for dinner or something…we, uh, we could go out dancing or something..."

_What?_

I stared at him, uncomprehending. _Was he serious?_

"So, Tyler, you're going to take me out? Are we bringing Edward, or is he going to meet us there, because he's my boyfriend, and I don't think he would be too happy about me going out with other guys, you know?" I heard a quiet chuckle from behind me.

Tyler looked up, realization and then embarrassment washing over his face. He glanced behind me at Edward as Edward cleared his throat and addressed him.

"Bella is unavailable, Tyler. She'll be unavailable every night, as far as anyone besides myself is concerned. No offense, but she's mine and I don't want her dating other guys."

"Oh, right, right! God, that was completely stupid! I don't know why I even said that. I'm just so sorry, Bella. I'm at a complete loss."

"Okay, whatever, Tyler. Never mind, but thanks for the information. We'll need to get a signed statement about that."

He nodded and moved away, obviously still tormenting himself.

"Tyler's got a few screws that need tightening," Edward said quietly. "Though he's Newton's friend, so that explains a lot. Let's go tell Emmett what he told us."

We talked to Emmett, he in turn talked with Tyler and had him write down a statement and sign it, including his phone number and the date today, as well as the previous Friday.

**EPOV**

The next morning, Friday, Bella dropped her duffel bag off in my room when she came downstairs for breakfast. Once we had eaten I walked her to her class. I'd brought my iPod and a book along, deciding it would be better for me to be in my own little world, reading and listening to music, than sending her wanton notes about what I was hoping to get out of the weekend ahead of us.

We were able to take off for Forks right after her class was over, dropping our things off in my room and grabbing our bags and heading down to the car. We both needed the escape, I realized.

The drive to Forks was a long one, of course; three and a half hours. We pulled into a drive-through on the way and picked up some burgers, fries and milkshakes. Bella took it upon herself to feed me as I drove, unwrapping my cheeseburger for me and attempting to shove far too many French fries in my mouth at a time. She thought she was funny. If I hadn't been driving I would have jumped her, pinned her down, and tickled her mercilessly. That would probably have led to some sort of sexual encounter; a little pre-Saturday evening appetizer to whet my whistle. I was in dire need of getting my whistle whetted. I focused on chewing my mouthful of fries and swallowing, ignoring my sordid thoughts as much as was humanly possible.

During part of the drive, she somehow got started on asking me about my favorites and telling me hers. Favorite everything. Favorite book, movie, cartoon show, superhero, actor, actress, band, song and on and on. We compared favorites. After a while we tried to guess about each other's favorites, rather than just tell each other the information. We got pretty good at guessing. It was entertaining, and often we shared the same favorites.

"Favorite flower?" I asked.

She smiled. "Orange roses."

I grinned right back at her. "Mine too."

"Who's your favorite person, living or dead?" I asked her.

"That's easy. You are." she grinned broadly at me. "Who's yours?"

"That's easy, Lady Gaga." I told her, biting my lip so I wouldn't laugh. She burst out laughing and then she hit me on the shoulder.

"Ow!" I smiled at her; I had deserved that.

"Do you want an honest answer?" I asked.

She nodded as she sipped at her milkshake, looking up at me through her lashes.

"You're right up there at the very top, my love. Lady Gaga is only just slightly ahead of you."

Her mouth dropped open in dismay. Then she glared at me but I knew it was in jest. She was trying to stifle her grin, and then she gave me a little smack on the shoulder once again.

Ouch!" I yelped needlessly. Honestly, what she did to me could barely be considered a hit.

She looked out the passenger window, pretending irritation as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I hope you enjoy your Saturday night, listening to the Lady Gaga tunes of your choice. By yourself. All alone. Solo."

It was my turn to laugh now. I reached over and grabbed her ribs, enjoying the sound of her burst of laughter as I tickled her. Her hits had been about as forceful as my tickles and a tickle was probably better anyway, but I certainly had deserved the hits I'd received. I probably really deserved a swat on my butt, however I was sitting on said butt so she couldn't very well perform said swat.

Isabella Swan was my absolute favorite person in the entire world. And I'm pretty damn certain I'm still hers, despite what I said about Lady Gaga.

I looked over at her rosy, post-tickle-giggle face. "You are, hands down, my most favorite person of all time, love." It was hard to contain how happy I felt; how whole I felt; how complete I felt being with her. If my life were a musical, this would be the portion where I'd be singing and dancing to upbeat, snappy tunes constantly.

She threaded her fingers through mine, pulling my arm over so my elbow rested on the console and she could cradle our clasped hands in her lap. I tried to wedge my hand between her thighs, but she giggled, pulled at my hand and kept it chastely on her lap. Probably just as well. I didn't want to rear-end another driver if things got too interesting between her legs. We drove along with big, cheesy smiles on our faces. Love certainly was a glorious thing, even if it made you act all goofy and ridiculous.

Into the second hour of the drive she began dozing and snoring quietly. I knew she had stayed up fairly late last night to finish everything she had to do in order to be completely caught up for her class this morning. She could get a good night's sleep tonight, I figured; her dad would probably see to it that we were separated and tucked in early. I'd probably be handcuffed and hog-tied out in some shed in the yard.

I woke her up as we neared Forks; patting her on her knee and running my hand up and down her thigh a little. I wasn't sure exactly where she lived and I knew she wanted to stop at the grocery store before we got to her house. She wanted to make dinner for her dad.

She stretched and yawned and sat up straighter in the front seat, looking out the window and getting her bearings. She directed me to the grocery store where I followed her around, pushing the cart, as she picked up ingredients for dinner and dessert.

It was just a short drive to her occasional childhood home: a two-storied, white house with several steps up to the covered front porch. A large tree stood out front, its broad branches reaching upward and outward to the second story window on the right side of the house.

"That's my room up there," she said, pointing to the window that was nearly obscured by the reaching branches. I turned back to look at her and she was smiling at me.

"So if your dad banishes me from the house, I can still climb up for a goodnight kiss."

"If my dad banishes you from the house, and you go to all the trouble of climbing that tree for a goodnight kiss, I'm pulling you inside the window and into my bed for being persistent."

I looked at her and smiled wistfully, but I couldn't help focusing on the police cruiser parked in the driveway. I wondered what it would feel like to be carted away in the backseat if I were to try any funny business in Chief Charles Swan's home with Chief Charles Swan's awfully sexy daughter.

She must have sensed my hesitation, because she patted my leg, saying, "It'll be fine, Edward. Come on, let's do this." She began opening her door and I quickly got out, going around and helping her. If her dad was watching out of some window, he should at least have a good impression of me. I glanced at the front windows, but saw no one. We left our duffel bags in the car; I would come out for them later. We each carried a grocery bag up to the house. As we climbed the steps to the front door, Bella turned toward me.

"Kiss for good luck?" she asked.

I figured I could use all the luck I could get. I was expecting a peck on the lips, but that wasn't what Bella had in mind. It started out nice and easy, but soon became a little nicer and then a whole lot nicer and then before I could pry her off of me I could feel myself rising to the occasion in my jeans.

That turned into a frighteningly quick tailspin as the door suddenly opened and a frowning Chief Swan caught the new boyfriend in full-blown lip-lock-and-spit-swap with his little girl. I quickly pulled my tongue back out of her mouth and stood up straight as an arrow and stepped back a pace away from her. At least my erection had wilted due to her father's abrupt appearance.

_Fuck! Fuckity. Fuck. Fuck! I couldn't even begin to plead innocent._

I'd have to try to be more careful. The back seat of that police cruiser was beginning to look like home to me already; I'd swear I could hear it calling my name, beckoning to me, and I'd only been here for about two minutes. I reached over and grabbed the grocery bag Bella was holding. I might as well try to look like a gentleman now, to make up for looking like an overzealous sex offender moments ago.

"Oops!" She giggled at our misdemeanor, blushing. "Hi, Daddy! Um, this is Edward Cullen. You probably already figured that out." She turned and looked up at me. "Edward, this is my dad, Charlie Swan." She was reaching forward to hug him as he pulled the door open, stepping aside for us to enter.

"Hey there, Bells," he said, hugging her quickly. "It's good to have you home." He looked past her then, scrutinizing me, like maybe it wasn't so good to have me home, but then he was extending his hand to me anyway. "Edward," he said, nodding curtly.

"Chief Swan, it's nice to meet you." I'd already blown Jasper's first rule. I'd over-kissed and been caught with my tongue illegally parked in the wrong mouth. I'd have to remember not to mention my planned sexual interlude with his daughter the next evening.

"You got here pretty quickly. What time did you two leave?" He was talking to me, but before I could answer, Bella spoke up. "We left a half hour sooner than we thought we were going to, and then there was no traffic whatsoever." I picked up on what she was saying and realized that I was not supposed to speed when I drove.

"Yeah," I said, feeling fairly confident and corroborating her story, "we left a little before twelve thirty and the road was clear the whole way."

He nodded, but he looked doubtful; like he saw how orchestrated our answer had been. He was probably wishing right about now that he had separated us to interrogate us and then compare our answers later to verify that we weren't lying under oath.

We headed inside, Bella telling him that she was going to make chicken and cheese enchiladas, Mexican rice and a salad for dinner, followed by ice cream sundaes for dessert and that we had already bought everything at the grocery store. He seemed a little bit happier after he heard that.

I followed Bella into the kitchen with the grocery bags and began unpacking them for her, trying to act my most gentlemanly. She visited with him a little bit, talking about school and her classes. She mentioned that she'd missed a few classes because of being sick this week, which he already knew, and she managed to throw in the fact that I had helped her out, just to remind him of how useful I could be.

"Thanks again for taking care of her, Edward."

"Sure, Chief Swan, no problem. It was my pleasure, sir."

"Edward?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You can call me Charlie."

"Sure thing, Chief Swan, er, sir, uh, Charlie."

"Just Charlie is fine. I've never been knighted, so you don't need to call me 'Sir Charlie.' Plain old 'Charlie' is fine by itself." He looked at me a little doubtfully.

I nodded. Thankfully, Bella said that she wanted to start making the enchiladas. She asked if I wanted to help her. Of course I said yes. That was preferable to sitting down with her father and calling him by the wrong names and waiting for him to interrogate me, or play Good Cop, Bad Cop by himself with me, or whatever he had in mind.

Her dad grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, offering us sodas, lemonade, ice water, whatever we'd like, and then went into the living room to watch TV for a bit, relaxing after his shift.

"Would you like a beer, Edward?" Bella asked me.

"Do you think that would be okay?" I asked quietly in response. Having a beer would be a good way to take the edge off the boyfriend-meets-and-disappoints-the-father situation . I was concerned however, about being pulled over mid-meal for eating under the influence.

"Daddy, do you care if Edward has one of your beers?" she called to him in the living room, much to my horror.

"Is he of legal age?" her father called back.

I began fishing out my wallet to present him with my driver's license so he could verify my age. Bella looked at me like I was losing my marbles.

"Yes, he's twenty-one like me!" She furrowed her brow and looked at me somewhat carefully.

"That's fine, then. Have you turned into a beer drinker, Bells?" he called back.

I began wondering if I was going to be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a daughter.

"No, I don't really care for the taste that much," she called back to him.

"That's my girl!" he called back.

Perfect. So now I was going to be on his shit list because I was an alcoholic and belonged in the drunk tank with all of the other drunks and disorderlies.

"Edward," Bella's voice quietly cut through my thoughts.

"Huh?"

She glanced toward the doorway and continued speaking quietly to me. "Get a hold of yourself. I can see the gears turning at warp speed in your lovely head." She neared me and spread her hands palm down on my chest as she looked up into my eyes with a little smile. "You haven't done anything wrong and you're not going to. He's just my dad. Stop thinking of him as a cop, please."

"It's that obvious?" I asked, amazed that she saw right through my cool demeanor.

"To me, of course. I know you and how your silly mind works. Just relax. Drink your beer." She grabbed two handfuls of my shirt and pulled me towards her, leaning up on her toes and kissing me squarely on the lips.

I sighed as she pulled away. "It's just…you know…a guy worries about being around his girlfriend's father. Especially for the first time. And if he's a chief of police there is that concern about being shot as well." I smiled cheerfully at her.

She shook her head, muttering, "Thank goodness this is just for one night, baby; you'd blow a gasket if we stayed here for two."

It took us a while, but we cooked and shredded the chicken, mixed it with a few other ingredients and rolled up the filled corn tortillas, some with a chicken mixture, some with just cheese. We put them in the baking dish, covered them with sauce and cheese and before long we had put them in the oven to bake.

I hadn't realized how easy it was to make enchiladas; a little time-consuming, but not really difficult. I liked helping Bella as she cooked. We worked well together and there was something comfortable about being domestic together and coming up with an edible result.

Once the enchiladas were in the oven, I polished off my nearly-forgotten beer and then Bella took me on a tour. The house was small. We went upstairs to her room, leaving the door open and making enough noise so that her dad wouldn't wonder if I was mauling her on her bed, much as I desperately wanted to.

Bella's room had a lot of personal touches and mementos on the walls and shelves. There were assorted art projects of Bella's at various ages, keepsakes from trips, and photos of her with her parents and various friends through the years. There were also a few photos of her with Jake, which she quickly and rather stealthily picked up and put in a drawer. I realized that she hadn't thought to put them away before, but she must have felt embarrassed now, because she was blushing.

"I should print up some pictures of you and me to put in frames," she quietly said as the blush dissipated. "That would be nice to have here at Thanksgiving and for when I come home over Winter break. You won't be here but I could still look at you."

_Winter break? Shit!_

I didn't want to think about that whole winter break when we wouldn't be living in the same dorm. We'd have to arrange her staying in Port Angeles and me coming to Forks as well for visits. Her staying at my family's house would essentially be like living in the dorm. My staying at her dad's house would be like visiting day in jail, but without any hope of a conjugal visit.

She took my hand and showed me the rest of the upstairs, just her dad's room and the bathroom, and then she led me back downstairs. She left me in the living room to go start preparing the rice.

Her father was in the process of cleaning his service revolver. He probably wanted to make sure it was in good working order in case he needed to use it on me during the night. He was sitting in the only separate chair in the living room, so I realized I was going to be breaking another one of Jasper's rules as I sat down on the couch, but at least Bella was busy in the kitchen for now, so I didn't have to worry that she might come and straddle my lap while her father got out his shotgun. Actually, he didn't need to bother with the shotgun if he would just hurry up with the service revolver. That would probably put a big enough dent in me, if need be.

He asked me some questions as he worked. He wanted to know where my family lived, what my parents did, how many siblings I had and where they went to school. I realized he was just performing a background check. He was surprised that we all went to the same school and lived in the same dorm, even more so that we were friends. I explained about our little interrelated group and I told him how much we all liked Bella.

"I hope you only have good intentions with my daughter, son," he said as he reassembled his cleaned and polished revolver. It was just about ready for firing. I'd better not give the wrong response to his statement.

I swallowed, or at least I tried to. This was the part where I had to be extra careful and remember not to blurt out anything about up-coming premarital sexual adventures I had planned for his little girl.

"Well, I intend to treat her right for as long as she'll let me." I stammered as I continued, "I uh, I like taking care of her, and she takes care of me."

_Oh shit! "She takes care of me?" Did that sound as lewd as I thought? Emmett would go to town with "she takes care of me." _

I tried to fix things up by adding, "She's a sweet girl, and she's thoughtful." I hoped that clarified things a little in his mind. "Um, if you'll excuse me, sir, Charlie, I think I'll go see if Bella needs any help." I stood up, and nervously headed into the kitchen.

Bella was nearly done making the rice, and the enchiladas were done and cooling a little on the stovetop. She had started making a salad and I helped cutting up some tomatoes and cucumbers.

I leaned over toward her, speaking quietly, "I'm probably not going to get a card from your dad, it's probably going to be a summons."

She giggled. "Don't be silly. He likes you. He hasn't handcuffed you yet."

I rolled my eyes. "No, but there's still time."

I looked at her for a minute, watching as she put the salad together and turned off the burner beneath the pot of rice, stirring it one last time.

"Bella, have you told your dad anything about James?" I finally asked.

"No, I will. I just don't want to upset him," she replied, wiping her hands on a towel.

"You've got to tell him," I quietly said as I moved my thumb to smooth away the little pucker between her brows.

"I know; I will during dinner, once he's had some food and we're all sitting down."

She started putting the food on the kitchen table, getting out dishes, napkins and utensils. I busied myself setting the table as she went and told her dad that dinner was ready. We were all soon seated at the kitchen table, eating Bella's phenomenal enchiladas.

"These are terrific," I told her enthusiastically, chewing on my first forkful.

"Bella does know her way around the kitchen," Charlie nodded, smiling as he ate.

It was the first time I had actually seen him really smile. Maybe things weren't so bad after all. As we ate they chatted about local gossip, the progress Billy Black was making since the accident and the build planned at the Blacks' home tomorrow. Conversation seemed a little easier and I felt myself relaxing a little.

Finally Bella glanced nervously at me and cleared her throat.

"Um, Daddy? I, um need to tell you about something that's going on at school."

His eyes narrowed almost instantly, probably noticing the fact that she seemed nervous. He glanced at me a little speculatively; a little accusingly.

"What's that, Bells?" He looked back at her.

"There's a guy who is, um, following me, I think."

"Other than Edward?" he asked dryly.

She laughed a nervous little laugh. "Yeah, Daddy. I think I may have a stalker."

"What?" Her dad frowned and stared hard at her. "Tell me what's been going on. What's this guy done?" His tone of voice edged toward anger.

She proceeded to tell him everything, or nearly everything. He asked questions and seemed relieved to know that we were taking the situation seriously and had gone to the police on campus. He asked numerous questions about Officer Peters and the conversation we'd had with him. He was appreciative of the fact that I'd gone with her, both to the police station and to her classes yesterday and today. The fact that Emmett had held a dorm meeting notifying the other residents of what was happening and the possibility that James might show up again, seemed to be a relief to him as well.

"It sounds like you've done everything the right way. I'm glad you went to the police and talked with Peters. I'm going to give him a call. I'd like to touch base with him. If you see this jackass again, Bells, I think it may be time to get a Protection Order against him. I want you to be careful and take every little thing seriously."

I reached out and took her hand right then and there on the table top. It didn't matter to me that her dad was sitting right there. Shit, he'd already seen me with my tongue in her mouth; my hand on hers certainly couldn't have been that bad.

His dark eyes looked at me. They were Bella's eyes but with bushier eyebrows. "You had best be careful too, Edward. If he wants to get to her badly enough, he probably won't mind having to get past you to get to her, although stalkers usually wait until they can get their victims alone. And don't either of you do anything stupid trying to be heroic."

_Peters had said the same thing to me. Was it written across my forehead or something?_

After dinner we all cleaned up the kitchen together. I washed the dishes. Charlie dried and put things away. Bella packaged up leftovers so Charlie could have another dinner the next evening. Once that was done we headed into the living room, Charlie taking his seat in his chair and I was left to the couch with Bella. I picked up the little throw pillow and set it down next to me, creating a little buffer zone that would keep Bella away or at least at a respectable distance. We held hands on top of the pillow.

We watched a cop show on TV, with Charlie pointing out what was wrong and what would never happen in real life. I asked him a few questions about procedure and he was only too happy to explain. He would occasionally think of something else he wanted to say regarding James. I could see that it was weighing heavily on his mind.

A little later in the evening, Bella dished up some ice cream for dessert and I helped her decorate the sundaes with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and cherries. The three of us sat eating them in the living room. I intentionally ignored Bella as she licked at her spoon, catching drips on her tongue. I would have blown my cover and the button fly on my jeans if I'd paid too much attention to that provocative sexiness.

After the ice cream, Charlie said that he was heading upstairs to watch TV before bed. He said he hoped I'd be comfortable on the couch. His message was loud and clear. He climbed the stairs then and I glanced over at Bella, exhaling a huge breath and sagging in place, like I could finally relax. She smiled widely and grabbed the throw pillow, moving it to the other side of her, scooting closer to me. And I was fool enough to go along with that. Jasper would so not have approved.

Before long, Bella was on her knees, scooted up close to me, leaning over me and sort of attacking my mouth with her own. We were making out on the couch and everything was going along just fine until we heard whistling and the sound of approaching footsteps coming down the stairs. Bella quickly moved away, pulling the throw pillow back between us. She was good; she was awfully fast. I picked up the throw pillow and put it onto my lap, to hide the abundance of evidence there.

Charlie wandered into the kitchen, returning with a glass of ice water, which he took back upstairs with him. I swear I saw a slight smile on his face. I ran my hand through my hair, vowing not to return to my life of crime with Bella. But of course a few minutes later, Bella was crawling over to me on the couch. She was about to straddle me, but I held her off, my hands on her hips, holding her at bay.

"I really don't think this will go over well, Bella, if your dad comes back downstairs."

She looked a little dejected, but returned to her previous spot next to me.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked a few minutes later.

"Uh, sure, I guess so."

_It beats sitting here, waiting for the next assault. And if we're kissing and you're sitting on my groin when your dad walks back through here, there's bound to be assault and battery. _

"I'll be right back," she said, "I'm going to go put on something warmer." She disappeared upstairs for a few minutes. I heard her talking to her father, then shortly afterwards she was coming back down in sweatpants, boots and a heavy jacket.

She grabbed a flashlight out of a coat closet near the front door and we headed outside, stopping at my car where I had a jacket in the trunk. We began walking along the street, but then she veered toward a wooded area near the end of the road. There was a footpath that led into the woods. She turned on the flashlight, shined the light around us and onto the footpath, and grasped my hand in hers, pulling me along.

She looked up at me, smiling a seductive little grin, and I swear I saw motive and means in those molten, dark chocolate eyes. A little chill of a thrill went up my spine as I realized that we were about to go commit a crime of passion in the woods. And I was a willing accomplice.

**A/N: So let me know what you thought about...**

**a.) The Hyena Girls b.) Emmett and the Dorm Meeting c.) Babbling Tyler Crowley d.) Chief Charlie Swan e.) Edward and the Stress to Impress f.) All of the above :) g.) None of the above :(**


	57. So Near and Yet So Far

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Here's a trip to Forks' finer make-out, look-out spot for a little sexy-time al fresco. Here's more from the case file of Edward Cullen vs. The Chief of Police. And here's the arrival at Jacob's. Oh, and by the way...it's Saturday!

Disclaimer: Nope. Nope. I'm not.

Let's start the chapter with some fireworks between Naughty Bella and that sometimes-goofy, sometimes-uptight boy we've all come to know and love. He could really use a little tender loving care after the harrowing day he's had, hangin' with The Man.

**Chapter 57: So Near and Yet So Far (Revised)**

**EPOV**

I wasn't sure what time it was, but I knew it was pretty late. Bella had asked if I wanted to go for a walk and I had said yes, just because I was nervous and a little uncomfortable in her dad's house. She had changed into something warmer and now we were outside, walking into the wooded area at the end of her street. We were following a little footpath, illuminated by the dim glow of her flashlight.

I had the distinct feeling that she had ulterior motives bringing me out here.

Good. I was completely on board with that. Dick was on board with that too. Dick was ready to just jump overboard; tomorrow evening couldn't get here fast enough.

"Do we have a specific destination?" I asked her, smiling to myself as I wondered exactly where we were going. She looked back over her shoulder at me with a sexy little smile curling up the corners of her lips. A good kind of shiver ran down my spine.

"It's a surprise," she said. Her eyes were dark and inviting in the moonlight.

"What are we doing out here in the woods this late?" I asked her, trying a different tack, wondering if she'd tell me, or if she was just going to blush. I had a brief, exhilarating thought of Bella talking dirty to me and just telling me exactly in vivid detail what we were going to be doing out here in the woods.

_Holy shit! That would just kill me on the spot! And speaking of wood..._

"I want to show you something," she said over her shoulder, smiling at me with those dark, liquid chocolate eyes.

_Hmm…not quite as dirty as I would have liked, but it was filled with innuendo…but that could just be me and my high hopes._

"I'll gladly look at whatever you want to show me," I told her, squeezing her hand and squeezing just a little more innuendo into my response. She looked back at me once more. I couldn't see, but if I could bet money, I'd put it all on red, for a blush.

The woods were quiet; the only sounds our footsteps as we followed the small circle of light thrown on the ground from the flashlight she held.

"You're not going to lead me out here, just to abandon me in the woods, are you?" I wondered if she could hear the smile in my voice. She'd better not leave me out here; up Shit Creek without a paddle. I strained my ears, wondering if I could hear the sound of water.

"You wouldn't do that to _me, _now would you, Edward?"

"No! I would never run off and leave you alone and unprotected in the middle of the woods. That's ridiculous to even contemplate. What kind of a fool do you think I am? "

I heard a small chuckle escape from her.

"Well, I've come to see the occasional fool in you, but, no, I don't think you'd ever leave me out here alone and of course I wouldn't do it to you, either."

I smiled, though she couldn't see it in the darkness.

"Bella?" I asked, as a sudden alarming thought crossed my mind, "Do we need to be worried about wild animals out here?" I quickly scanned our surroundings, although in the darkness all I could see was additional darkness.

"I don't think so," she said over her shoulder as she tugged me along deeper into the dark and enveloping woods. "I've never seen anything like that out here; never heard of anything like that from anyone else."

"Because I could probably fight off a squirrel, or even a whole pack of squirrels, but anything big, like a wolf or a pack of wolves, that might be beyond my abilities."

She giggled. "I think we'll be okay, but it's good to know you're confidant about fending off marauding squirrels. You're so very brave, Edward."

I puffed out my chest at that.

We trudged on until we came to a clearing bathed in the soft moonlight. The little open area was on a precipice overlooking a river way down below in the valley. There were imposing pines all around behind and to the side of us. We were in a forested alcove and the view to the scene below was completely unobstructed. The moonlight was shining on the waterway; making it look like a liquid, shimmering ribbon. It was beautiful and bright, even by night; like molten silver.

"Oh, Bella, what a view!" I pulled her by her hand back up close to me, wrapping my arm around her shoulders, hugging her in close to my body as we stood there side by side. "This is incredible," I said, gazing out over the serene panorama below us. I turned and placed a quick kiss on her temple.

"I thought you would like this. It's peaceful out here." She had turned to face me. "You seemed rather jumpy and nervous all afternoon and evening around my dad, Edward." She was quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts before she continued speaking. "I want you to know how glad I am that you came with me. I really wanted my dad to have the chance to meet you. You're so important to me, and it's important that he knows who you are; at least a little bit. I also wanted you to get to know him a little. I know he can be kind of intimidating, but you don't need to be afraid of him."

_Would she be offended if I laughed at her for making that last statement?_

I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. "I think if he weren't a policeman, I'd probably feel a little less anxious. I kept feeling like I might inadvertently commit some crime and be carted off to jail."

She giggled, moving to stand before me and wrapping her arms up around my neck. "I honestly don't think you'd break any actual laws. But if you did, I'd come see you on visiting days." She was smirking up at me, biting her lip.

I chuckled. "Thanks. I bet you'd bake me a cake with a file in it too, so I'd have some means to escape from my cell."

I bent my head to hers, placing my forehead against hers and sliding my nose along the length of hers. I pulled her in tightly to me and brought my mouth to hers, kissing her languidly. After an afternoon of feeling tense in the presence of her father, I was relaxed and comfortable and comforted just being with her in this tranquil spot, breathing in the scent of her mixed with the cool scent of the pines around us.

Things heated up quickly between us as we stood there, wrapped in each other's arms and lips. All thoughts of anxiety were gone and replaced by a needy, restless desire. She looked up at me with those dark, dark eyes.

"I've missed you, Edward," she sighed longingly. "Last weekend seems so long ago. This week was a complete fog. It almost seems like a dream that I was with you at your parents' house last weekend. I want to go back in time." She was smiling wistfully.

"Mmm, I do too, love." I brought my mouth back down to hers. I held her to me as our kiss deepened. I felt her body move slightly apart from mine and then I heard the sound of the zipper on her jacket as she pulled it down, moving closer, wrapping the sides of her oversized jacket around me and pulling me into her small and oh-so-soft warmth.

As she looped her arms around my neck I reached inside of her jacket, sliding my arms around behind her, and pressed my fingers into her back. I knew my hands were cold, so I didn't touch her skin directly until they had warmed up a little. Once they had, at least somewhat, I was pulling her shirt up in back, so I could touch her warm, smooth skin. We both gasped a little at the connection, breaking our kiss and then chuckling quietly at our simultaneous surprised reaction.

"I've missed you, too, love. You're so soft; so warm; I'd like to curl up naked with you." She made a little whimpering sound as my hands trailed up higher under the back of her shirt. My hands reached up nearly to the line of her shoulder blades and I realized that she had taken off her bra when she went to change.

_So she did have ulterior motives_. _This crime of passion had been pre-meditated. So damn sneaky. The perfect crime..._

She leaned away from me a little and looked up at me. I felt myself falling into those big, luminous eyes of hers. I trailed my hands lightly around toward the front of her body, feeling her ribs and then her abdomen, sliding up to her breasts. I stroked the curving fullness of the underside lightly, teasing her as she closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. She exhaled then in a small moan as her body arched into my hands, her breasts filling them.

Her hands were at the front of my jeans; I felt her cupping me for a moment and then pressing against me, tracing the line of my erection from the tip down toward the base. I groaned as I felt her squeeze and then stroke against me through my jeans. I rocked my hips slowly, as she rubbed her hand against my denim-covered arousal. The anticipation of tomorrow night was just so fucking delicious.

"Oh, Bella," I mumbled into her hair. "I want you so badly, love. This is torture." I dragged my fingertips feather-light across her nipples and then I pinched and stroked her as she moaned, lifting her mouth to mine. Our tongues met and caressed and then began a slow thrusting, mimicking what our bodies wanted, but couldn't do.

"Edward," she whispered hoarsely, "I want you too." She leaned her head against me, panting a little. She looked over her shoulder, glancing around. "Maybe instead of waiting until tomorrow night we could…I mean, if there was somewhere here…"

"Shhh. No, love...not here." I pulled her to me, hugging her so very tightly, resting my forehead against hers once again. "I don't want to rush and have you out in the cold, on the damp forest floor. You deserve better than that. We both do. This is too special. I want us to have all night. We've taken our time to get to this point; we can wait one more night to make it memorable and perfect."

I was trying to convince myself and Dick just as much as I was trying to convince her.

She tilted her head up, kissing me. Her hand was on the waistband of my jeans and I felt her fingertips, sliding inside the band, reaching inside, seeking and finding the tip of me. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply through my nose, having a feeling of where this was_...headed._

_Oh fuck._

She removed her fingers then and began unbuttoning the fly of my pants maddeningly slowly and then gently pushing them, and my boxers, down my hips a little. She pressed my body backward, walking me backward a few steps until I was leaning against a tree. And then I felt her hand touching me more completely.

The air was cold, but I wasn't really all that focused on the temperature. We could have been out on the Arctic tundra and I don't think I would have cared. I felt her lips on my neck; right at my Adam's apple. My hand traveled up inside her shirt again as I relaxed into the movements of her hand and on me, my breaths deepening as I looked out into the night but focused solely on the physical sensations.

She moved apart from me suddenly and I watched darkly as she knelt down before me, her eyes latched onto mine.

_Oh, dear God...so much better than talking dirty..._

She leaned closer and I felt her warm breath against my length. It was too much. I was aching for her. I closed my eyes, reveling in the moment, tipping my head toward the heavens.

I felt the sudden warmth of her mouth as she enveloped me. I sucked a very ragged breath in through my teeth when I felt her soft tongue caressing me. I wrapped my fingers into her silky hair as her slow, deep movements, and the pace of my shaky breaths, picked up slowly, gradually, steadily. Her mouth was insistent, demanding, relentless, and I reveled in every single push and pull as her lips and tongue moved on me and around me.

I don't know if it was the fact that I didn't expect anything to happen this evening, or the fact that we were sneaking around, or that we were in the great outdoors while she was performing this very clandestine, very sexy, somewhat wanton act on me, but it had to be the single most sexually thrilling thing that had ever happened to me.

"Oh, Bella…!" I gasped, gazing down at what she was doing to me, gripping her shoulders, as I tensed right before exploding. "Oh, fuck!"…I threw my head back; my eyes closed tightly against the rush of sensation that spiraled up and out of me with dizzying speed and abandon …"oh, love…!" I groaned, stilling her movements as I came hard. I was breathless and spent, trying to pull her up to me then and just holding her against me, all shaky and overcome.

Her arms were sliding up inside my shirt, her cool hands against my lower back and hips. She rested her head against my chest. I'm sure she could hear my heart pounding in my chest as my body calmed, wrung out and trembling. It was so amazing that she could make me feel like this; that she wanted me to feel like this; that she gave me this.

"Holy shit, love" I murmured as I sucked in a breath. "I've never…that was…just…crazy," I breathed into her ear, kissing her. "Jesus Christ, Bella, I love you."

**BPOV**

I sighed happily against a rather shaky Edward. He had been right, of course. I wanted to be in a big, warm bed with him; snuggled up next to him, cozy, cuddled and comfortable. I wanted what he wanted: a first time together that would not be rushed, cold, or damp; I wanted a first time that was unhurried and gentle. I did want him now, but I really didn't want to be wearing a bulky jacket and Doc Martens, rolling around with him on the cold, hard ground.

So near and yet so far.

I pressed my fingers against the flesh of his lower back. I could feel the taut muscles as he shifted, adjusting himself and his clothing and buttoning his fly. "I love you, Edward." I nestled more closely against him as he nuzzled against me and breathed into my hair.

He cupped my chin and tilted my head up, kissing me slowly, deeply, his fingertips on my throat. He moved his mouth to my neck and kissed, slowly inching his way to my ear. His tongue and teeth and lips were teasing the shell of my ear and my earlobe. His warm breath blew against some stray hairs near my neck, tickling my overheated skin and sending shivers up and down my spine.

I reached up into his thick, wild hair; my fingers combing through the unruly waves and tugging. I heard a low moan and felt his hands back inside of my jacket, pulling my shirt upwards. He bent down and I felt his warm lips, kissing across my collarbone. He moved one arm behind my back, gripping the opposite shoulder, supporting me as he bent me backward a little and found my breast with his mouth.

_Oh...my..._

Edward's long, deft, fingers were sliding along the waistband of my sweatpants, dipping inside as my breath hitched. His hand reached down, cupping me, his fingers pressing against me until I moaned.

But there was no easy way to do this, I suddenly realized.

I began thinking about how we should probably head back to the house and get to sleep, when Edward stood up, leaving my breast to pucker in the cold air before he was able to extricate his hand and pull my shirt back down over me. He grasped my waist for a short moment. I looked up at him, about to suggest we go.

"Wait," he said, looking pointedly at me, his eyes making me a silent promise, and then glancing around at the ground. "Hold on," he said, letting go of me and moving to the side, shoving a big chunk of fallen tree trunk with his foot, rolling it closer to where I stood. He seemed satisfied with the placement of the log. I was about to ask, when he looked back down at me, smiling a crooked smile and pulled me back into his arms. He kissed me as he moved me backwards and then leaned me back against the same tree that had supported him only a short while ago.

"Now, where were we?" he murmured in that throaty, velvet voice.

_Oh...my..._

He slid an arm around the small of my back, stroking the skin beneath my jacket and shirt; his other hand was cupping my cheek as he bent, kissing me, his tongue pressing against mine. The hand on my cheek worked its way down my face, neck and body, gripping my hip for a moment before dropping lower still, behind me. I felt his warm hand and fingers caressing my backside, squeezing momentarily before sliding down and lifting my leg beneath the knee. As he lifted my knee up toward his hip, he slid his bent leg under mine and propped his foot on the fallen log. I was now leaning against the tree, standing on one foot, my other leg bent and draped over his leg, as he pinned me, more or less, against the tree.

He began kissing me as his hand traveled back to the waistband of my sweatpants. His fingers reached back inside. I realized that he could now control how widely my legs were splayed, just by moving his bent knee outwards a little. His fingers reached down and touched me, tracing light little circles, until my breathing had sped up. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he dipped one long finger inside and then withdrew it just as slowly. He repeated his motions as he moved his mouth to mine, slowly speeding up and adding another finger when one was no longer enough, tracing circles again with his thumb.

I began having a difficult time of breathing normally as he continued. I was getting closer and closer and I could feel the muscles in my legs beginning to quiver and tighten. He pulled his lips away from mine, looking into my eyes, murmuring words of love interspersed with soft kisses on my lips. I was suddenly going rigid and falling over the edge, feeling my release in a series of tremors that shook me over and over as they raced through my body, sparking in my extremities.

"Oh!…Edward!…Oh-h-h!..." My voice hardly sounded like my own.

He supported my body with his, leaning into me where I stood, catching my breath, and waiting for my thudding heartbeat to slow. He was holding me upright so I didn't collapse, because I most certainly would have. After a while he eased my leg down and off of him as he moved his foot off of the fallen log. He moved in closer, pressing against me and supporting me with the weight of his body.

"You're so beautiful, my Bella," he murmured in his soft, velvety voice.

"Mmm, you make me feel so beautiful," I sighed breathlessly.

After a while we headed back to the house, arm in arm and completely content, following the same footpath we had taken to get to the overlook. When we finally got back to the house, we stopped at his car. He opened the trunk, pulling out our bags and setting them down, then he was removing his jacket and tossing it inside before turning to me.

"I like taking nature walks with you, love," he said softly, smiling his crooked smile and moving a little closer to me.

I felt the sudden heat of a blush on my face. "Me too," I admitted quietly. "I'm glad you're such a resourceful boy scout."

He cocked his head and gave me his lopsided grin, obviously amused.

"I thought you would think it was beautiful out there," I told him sincerely.

"I did." He moved to stand much closer before me, placing his warm hand against my cheek, running his thumb gently over my lips. "It was truly beautiful out there," he said, his eyes shining at me in the moonlight. "The location and view weren't bad either." He leaned in and placed a light, chaste kiss on my lips.

We grabbed our things and headed into the house, where I helped him make up a bed on the couch. We hugged tightly, reluctant to part, and then he kissed me goodnight.

"Get a good night's sleep, love; we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow." His face was radiant. I suspected he was contemplating the evening we would have tomorrow, and not the morning and afternoon at Jacob's.

I sighed. "Are you really okay about going to Jake's house?"

He shifted his footing a little, avoiding my eyes. "Um, I've got to admit, it does feel awkward but I've at least had a few days to get used to the idea; you've got to agree it is pretty strange."

"I know." I looked at him squarely. "But Jake is my past, Edward; you're my present."

"And your future?" He said it so softly I almost didn't catch it as he gazed into my eyes without wavering.

_What? Holy crow! _

His lip curled at the corner and he shrugged, not saying another word. I realized that I was standing there gaping at him and he was amused at my loss for words.

"I'll see you in the morning, love," he whispered, kissing me goodnight and smoothing my hair back out of my face.

I managed to clear my throat and answer. "Goodnight, Edward. Tomorrow will be okay; I'm glad you're here...I love you."

He watched me as I headed upstairs to bed, his words replaying in my mind. It was obvious from the look on his face how much he would have liked to join me in my bed.

**BPOV**

It was hard to fall asleep; I kept thinking of what Edward had said and wondering what exactly he had meant. I finally gave up and drifted off, feeling rather exhausted.

When I got up the next morning, I took a quick shower, changing into jeans and an old, gray, thermal t-shirt. By the time I headed downstairs, Charlie was already in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. Edward was still asleep on the couch. I wanted to go to him and wrap my arms around him and wake him. Or join him.

"Good morning, Dad." I said quietly as I walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Bells. Sleep okay?"

"Um, yes, I did, thanks. You're coming to the Blacks' this morning, right?" I asked, since he was wearing some old work clothes, not his uniform.

"I wouldn't miss it. I want to put my mark on that place for Billy. Did you want to wake Edward up? I didn't know if I should disturb him or not."

"Sure," I told him, peeking out the kitchen door, watching Edward as he slept peacefully. "He'll probably want to take a shower before we go." I turned toward the living room.

"And then I'd like a word with you, Bella," he said.

I nodded, leaving the kitchen to wake Edward up. I wondered what my dad wanted to say to me. Of course I began worrying about it a little. I was almost certain he'd been asleep last night when Edward and I had returned.

_Did he suspect something? Was that what this was about?_

I sat down on the couch, next to Edward, laying my hand on his cheek. His eyes opened almost immediately and he smiled up at me groggily.

"Hey," he mumbled, drawing a hand through his sleep-sexy hair.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Time to wake up." I smiled at his face as he yawned.

"Good morning, my beautiful Bella," he said lazily.

"Edward, if you want to take a shower, it's available. I put a towel in there for you. I think I'll start making breakfast."

He stretched. "A shower and breakfast both sound great." He sat up a little stiffly, wrapping his arm around me and kissing my cheek.

The sound of my dad clearing his throat at the doorway brought Edward back to reality and he released me a little sheepishly. His eyes were wide as he looked at me, like he'd been caught being naughty.

"Just wanted you kids to know we've got plenty of food here for a hearty breakfast. We'll be working pretty hard today, so you'll want to fill up." He seemed satisfied with his announcement and turned and walked back into the kitchen.

Edward got up from the couch, still wearing the jeans and t-shirt he had had on last night. His clothes were rumpled, his hair was a mess, his jaw, chin and upper lip were covered in stubble and he looked so warm and sleepy and huggable. A thrill of desire ran through my body for my hobo-boy as I watched him climb the stairs.

I headed into the kitchen to help make breakfast and hear whatever my dad needed to say. I heard the bathroom door shut upstairs as I went to face my dad.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I asked as I began taking out two skillets and setting them on the stove-top burners, eyeing the bacon, eggs and hash brown potatoes on the counter. I opened the package of bacon as the pan heated on the flame. I didn't make eye contact, because I didn't want to give anything away, depending on where this conversation was going.

"Bells, you know, we've always been close to the Blacks, and I have to admit, I was happy when you and Jacob started dating. He felt like family to me, you know? I always thought Jake was a pretty good kid."

I nodded, but said nothing as I began laying the bacon in the heated pan. I poured a little oil into the other skillet and waited for it to heat.

"I was sorry when I found out that you and Jacob had broken up, even though I knew you hadn't been all that happy those last few months this past summer. I guess I was thinking you'd patch things up. The night I got the call that the boys were raising hell at Sam's and I picked up a very drunk Jacob, he told me what had been going on, and that you'd started spending time with some college kid."

I moved the bacon strips in the pan, flattening them down a little. I poured the shredded potatoes into the other skillet, spreading them out and pressing them down. I didn't say anything, just letting my dad continue his thoughts, keeping my face devoid of expression or emotion.

"This unknown college kid bothered me. I had the feeling that he'd be taking you away from Forks; from me. And then I realized that you'd already left Forks, and that I really don't know if you're ever going to be coming back here to live, or if your life is going to be taking you elsewhere. That was a hard fact to face. I realized that you're really growing up. And I'm not going to lie to you, Bells; I disliked Edward before I ever even met him."

I could feel my anger and hurt building. I had so wanted my dad to meet Edward and like him. And of course, I wanted Edward to like my dad, gruff though he may be.

"I'm glad you came home this weekend," he continued, as I moved the bacon, and flipped the potatoes over. "It was pretty gutsy of Edward to volunteer to come help out at your ex-boyfriend's house for the day, with all of Jake's family and friends there. That's got to be hard for him. That would be hard for any guy, I don't care how self-assured he is.

"Edward was respectful and polite on the phone with me when I spoke to him the night you got sick. And he didn't have to pick up the phone and talk to me. I know Edward looked after you this past week, so I know you're important to him. He seems smart and he's friendly enough, although he seems awfully nervous. But then again, I'm not the one dating him and he's probably not that nervous around you.

"Anyway, I'm glad you brought him home so I could meet him and get to know him a little better and see the two of you together. I didn't want to like him, but he's okay. He's very attentive to you and I feel better knowing he's kind of looking after you at school, especially with this James character around. So I guess he's not too bad; there are some good things to be said about him."

I finally turned and looked at him, smiling a little embarrassedly. He was usually so taciturn; he had actually told me quite a lot just then.

"Thanks, Dad. I'm glad you got to meet him."

"Just make sure you keep that pepper spray handy..."

"Dad!"

"I don't mean for Edward; I mean in case James shows up again. And don't be afraid to use it."

"I know; I'm not. I'll use it if I have to."

He nodded gruffly, probably overcome with his sudden wordiness. "I'll set the table."

I removed the bacon to drain on paper towels, then cleaned out the pan and began frying some eggs.

The bathroom door opened upstairs, and I looked over to see a freshly showered Edward with damp hair descending the stairs. He was wearing an old pair of very faded, well-worn jeans that had a few holes where the fabric had worn through. They fit rather closely, yet looked incredibly soft to the touch. He had on a white v-neck t-shirt and I could see errant chest hairs poking out. Over his t-shirt he had on a long-sleeved red plaid flannel, unbuttoned, with the sleeves rolled up over his forearms.

I blushed. I suddenly wanted Edward for breakfast.

"Smells great! Can I help you, Bella?" he asked as he came into the kitchen.

"No, it's nearly ready," I answered, smiling up into his bright green-blue eyes as I put some bread into the toaster.

He looked around, spying two unused coffee cups. "Have you had coffee?" he asked me.

"No, not yet. There are two mugs on the counter there next to you…" But he had already filled them from the pot and was in the process of adding creamer to both of them. He found the spoons in the drawer and added sugar to mine, stirring it and placing it on the counter in front of me as I turned off the heat and slid the eggs out onto our plates. Just then the toast popped up and breakfast was ready.

We all sat down at the table together.

"Edward, have you ever helped with any home renovation projects?" my dad asked between bites.

Edward's fork, filled with hashed brown potatoes, paused halfway to his mouth. "A little. When we moved from Alaska to Port Angeles a few years ago my mom wanted a lot done on the house they bought. I helped my dad and brother with some demolition, but not much rebuilding. My parents hired some guys for that. My mom actually is an interior designer, so she had some contacts. But I'm not afraid to try to do that kind of work, as long as someone shows me what to do."

"That's the right attitude," my dad said to him. "I'm sure there will be plenty of demo work that needs doing, but you'll probably learn something new here and there as well."

Edward shrugged and nodded. "Sounds good; I'm easy. I'm usually a fairly quick study."

My dad nodded and seemed happy with Edward's answer.

I wanted to jump up and hug them both. I had been worried earlier when my dad began speaking to me about Jake and Edward, but he really only wanted to let me know that he thought Edward was okay. That was saying a lot for laconic Charlie Swan. He's usually a man of few words. Not many of them are very encouraging.

We polished off our breakfasts, cleaned up the kitchen and headed over to Jake's. Edward and I drove down to La Push, on the Quileute reservation, in his car, while my dad took his own truck.

I really wasn't sure how it was going to be today, having Edward with me, although Jake had told me he was welcome. I couldn't imagine how Edward felt, but I knew that the closer we got to the Black's house this morning, the more trepidation I felt. Was Edward feeling the same way? Would he truly be welcomed? Would people look at him, me, _us_, askance; wondering what the hell we'd been thinking by showing up?

Of course most of the people that would be there had known Jake and me as a couple: the Clearwaters, Rachel, Rebecca, Sam and his pack, Jake's other relatives. How would they react to me bringing a new boyfriend, someone they didn't know; a complete outsider?

When we pulled up at Jake's house there was already a flurry of activity beginning. Numerous cars and pick-up trucks lined the road. We climbed out of the car and headed toward the house.

There were several relatives of Jake's that I recognized, though I'd forgotten names. I saw Harry, Sue and Leah Clearwater getting out of their pick-up truck. They waved at me. A moment later Harry called my dad over.

Jake's friends, Quil, Embry, and Paul stood talking near the garage. I was wondering where Jake was when he and Sam suddenly came out of the house. I saw Sam pointing in my direction, the others all turning and looking over to Edward and me as we came up on the long driveway. Once again I wondered at Edward's courage in joining me this day.

Jake jogged over with a big grin on his face.

I knew in that moment that he was truly okay with Edward being here; probably because he, too, had moved on in his heart and mind. I wondered if the girl he'd started dating would be here today. I had to admit, Jake looked happier than I'd seen him in quite some time. I realized that while I'd been unhappy, Jake had also been unhappy. I was glad that we had both found a new happiness in someone who was maybe more suited to the adults we were becoming.

"Hey Bella!" he said enthusiastically, stopping a few short steps from us. He looked over at Edward, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Edward," he said far more levelly and after a moment, extending his hand toward him. Edward reached out, a little uncertainly, taking Jake's hand.

"Thank you for coming to help," he said to both of us. He looked pointedly at Edward. "This must feel really strange for you but I do appreciate you coming to help out."

Edward nodded, his brows knitted slightly. It was obvious that it was a strange situation for both of them.

"I'll be okay. Truce, all right?" Edward said warily.

"Yeah, but just for today," Jake responded, scowling a little.

Edward looked taken aback, but then Jake flashed his white teeth and laughed.

"Just kidding, dude. Truce."

Edward seemed to warm a little. Jake probably reminded him of Emmett in that moment.

"I appreciate you coming all this way. Did you drive?" Jake asked, looking back at me.

"Um, no, Edward drove." I looked over in his direction. "We got here yesterday afternoon and spent the night at Charlie's."

Jake nodded and then looked at Edward thoughtfully for a moment.

"So you met Charlie. Did he clean his gun?" he asked attempting to stifle a smile that was twisting at his lips.

Edward seemed surprised, but then he scratched at the back of his neck and exhaled a tight little laugh. "Yeah, he did. It was a little scary."

Jacob grinned. "Sounds about right. Pretty much standard operating procedure."

Edward smiled a little more, seeming to feel at least a little more at ease in the situation. I just rolled my eyes. My dad had to clean his revolver regularly. It came with the job. It wasn't something he did just to intimidate a visiting boy.

_Was it? _

_Oh, for God's sake! Dad! Arrgh!_

Jake turned to me then, interrupting my thoughts. "Rachel and Rebecca are dying to see you. They're in the kitchen. They could probably use your help in there, Bella. They want to reorganize things so that everyday items are all in the lower cupboards and cabinets, and less-used items are up in the upper cabinets. That way my dad will have easier access to the things he needs everyday. They're also going to repaint the kitchen. You could help them with that if you'd like."

I nodded at him but I was worried about leaving. I was hesitant to leave Edward out here, all on his own, once I looked over and saw the expressions on the faces of Sam, Paul, Quil and Embry.

_What was their problem?_ _You'd think I had broken up with the four of them and not Jake. What hotheads! Didn't they see that Jake was moving on? _

I didn't have more than a second to worry. I heard my dad calling Edward. He waved him over to where he stood with Harry Clearwater. I knew that Harry was more or less in charge of the day's activities. I exhaled in relief, realizing that my dad would take Edward under his wing. No one would mess with Chief of Police Charlie Swan. I noticed how Edward's shoulders relaxed in that moment and realized that the muscles there had been bunched up since we'd arrived. I smiled thinking about how nervous Edward had been around my dad at our house last night, and yet now, he was realizing that my dad might be his friend. It tickled me a little to think about how my two men would get to know each other a little bit better throughout the course of the day.

I wished Edward good luck as I followed Jake back up to the house to see his sisters.

I said a quick hello to Jake's friends as I headed inside. They looked like the jury was still out; maybe I was guilty as charged, maybe not. Whatever. I didn't have to see them often; and they'd get over it. Jake already had. What's the point in holding a grudge? Especially when it's not even your own grudge.

**EPOV**

Bella and I had arrived at the Black's house a very short while ago. There were already quite a few cars and trucks parked out along the road where I parked my own car. I looked around a bit uncomfortably, wondering how many people here today might judge me, and possibly even Bella.

As we walked up toward the house, she pointed out a few people, telling me who they were. I saw a group of guys near the garage. They appeared to be around Jake's age or my own. They were all shirtless and rather buff. They were watching Bella and me as we approached. They didn't look very welcoming. These must have been the buddies Jake had been drinking with the night Bella got the upsetting phone call from Jake. The same night I wound up with a face full of pepper spray and a girl in my arms under the shower!

_T_hat brought a little smile to my face and I realized I could deal with whatever came my way, because in the end I had the girl and it looked like she had plans to stay.

A man with graying hair waved to Bella and called out to Charlie, who was following us up the gravel driveway. He had parked out on the road beyond my car and was just walking over to the gray-haired man now. The man had walked up from a blue pick up truck with a woman who was probably his wife and another younger woman who was probably their daughter. The two women were carrying a large ice chest between them; the gray-haired man had set down another one that he had been carrying by himself.

"They're the Clearwaters," Bella said to me as she waved to the smiling women. "My dad goes fishing with Jake's dad and Harry Clearwater. That's Sue, Harry's wife, and their daughter, Leah. They must have brought some of the food for the barbecue." The two women headed into the house with the ice chest.

A moment later I saw Jake and another guy, a slightly older, somewhat bigger guy, come out of the house and head toward the half-dressed group by the garage. Both of them were also shirtless and very abdominally and pectorally gifted.

_Shit!_ _Am I supposed to take off my shirt and parade around half naked? Is this a contest?_

These guys all looked like they spent an inordinate amount of time at the gym. I had already noticed that about Jake when he had come to school to see Bella. The scowls on the half-clad guys' faces made them look like they spent a lot of time enjoying beat-downs too. I could take the scowls, I wasn't so sure about a group beat-down; they looked like they could really fuck someone up if the right mood struck.

"Those are Jake's friends," Bella said to me quietly. "Sam is the older guy who's pointing at us; he thinks he's the alpha dog of their little pack. They look moody and mean, but that's mostly just posturing. Jake's probably the most easy-going of the bunch. And the guys over near the garage are the rest of his friends: Paul, Quil and Embry."

The rest of the group had noticed Sam pointing, as he talked to Jake. A moment later, they were all staring at us as we walked up the driveway. Jake loped over to Bella and me. He seemed excited about the activity starting around the house. He greeted Bella happily, and then he greeted me a little more formally but he actually extended his hand. I hesitated a moment, but then I shook it. I figured he was going to be a permanent fixture in Bella's life; I had to deal with my insecurities and I didn't want her to see me pout.

"_Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." _

_But where do you keep an enemy that used to date your girlfriend? Wrapped in a bear hug? _

_Guess so. Although he doesn't have a shirt…_

_Where do you keep his scowling half-naked gang of homeboys?_

_Okay, fuck it. That's just waaay too much male quasi-nudity to contemplate._

"Thank you for coming to help," Jake was saying as he looked from Bella to me. Then he focused on me a little more intently as he continued. "This must feel really strange for you but I do appreciate you coming to help out."

I nodded at him, telling him that I would be okay. "Truce, all right?" I offered.

"Yeah, but just for today," he responded, catching me off guard and wondering what that meant. But then he was grinning, flashing his teeth and laughing. "Just kidding, dude. Truce."

I smiled a little, shaking my head. It was the kind of thing Emmett did to me all the time.

Jake must have thought we'd driven up from Seattle earlier this morning, but Bella explained that we'd spent the night at her dad's house. He gave me a weird look, and then asked if her dad had cleaned his gun. That surprised me, but it made me feel a little better. Especially when he said it was his standard operating procedure. I guess I hadn't been the only guy worried about Chief Swan taking some impromptu target practice.

Jake told Bella that his sisters were in the kitchen and had been hoping she'd show up today. He told her to go in and say 'hi.' They could probably use her help anyway. They were reorganizing everything and then they also had plans to repaint the kitchen to brighten it up. He told her she could help with that as well.

I was glad Bella wasn't using heavy tools or doing anything that would be more dangerous than getting paint spatters on her clothes.

Bella looked at me like she was worried about leaving me. To be honest, I was a little worried, too. Suddenly I heard her dad call my name and I turned to see him waving me over to where he stood, still talking to the gray-haired man with the ice chest. I looked back at Bella and we both gave each other a little shrug, then we both smiled because we had done it at the same time. I winked at her and she wished me good luck as she headed up to the house with Jake.

I walked over to where Charlie stood with his hands on his hips.

"Edward, this is an old friend of mine, Harry Clearwater. Harry, this is Bella's friend, er…boyfriend?" He looked to me for verification, like maybe he wasn't so sure, or wasn't sure if he should say it, or was hoping I'd reconsider, but I just nodded.

I extended my hand to Harry's outstretched one. "Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you, sir."

"Nice to meet you, Edward. I don't particularly like Charlie introducing me as 'an _old_ friend', but the important thing for you to know is that I may be old, but I'm the better fisherman of the two of us."

I smiled as Charlie burst out laughing. "Edward, Harry is old _and_ he's getting senile. _I'm_ the better fisherman."

I smiled at them ribbing each other. They were chuckling at their own comments.

"Well, Edward," Harry said, "I guess you're going to help Charlie for now, so I apologize about any and all fish stories you're bound to hear. Most of them will probably have some miniscule factual basis, but quite a bit of elaboration and imagination. Don't believe everything you hear, is all I can say."

"All right," I nodded, smiling at him. "I'll reserve judgment."

"Let me remind you that you're dating _my_ daughter," Charlie cautioned me, but I saw a very small grin tickling at his mustached lip.

"In that case, I'll believe everything you have to say, Charlie. I'm sorry, Mr. Clearwater. Priorities; I'm sure you understand."

Both men chuckled. Charlie nodded in my direction. "Smart boy!" I grinned in response.

"Edward, how would you like to help me inside the house, moving some furniture so we can pull up carpeting to lay down new flooring?"

"Sure, I can help you with that, Charlie." I nodded.

"All right." He turned to look back at Harry. "Harry, I'll check in with you later once we get that done."

Harry nodded and waved as we moved toward the house. I glanced over at the buff, shirtless group near the garage. I felt a little better because I had a police escort, but Jake's friends were still scowling at me.

I realized Charlie had noticed me watching them and I saw him glance in their direction as well.

"I hope you don't mind working with me, Edward. I didn't want you to feel like you were being thrown to the wolves," he said wryly.

I glanced at him as we neared the house, the garage, and more importantly, the semi-naked group near the garage. I sighed rather heavily. "You have no idea how much I appreciate it," I told him in a low voice.

He chuckled softly as he patted me on the back. "I think you're going to be all right, son."

* * *

**A/N: So...tell me your thoughts on...**

**A pasta dish called "Lemony Linguine al Fresco" in honor of the beginning of this chapter.**

**The Wolf-pack; such a bunch of bitches! lol**

**And a little father/son(in-law?) bonding time. ;)**


	58. It's All Part of the BuildUp

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: Okay so yes, it's Saturday, but I'm still making my way through the day. There's important stuff still to get through before the IMPORTANT STUFF. I know you're waiting. So are B & E. Delayed gratification has become a way of life with this fic. And I do so appreciate you all holding on for so long. Just a little bit longer. We have to get the stars aligned... or something.

The characters are hers, this storyline is mine. I'm not actually fond of infringing, so I'm not trying to.

Back to Black...Jacob Black and the Build at the Black's...

**Chapter 58: Part of the Build-Up (Revised)**

**EPOV**

"Hold up a second, Edward," Bella's dad said gruffly as he and I neared the front of the house and the garage and more importantly, the puffed-up, half-clad He-Men.

I paused and turned to look at him, walking a few paces behind me. He had my back, I realized, since he was right there behind me, but he wasn't going to let me just stroll past them. Upon reflection I realized that would probably be weird and seem rude and I didn't need anymore bad voodoo than I was already feeling.

"Good morning, knuckleheads," Charlie said smoothly to the well-muscled group by the garage. He was amiable but with just a slight hint of a warning in his tone of voice. I saw them all shuffle a little uncomfortably. I realized he was just going to take the bullshit by the horns. This must come with the job, I thought. I glanced over at him, standing there with his hands on his hips. I was wondering how he was going to do this.

"So, this here is Edward Cullen," he said in that same smooth tone of voice. "He drove up from Seattle with Bella so she didn't have to make that long drive alone. He's here to help out because he knows how important the Blacks are to Bella. I'm sure you can appreciate that, since Jake and Billy are important to all of you." They all seemed to deflate just a little bit at his words. He turned and met my gaze and I think I saw a dark little flicker of triumph in his brown eyes. He seemed satisfied with the group's reaction to his words.

"Edward, these are Jake's friends; Quil, Embry, Paul and Sam," he said, indicating each of them in turn.

"Hi," I said, nodding to the group in general. I didn't bother to add, "Nice to meet you," because the jury was still out on that thought. The jury would probably be deliberating all day by the looks of things.

There were a couple of reluctant "hey's" from Quil and Embry; half of a "hello"—the second half, not the first, from Sam; and just a slight belligerent head nod from Paul—he still had a rather surly expression on his face. None of them bothered to lie that it was nice to meet me either.

_Whatever. The score seemed even at this point._

"Well," Charlie drawled, "That takes care of introductions. There's plenty of work to be done; can't stand here gabbing all day. Edward, after you." He nodded toward the front entrance of the house and I headed for that door with him following behind. I felt their eyes on my back as we departed.

"I think that went well," Charlie said without looking at me as we entered.

"Yeah, that was about as cordial as could be expected," I muttered.

Charlie snorted at my assessment.

"It's mostly an act," he said in a low voice. "They're not so bad. Sam is kind of their ringleader, but he's actually pretty mature; just protective of the people he cares about. Quil is probably Jake's closest friend; he's also his second cousin. Embry's another close friend. Paul, well, he's kind of a hothead. Don't expect much love from him. He takes things personally, even if those things don't happen to him personally."

I nodded, "Thanks for the info." I knew he was referring to my being with Bella and the upset her breakup with Jake had caused. "I'm not really here to make friends, but I don't want to cause any problems either."

"I know. I get why you're here. Truth is I don't think it's going to be a problem for Jake and he's the most important one to consider. He's moved on and he's got other things to think about now and he's not going to dwell on the past."

I felt a little better hearing that and breathed a small sigh of relief.

He took me on a quick tour of the house then, showing me the rooms, explaining what was to be done, which rooms needed work and which were to be left alone. I was going to assist him in moving furniture from several rooms that needed to be re-floored.

The bathrooms, kitchen and small dining area off the kitchen all had vinyl tile flooring already. Those areas would not be a problem for maneuvering a wheelchair. The living room, hall and master bedroom however, had carpeting that needed to be torn out and replaced. The old carpet was to be replaced with a wood flooring material that would be better suited to the wheelchair; it would hold up well, and not show scuff marks.

Charlie and I began by moving furniture from the living room out onto the side of the back patio. We had barely gotten started when three younger guys; all in their mid-teens, came in to see if they could help us. They told Charlie that Harry Clearwater had sent them in to make themselves useful. Charlie introduced them to me as Jared, Collin and Seth. Also friends of Jake's. They had all just arrived together but I found out that the oldest of the three, Seth, was actually Harry's son.

Jared and Collin were fairly quiet, doing whatever Charlie told them. They seemed to tolerate me okay. Seth, however, seemed more curious about me, asking questions as he worked. He didn't seem to have any antagonistic feelings; he was just curious and fairly pleasant. Maybe there was hope for me yet.

The furniture in the master bedroom had to be moved into a second bedroom nearby. We started on that after clearing the living room. The second bedroom was used as an office and TV room and already had wood flooring, so it didn't need to be re-done. The rooms were all fairly sparsely furnished to begin with, so there wasn't actually much furniture to move. Everything had already been cleared off and readied for the move, so it didn't take us more than about an hour and a half to get things out of the master bedroom.

At one point, while Charlie, the younger guys and I were working, I had that sudden feeling like I was being watched. I looked up to see that Bella had materialized in the doorway. She was standing there with two dark-haired, russet-skinned, young women, about her age or a year or two older; Jake's sisters, I thought. They must have been twins because they looked so similar. The three of them must have been watching us for a minute before I sensed they were there. Charlie had looked up and seen them at about the same time and he greeted them, before disappearing with a nightstand that he carried to the other room.

**BPOV**

Rachel and Rebecca were happy to see me and I felt the same about seeing them. It had been quite a while. The twins were a little more than a year older than me; twenty two, nearly twenty three. As we moved about the kitchen, rearranging, we caught up on each other's lives.

Rachel had just graduated last spring from Washington State. She had gotten her degree in Native American Studies at the end of the last school year and was planning on going to graduate school after taking this semester off. She had been working, up until the accident, trying to save up some money for the next two years of school. Now that her dad had been injured, she decided to hang out in Forks, working here so she could be available for Billy when he initially came home and got adjusted to his new circumstances. She would be able to pitch in with Jake until they got things figured out with their father.

Rebecca had met and married a Samoan surfer several years ago and had moved to Hawaii. Though she had wanted children right away, they had decided to wait a couple more years. She had been working in a daycare as an assistant and decided to go back to school and pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. She wanted to have her own daycare center someday. She had always been the more maternal sister to her younger brother. Her husband had not come with her on this trip, but would fly over sometime before she returned to Hawaii.

They said they'd both been sad to hear that Jake and I had broken up, but neither of them seemed too surprised. Rebecca said she had always wondered if it hadn't felt a little like I was in a relationship with a relative. Rachel made a face and said that was gross, but she said she thought it was important that Jake and I stayed friends, because we'd always been there for each other; it would be sad to lose that. I had to agree. Although the twins were only a little more than a year older than me, and Jake was a year younger than me, I had always had a closer relationship to him, even as kids.

They both knew that I had started dating a guy from college and were impressed to know that he had come up from Seattle with me and accompanied me here to the house today. They asked me questions about how we'd met and I found myself telling them about my embarrassing first day at school, when I'd nearly run a cart over the best looking guy I'd ever seen. They got a good laugh out of the whole fiasco.

I told them about switching roommates and getting to know Alice and hanging out with the group, and getting to know Edward better. I told them how neither Edward nor I had been looking for any kind of a relationship and that things had just happened between us. I told them also about the thoughtful things he'd done for me and how protective he was of me.

"It sounds like this guy is just scoring points left and right on the boyfriend meter," Rachel said as Rebecca nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," Rebecca agreed. "It's too bad about you and Jake, but things change, you know? And life goes on. And I think it's great that you'll still maintain your friendship. Edward sounds like a very nice guy, and it doesn't seem like he stole you away from Jacob."

In hushed tones I told them about Edward's history and how he'd gradually opened up to me. They seemed to understand how we'd fallen for each other despite our best efforts not to and now they were really curious about Edward.

"So, where is this beautiful boy you've reeled in?" Rebecca asked in a low voice.

I blushed, but I pointed wordlessly toward the back of the house, down the hallway where I knew Edward had been working in the back bedroom with my dad.

"Let's go take a peek at him!" Rachel whispered to Rebecca, moving toward her with a grin and grabbing her by the arm to pull her toward the hallway. I found myself following the nosy twins quietly down the hall for show and tell.

We tiptoed to the doorway, watching Edward and my dad work as they dismantled the bed. Edward must have sensed our presence, because he suddenly looked up with wide eyes and grinned at me. I smiled back at him. My dad noticed us then as well, and said hello to Rachel and Rebecca as he headed out of the room, moving a piece of furniture.

**EPOV**

I'd glanced up as soon as I was aware that someone was hovering nearby.

"Edward," Bella said as she stood in the doorway, "I wanted you to meet the twins, Rachel and Rebecca, Jake's sisters. They're visiting here for now, until Billy gets home from the hospital and they can help with his physical therapy." She turned back to both of them. "This is Edward." She didn't say anything more, so she must have already told them something about me, because they just nodded, as if they already knew all that they needed to know about the situation. They smiled and seemed friendly enough and they were obviously just curious about me.

"Hi," I said, "it's nice to meet you both."

They smiled more broadly in return. "It's nice to meet you Edward," the one closest to me, Rachel, said. "Thank you, on behalf of our father and all of our family for pitching in today. It's really very kind of you. I can imagine how awkward this situation must feel for you."

I looked from her to Bella, and then back. Obviously they knew the situation and how weird this was. I shrugged at Rachel.

"It seemed like a good thing to do; I know your families are close. I wanted to help Bella."

Both girls nodded. Rebecca turned to Bella. "Okay, so that's a few more points, right there."

I raised an eyebrow at Bella as she blushed. It seemed I was earning points somehow for some reason. I hoped points were a good thing.

"Well, Edward," Bella said, as her blush calmed, "We'd better let you get back to work. We'll see you in a little bit. We're going to finish up moving things around in the kitchen and then get started painting."

Charlie came back into the room as the girls turned around to head back out the door and down the hall. I ducked my head around the corner, into the hall, and quickly and quietly grabbed Bella's arm, pulling her back to me and stealing a kiss on the mouth. It was a brief, clandestine kiss; neither the girls nor Bella's father were aware. Collin, Jared and Seth were nowhere to be seen. It felt sneaky and sexy and I thought again about what we were looking forward to this evening.

"Points?" I whispered in a low voice, as I released her, my eyes boring into hers. "Can I cash those in later?" She got all rosy again as she smiled up at me, and I knew it had nothing to do with the temperature in the room. She turned to catch up with Rebecca and Rachel.

"Points are a good thing," she said over her shoulder as she moved down the hall, smiling as she glanced back at me. "And yes you may!"

_Yeah, I could tell…points were a good thing._

Jake and his shirt-free friends came into the house shortly afterwards, to help pull up the old carpet and pad. They brought box cutters with them to cut up the carpet into smaller, more manageable strips for disposal. Initially I was reluctant to see them with box cutters in their hands, but I was given one also, so we were all equally armed.

Charlie was in charge of overseeing the carpet removal. He must have organized our work groups. Jake, his cousin, Quil, and I were working in the master bedroom and hall. Jake really did seem fine with the fact that I was there, which still really surprised me. I'm not sure I would have handled the situation with such aplomb. But I guessed I had his new love interest to thank for that and I know he was also focused on doing this for his father with whatever help they got.

Sam, Paul, and Embry were in the living room and entryway. I was glad I didn't have to work with Paul. He seemed antagonistic. Charlie must have seen to keeping us apart. In our groups of three we all started at one side of the room, backing up on our hands and knees as we sliced through the carpet, until we reached the other side of the room. Then we rolled up the segments, to carry them to one of the pickup trucks outside that was going to take them to the dump.

It actually turned into a competition or a kind of a race among us six guys to see how quickly we could cut up, pull up, roll up, and then dispose of our segment and then repeat the process with the pad underneath. Seriously, you could have cut the testosterone in those rooms with a knife. Or a box cutter.

I was glad I'd helped with this same sort of thing when my dad and brother and I did some demo at our own house in Port Angeles. At least I had some experience. I was relieved that I didn't look like some complete wimp next to these guys. They all looked like professional weight lifters but I managed to hold my own.

Sam finished his segments the fastest. He was a bit older than the rest of us, as well as the biggest and strongest looking of the bunch, so I guess that was to be expected. Second place was a tie between Jake and Bella's new white boy. I knew I'd have some sore muscles tomorrow, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let the thought of that slow me down and make me look soft in their eyes.

I wouldn't have cared if I'd pulled a muscle trying to keep up with the competition as long as it wasn't a groin muscle. I planned on putting those to use later this evening, and tonight, and tomorrow morning and hopefully later tomorrow during the day. I wanted to keep things in perfect working order for what Bella and I had planned.

_That's just fucking fantastic…another boner. Shit. Thank God for an untucked flannel._

_Don't think about it…don't think about it…don't think about it...don't think about it._

It did get awfully hot, however, working hard and trying to be quick about it, as part of an unspoken manly-competition, pissing-contest, dick-comparison festival. As soon as Dick settled back down I decided to join the semi-naked gang and wound up losing my flannel shirt followed by my sweaty t-shirt shortly afterward. I know I didn't look quite like the dark-skinned, muscle bound gym rats surrounding me, but I'm not soft; I work out, so I've got muscle and definition, and I had kept up fairly easily with the He-Men.

My competitors no longer looked quite as cranky when they looked at me. I felt a little grudging respect drifting my way. The funny thing was that Jake really didn't seem to care too much. It was the other guys that seemed slighted. What had I ever done to _them_? If anyone should have seemed put out, it should have been Jake. I guessed they just cared a lot about their own. Charlie had been right; they were a pretty protective bunch, I realized. Bella had been right about their posturing and the fact that Jake was the most easy-going of the group. I guess I was glad that Jake, rather than any of the others, had been her boyfriend.

_If I had to pick someone other than myself, of course._

_Hell, if Paul had been her boyfriend I'd probably have a stake right through my heart by now._

When we had been carrying the rolled carpet segments out the front door, balancing them overhead on our shoulders, Bella had looked up from the kitchen where she was holding a dripping paint roller over a tray of paint. Bella looked surprised when she saw me and I just smiled and winked at her as I headed out the door, following Sam, with Jake right on my heels. She had blushed and I took the image of her standing there in her snug, paint-spattered thermal shirt with me to the truck where I dumped the carpet roll, smiling to myself. She looked rosy and hot and good enough to bite.

When I returned for the pad, she was watching me again and once more she blushed and I wondered about that. After all, I was half-naked and sweating at that point, why would she blush? I was gross.

_Wait, she was blushing because I was half-naked and sweaty? _

I had to quickly think of something else before that thought became problematic. I'd ditched my flannel and I couldn't very well parade around with a tent in my pants thinking about what I was thinking about and wondering if she was thinking about the same thing.

"Bella? Bella? Are you listening?" Rebecca's voice drifted my way as I headed back down the hall and I smirked to myself.

As I came back through with the roll of carpet pad on my shoulder, she looked up once more. Her eyes had that sexy, slightly unfocused look. I looked back, to see if anyone else was following right behind me, but I was alone. Rachel and Rebecca had their backs to me as they painted carefully along the baseboard in the dining area, so I blew Bella a kiss and watched as her face blushed crimson once again. I tipped my head up and laughed as I headed out the door. She was awfully cute. I wanted to jump her and she obviously wanted to jump me but we'd have to wait quite a few hours still.

_Shit! Whose idea was this and why had we agreed?_

It was probably a good thing that I was being kept so physically busy; it didn't give me too much time to dwell on, and get all excited about, the evening ahead of us.

As I came back inside, Bella was coming out of the kitchen with a glass of lemonade in her hand. I could see the twins in the background watching and smirking. Bella walked to me, holding the glass out. I took it gladly and gulped it down, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand afterwards.

"This is killing me," she quietly said. Her eyes were half teasing, half sincere.

I nearly choked on my lemonade. I arched my brows at her suggestively. I looked down at her little upturned face.

_Did she know I felt the same way? This was killing me too. I looked at her and thought about the evening ahead. I thought about looking down into that beautiful face as I lay above her. _

_Moving over her._

_Moving in her._

_And with her._

_No, no, no! Time out, horn dog!_

I sighed as I handed her my glass and she just shook her head, smiling as she headed back into the kitchen with the empty glass.

_Why was she looking at me like…that?_

I ducked into the hall bathroom before anyone noticed my pre_dick_ament. I seriously had to stay focused on other things. Like carpet rolls, and wood flooring, and Jake's band of beastie boys, and Paul maybe beating the shit out of me when I least expected it.

**BPOV**

I had watched as Sam and the boys were cutting up the carpet in the living room and entry and I knew that Edward was doing the same in the back bedroom and hall. A short while later a shirtless Edward came out past the kitchen on his way out the front door to throw away an old roll of carpet he had balanced on his shoulder.

Of course Jake and his boys were shirtless, they often were, but I hadn't expected to see Edward with his shirt off as well. Of course I'd seen him completely naked before. But the unexpected sight of him, half-naked, doing manual labor and slightly sweaty from it, wearing just those well-worn jeans in these odd circumstances, was completely unnerving suddenly.

_Holy crow! He just winked at me as he passed by!_

As he exited the room I gazed at the perfect shape of his body and his luminous pale skin. Those old, faded and ripped jeans were molded to the shape of his long legs and tight ass. I had admired the sight of the muscles in his arms, shoulders, and torso moving and flexing as he walked by carrying that carpet roll. Of course I had looked at and could actually feel what it would be like to trace the hair down his chest and abdomen and into the top of his jeans where it disappeared along with that V of musculature inside his hips. I'd touched all that before. I so desperately wanted to touch it again now.

I wanted to touch him but I also felt funny about a public display of affection with all of Jake's friends and family around. Edward suddenly seemed off-limits and that just made me crave him all the more. This evening seemed so very far away still and I longed for Edward. I wanted him.

_Right. Now._

"Bella? Bella? Are you listening?" Rebecca's voice broke into my thoughts as I watched Edward disappear back down the hallway.

I turned around and looked at both of their smirking faces and I could immediately feel myself blushing. I was so busy lusting after Edward that I hadn't heard what Rebecca had said to me.

"Man, she has got it bad!" Rachel giggled to Rebecca. Then she winked at Rebecca and turned back to me.

"Try and stay focused, girl! Stop watching the parade of manly goodness!"

"Oh, I don't think she's watching the entire parade," Rebecca laughed, "just that one fine example of manly goodness. Seriously, Bella, he's a little too pale for my taste, you know I like them sun-baked and toasty brown…"

"Yeah, and she likes them smelling of salt-water," Rachel added, laughing.

"Don't make fun of what you haven't tried," Rebecca snapped jokingly at her sister.

"Anyway, as I was going to say…" her voice dropped as she looked to make sure she wasn't being overheard, "Edward really is an incredibly good-looking guy and he's got a great body. I can see how you keep getting sidetracked. He just needs a tan, and then he'd be perfect."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Becca, take a look at Bella. Edward isn't the only one that could use a tan. I think they're perfectly suited to each other." She looked back at me smiling. "Honestly, Bella, he looks like a model; you go right ahead and drool; I'd do the same if he were mine. It would be awfully hard to stay focused with that flawlessness going on around me." She smiled understandingly at me. "And everything you've told us...well, he seems like a really great guy. I'm happy for you."

"Yeah, me too," Rebecca added.

Both girls turned back to their painting.

I looked up to see Edward striding back down the hall. I hoped he hadn't overheard our conversation. He was returning with the carpet pad. This time he blew me a kiss as he headed out the door and I knew instantly as I saw his darkening eyes that he had read my thoughts earlier. I felt like I needed a cold drink suddenly. I grabbed the lemonade pitcher from the refrigerator and poured two glasses. I needed a cold drink, but it looked like he could use one too.

When he came back inside he saw the glass in my hand and approached as I held it out to him. He drank it quickly, his eyes on me the whole time.

"This is killing me." I told him quietly as I glanced at his body. He sputtered into his drink, his eyes wide, and then he arched his brows wickedly at me.

I took in his darkened eyes as he looked down at me. He inhaled deeply and I saw the brief flare of nostrils, beautifully sculptured lips part slightly and the tip of pink tongue lick at them briefly. I shook my head. My legs felt heavy and weak as I turned and headed back into the kitchen with the empty glass. I smiled to myself because I had seen it in his eyes too.

_He felt the exact same way I did. This was killing him too. _

**EPOV**

Charlie was prying the baseboards off of the wall when I went back into the master bedroom. Sam had been doing the same out in the living room. We cleaned up the floor and prepped it for the wood flooring that would be laid down next. I'd never helped put flooring in before, but apparently Charlie and Sam knew what they were doing and I was willing to learn from them.

We took a short break when Sam's girlfriend, Emily arrived. Everyone had suddenly dropped everything and headed quickly to the dining room.

"Come on," Jake said. "You don't want to miss out. Emily bakes the best muffins in the Pacific Northwest. I'd hurry if I were you." He headed out the door with Quil right behind him, looking like he was trying to push past him.

I joined the group of apparently starving guys wolfing down baked goods in the dining room. A young woman stood there smiling, holding a tray of muffins, offering them to the group to make their selections. I suddenly heard Bella's voice next to me and felt her hand curl around my arm as the young woman turned to face me.

"Edward, this is Emily, Sam's girlfriend. Emily, this is Edward; he came with me to help out."

The woman smiled at Bella then turned and looked at me curiously. She had scars on the opposite side of her face. I hadn't seen them before, but Bella had told me her history, so I was expecting it and didn't react.

"Hi, Edward, help yourself," she said. There's chocolate, poppyseed, or blueberry. Take your pick."

I'd been about to take a chocolate muffin when Bella nudged me. "Go for the poppyseed, Edward. You'll love it. It's got almond flavoring in it."

I picked one of them out, unwrapped it, and turned toward Bella as I began eating.

"Oh, God. Good call, love," I mumbled to her through my mouthful of incredible muffin. Bella's eyes widened and I immediately felt a twinge of mortification at having called her 'love' in front of them. I certainly didn't mean to flaunt it in front of Jake and his friends. No one seemed to have noticed, though. They seemed oblivious; completely consumed with consuming the muffins. I felt relieved.

I looked back at Emily and rolled my eyes in delight since my mouth was too full to say anything coherently.

"Delicious," I finally managed. "Thanks." She smiled back at me.

Bella had told me about the sad love triangle between Emily, Sam and Leah Clearwater: Sam and Leah had been together for a long time; things had seemed pretty serious. Then Sam met Emily and things changed rapidly. He broke things off with Leah, became totally wrapped up in Emily, and Leah had to watch all this happening right before her eyes. Bella told me Leah had never really gotten over Sam, and it had in fact made her a somewhat bitter young woman.

To make things worse, there had been some kind of a confrontation between Sam and Leah when he had been out with Emily somewhere. Sam and Emily had left in a hurry, with him obviously upset. He had lost control of the car he was driving, and the result was an accident that they both walked away from, but it had left Emily's face scarred for life.

I couldn't imagine it. He'd look at the woman he now loved, see the pain he'd caused her in the scars on her face and in turn always remember how he'd hurt Leah. That was some heavy shit to deal with over and over again.

I guess in that respect, Bella and I had been lucky. Knowing that Jake had met someone new made me feel less like a dick. Even though I knew their breakup hadn't been my fault, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty about our timing. We'd really done nothing before their break-up. Well, that's not true; I'd held her in my arms that night in the parking lot when she was crying after talking with him on the phone inside my car. And I'd held her hand when we'd watched the movies the night before Jake arrived. And of course at that point I'd fantasized about all sorts of other events and had wished and prayed for a miracle that would drop Isabella Swan into my waiting lap at some point in the future. And somehow that had happened and I was still thanking my lucky stars.

But if Jake didn't have his new love interest right now and he were still on his own, watching Bella and me be together while he missed her and felt the loss of her…that would just make me feel like crap. I certainly wouldn't have been able to come with her today.

I glanced over once more at Sam, standing by Emily, looking down at her lovingly as she spoke with him. Beyond them, out on the patio, on the other side of the glass sliding door, I could see the girl Bella had earlier pointed out to me as Leah. Her mouth was set in a grim line as she looked in toward all of us standing in the dining room. I figured I knew who she was watching.

Our little break ended and the muffin tray had virtually been licked clean. We all headed back to our tasks to get on with the rest of the late morning activities. I returned to the master bedroom, watching as Charlie and Sam began laying the new flooring in place. Once they had gotten things started there, I took over, helping Charlie with Jake in the master bedroom and then hall. Quil went out to help Embry, Paul and Sam in the living room to start the new flooring out there as well.

Before long, flooring had being laid down and snapped and tapped into place. New baseboards had been cut to fit. They were being painted outside by the younger boys, Seth, Collin and Jared, along with his girlfriend Kim. After the new baseboards dried they would be nailed into place sometime later this afternoon, with a little dab of spackle and paint here and there to cover up the nail heads holding them in place.

Small ramps had been built outside by other workers, people who had some carpentry skills. They were being put into place so that a wheelchair could easily maneuver over the doorways from the front porch into the entryway, and from the living room out to the back patio.

There was another group of men that had been working outside near the front porch. The porch itself was three steps up from ground level. The group outside had demo-ed the end of the porch and was now putting in a long slow ramp that made a switchback before coming to the level of the porch and front door. The three little risers were still in place, but now there was a long, sloping ramp that made entering and exiting the house much easier for a wheelchair.

A cement mixer had shown up earlier this morning. Cement had been poured and smoothed into a walkway that led from the front porch down to where the mailbox was stationed roadside. A second path that led from the porch to the driveway had been poured. More cement had been poured where the gravel driveway had been earlier this morning. Several men and a woman were still in the process of smoothing it out and making it level.

I was amazed at the beehive of activity that was going on all around the house and yard. It was a wonderful thing to see and to be part of. I didn't even know the man, and yet, to see the amount of love and caring from his community, friends, and family, I was touched by it and glad that I had been part of it. I knew there would come a day when I would come back here with Bella and meet Billy Black, and I was actually kind of happy that I was helping out, despite my initial reservations.

**BPOV**

It was early afternoon when Jake had appeared out on the front porch and was whistling shrilly, two fingers poking into his mouth. Quil and Embry joined him, standing next to him, where they began yelling and howling and laughing. Jake put his hands up to his mouth and hollered that the barbecue was ready out in the backyard. People began slowing down and stopping, putting things aside and cleaning up a little, heading around to the back of the house to sit down, take a break, visit with one another and eat.

Edward came back inside, heading to the office and TV room at the back of the house. He came back out a few minutes later, pulling on his flannel shirt, buttoning it up and rolling up the sleeves. He and I then joined the throng of people in the back yard.

Barbecued chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers had been grilled and there was a table set up with several kinds of salads, side dishes, fruit and condiments. Ice chests held beers, waters and sodas.

Edward and I stood in line with Rebecca and Rachel right behind us. Paul was behind Rachel, whispering to her as she giggled. Rebecca leaned forward and spoke quietly in my ear.

"Guess who's got a thing for Rachie."

I looked back over my shoulder, surprised to see Paul acting all sweet and sincere talking with Rachel behind Rebecca. He was usually irritated and complaining about something. I guess it was a good thing. Rachel would be home for a while at least, Paul could do with a little softening around the edges. I raised my eyebrows hopefully at Rebecca.

"And is this mutual?" I asked quietly.

"Oh, I'd say it's keeping Rachie pretty busy." Rebecca smiled conspiratorially.

We all piled food onto our plates, got our drinks and sat down on the end of one of the picnic tables set up around the yard. Edward sat on the end, I sat next to him and Rebecca on the other side of me. Directly across from Rebecca was Rachel, with Paul on the far side of her at the other end of the picnic table. A few minutes later I heard Jake's voice behind me.

"Hey, you guys mind if we join you?" Jake asked.

I turned to see Jake with a girl I'd never seen before. And a big grin on his face.

**EPOV**

Earlier in the day, when I had been carrying rolled up carpet to one of the trucks, I had seen Jake talking outside to a pretty, very petite girl. I thought she was probably his new love interest based on their posture and body language. She looked to be a few years younger than Bella and me, so maybe about eighteen or nineteen years old. Oddly enough, she had hair similar in color to my own unusual mop, but where my hair was only slightly wavy; her long hair was quite curly. She was looking up at Jake, smiling with dimples that rivaled Emmett's.

Jake seemed quite taken with her, leaning over her petite frame and looking intently and rather happily into her smiling face. Their eyes were locked on each other and they seemed to be in their own little bubble. They were completely unaware of anyone around them. Jake wasn't ridiculously big, nor extremely tall, but standing next to that little wisp of a girl, he looked like a giant. And it looked as though she had him in the palm of her small hand.

The girl had a camera and I realized that I had seen her taking pictures outside of just about every aspect of work that had been going on. She had moved about quietly, but had taken pictures of everything and everyone outside in the yard. I had wondered about that briefly, but was too busy to really give it much thought.

Now here she stood with Jake, camera in hand, as the two of them were about to join us with their plates of food.

**BPOV**

"No, of course not, have a seat." I smiled as I looked up at Jake and the girl, waiting for him to introduce the girl that he must be dating now.

"This is Nessie…" he began, but she quickly interrupted him in a laughing voice.

"Oh, for God's sake, Jacob! Will you quit with that?"

She turned toward me and Edward, smiling and dimpling, rolling her eyes in response to Jacob's introduction, as he grinned.

"Please don't call me 'Nessie'! My real name is Renesmee, but my true friends call me 'Renie.' I've been saddled with a long, ridiculously difficult, family name that no one can decide how to pronounce when they see it. For some reason Jacob has taken to calling me Nessie, like I'm the Loch Ness Monster, or some such thing. You're not funny, Jacob!"

She turned to him, saying that last bit to him specifically as she nudged him rather hard for her small size, but she was smiling her dimpled smile

Jacob grinned at her and looked at us rather abashedly. "This is Renie," he began again; "She's a volunteer over at the hospital where my dad is. She's been a big help to all of us. She keeps an eye on Dad and helps keep him entertained and positive and happy."

Jacob looked pretty entertained and positive and happy himself.

"Um, Renie, this is Bella," he continued.

Her eyes widened fractionally, but she nodded and smiled warmly. It was obvious that she knew about me already.

"It's nice to get to meet you, Bella."

"You too, Renie, I've been looking forward to meeting you," I answered honestly.

"And, that's Edward… Bella's, uh, boyfriend," Jacob finished awkwardly.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a second as the word hung in the air. But before I could say anything, Edward and Renie had exchanged friendly hellos and the uncomfortable moment passed.

I looked at her curiously; much like people here had been doing to Edward for most of the day. She was tiny, awfully cute, with dark reddish brown hair, nearly the color of Edward's hair, and brown eyes. She looked like a little doll with her sweet face and dimples, but it was evident that she had a really big personality. Jake, who was so much bigger than she was, looked like he was completely wrapped around her little finger. I was instantly happy for both of them. He seemed so content and she was involved with a really great guy; I knew that from personal experience.

"Renesmee…" Edward said, trying the name out. "You know, that's kind of like my mom's name; Esme."

"And my mom's name is Renee," I added. "It's kind of like her name too."

"Really?" Renie asked in surprise. "Wow, that's pretty weird. My name is a combination of their two names. Now, see, it would make sense if the two of you named your child that."

Edward had just taken a large gulp of his drink when he appeared to nearly spit it out across the table and must have then inhaled it instead because he began choking hard. I quickly began pounding him on the back as he sputtered and choked and coughed, all red in the face. My own face must have been bright red as well, from the immediate hot surge in response to Renie's words about us having a child. Not a good topic considering the night we had planned ahead of us.

I glanced across at Jake. He was shaking his head a little, looking anywhere but at me, his teeth clenched as he tried to hold in a groan or a laugh or maybe both.

"Nessie…holy shit...where's your filter?" he began after a moment of uncomfortable silence. There wasn't actually silence; Edward was actually still coughing and hacking and gasping and attempting to clear his throat and breath normally.

"Oh, gosh! What a thing to say! I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! I just meant…oh gosh!" She looked horrified. She had turned to Jake, looking like she just wanted the ground to swallow her up.

And then the funniest thing happened.

Jake took a look at her perplexed face and his expression turned into a little smile, and then it became a chuckle and Renie began giggling, and suddenly Jake was laughing hard. I looked at Edward and the two of us started laughing as well. Granted, it was embarrassed laughter, but we were all laughing.

"Let's just move this conversation on, shall we?" Renie said hopefully between giggles.

We all giggled a little more at that, sighing finally. Edward cleared his throat one more time, then picked up the pieces and moved us all on past the uncomfortable moment.

"I saw you taking pictures before, Renie. You've been all over this place today with your camera. What are you taking pictures for?"

She smiled broadly, little white teeth flashing. "Well, I'm no real big help with heavy labor, but I can put together a mean scrapbook. I'm recording this whole event for Billy. He'd love to see what's going on here today, all of his family and friends helping and working together, so I thought I'd document it all for him and make a scrapbook so he can see the transformation in action."

"What a wonderful, thoughtful idea," I said with a big smile. "Billy's going to love that."

Edward nodded in agreement and Jake looped his arm around her.

And just like that, eating a barbecue picnic lunch sitting next to my current boyfriend, and across from my ex-boyfriend, while he sat next to his current girlfriend and across from his ex-girlfriend, became a lot less uncomfortable and somehow seemed perfectly appropriate.

**A/N: Let me know what you thought about the day at the Black's. I'd like to know what you thought. We're getting to the sexy and then we're getting to the end. I'm going to say four chapters.**


	59. The Stars Align

**The Transfer (Revised)**

A/N: So the day at the Black's wraps up with a sweaty and horny Edward and a flustered and horny Bella. Sounds like a match made in heaven as the stars align.

Stephenie wrote a great saga, but we wanted more sexaliciousness. However we still loved it and were inspired by it. Which is why I've borrowed her stuff (not her "inner stuff") and I'm playing with it. I'll return it when I'm done... without infringement.

Saturday Evening with the Boy of Our Dreams Part I

**Chapter 59: The Stars Align (Revised)**

**BPOV**

Edward and I sat at the table in the backyard, eating lunch and talking with Jake and Renesmee. I couldn't get over how oddly comfortable I felt sitting there with my past and my present, and maybe even my future, if there was something to what Edward had said last evening. Edward and Jake had seemed to put all animosity aside and were able to join into the conversation without any hesitation or tension. Edward no longer felt threatened that Jake would try and somehow steal me away from him. And Jake had finally let go and moved on.

I knew much of it had to do with Renesmee. Jake seemed absolutely taken with Renie, or 'Nessie,' as he kept saying to her good-natured dismay. He watched her every move, hung on her every word. I looked across at the best friend I'd known for years. We'd been through so much together; we'd made it through _each other_ together, and I was happy for him. I felt like just maybe, we would always be close. And that made me happy.

I was glad, too, that it seemed we could accept each other's new relationships. I remembered telling Jake about Edward, telling him that he was a good guy and that he, Jake, would like Edward. That must have seemed like such a ridiculous statement at that point in time; I remember Jake saying that would never happen, he'd much rather beat the shit out of him. And yet here they sat together, talking benignly with each other, engaging in conversation with the others at the table. It was rather amazing and surprising. Or maybe it was just Edward and Jake who were amazing and surprising.

I was really proud of Edward today and I think a little more in love with him because of what he'd done for me this weekend. I knew this trip had pushed him way out of his comfort zone and I knew he'd done it for me and for no other reason. He'd come to Forks and gotten to know my dad a little bit, he'd put aside his negative feelings regarding my ex-boyfriend, and he'd done hard physical labor today to help out a family that he didn't even know. I glanced at him in profile as he spoke to Jake and Renie. He was an amazing young man, I decided. I wanted to curl up into his lap and tell him how much I loved and admired him. He was truly beautiful and it went so much deeper than the exterior.

I'd finished eating and sat there contentedly next to Edward, listening to stories, catching up with Jacob, Rachel and Rebecca and getting to know Renie. My hand drifted down, under the table, to Edward's leg, patting his thigh, reminding him of the connection I felt to him. A second later I felt his hand covering mine, squeezing my hand in his, and rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. I turned to look up at him and he smiled tenderly down at me.

"We're going to have to leave in about an hour and a half, Bella, if we want to get to everything we want to do today," he said a little bit later

_Oh my! We certainly did have things we wanted to get to today. And now I'm blushing. Gah!_

I don't think the others had seen what I saw in his eyes as he made that comment. They didn't know what he was referring to, but I did. I felt his hand turn mine over as he laced our fingers together, giving my hand a meaningful squeeze as he pulled both of our hands closer up into his lap.

"You're not going to stay for the bonfire down at First Beach tonight, Bella?" Jake asked, sounding a little surprised and disappointed. "Almost everyone's coming to hang out. It'll be a great evening. You two should stay."

"No, we can't stay." I managed, suddenly wondering what my explanation should be. I hadn't planned ahead. I certainly couldn't tell them the real reason we were leaving soon. I didn't even know where we were actually going.

I knew we were going someplace in Port Angeles together, but Edward hadn't divulged anything about his special plans for tonight. All he had told me was what to pack: "very little." I had blushed for ten minutes straight when he'd said that, with that wicked grin on his face, his lush eyebrows raised suggestively. I'd told him I was only going to pack and wear hideous oversized sweats if he didn't stop making that face at me because I was tired of blushing. He had burst out laughing. I knew he liked making me blush. He could do it so easily and for some reason he took great delight in it.

_Really, what is it with him and my blushing?_

Edward cleared his throat now and came to my rescue smoothly. "No, I'm afraid we can't stay. We've got to stop in Port Angeles before we head back to Seattle." I managed to keep a look of surprise off my face.

"What's in Port Angeles?" Renie asked.

"My folks lives in Port Angeles; it's where their house is."

I looked up at Edward. I was smiling faintly, thankful that he'd come to our rescue. He was so smooth and quick; he hadn't really answered the exact question Renie had asked, but the answer seemed like it did. I hated to lie to them, but we couldn't very well tell them the truth.

"_Sorry, we've got plans. Edward and I are going to finally make love tonight and I just really want the opportunity for him to nail me to the mattress. I've been waiting all week. I mean, just look at the guy!"_

_Nope. Couldn't admit that in mixed company. Certainly not this mixed company._

"That's too bad," Jake said. "You guys are missing out on a great evening."

"Yeah, it's unfortunate. I'm sure we won't have quite the evening you all will," Edward said, sounding disappointed, yet loosening his grip on my hand under the table, enough so that he could lightly stroke the inside of my palm with his thumb.

He could just as easily have been touching my naked body for what it did to me. He pulled our clasped hands closer in his lap and my breath caught in my throat as he pressed my hand right against an obvious erection.

_Oh. My. Gah! You're kidding me! You're killing me!_

_Seems he has plans to nail me to the mattress as well._

"I'm sure our evening won't be quite like yours, with a bonfire and all, but maybe some other time." He managed to look disappointed, too, but I knew that he was anything but. I certainly felt just how _undisappointed_ he was. I knew he didn't think we'd miss a great evening. We would have a beautiful evening. It would just be _our own_ great evening. I suddenly felt overheated all over again and a little breathless. I could feel the onslaught of butterflies in my stomach as I contemplated the evening ahead. The anticipation combined with the evidence of his own anticipation was enough to make me combust.

_We can't make it to the bonfire because we're going to be stoking our own bonfire._

"Maybe some other time," I managed to squeak out, nodding in agreement with Edward as he continued lazily stroking my palm and making me feel that much more overheated. "We'll be back in Forks at some point," I added.

I took a deep breath and withdrew my hand from Edward's, placing it back on the top of the picnic table, glancing at his perfect face and those darkening eyes. I tried not to give myself away. I seriously just wanted to put my head down on the table and admit defeat to his overwhelming sexiness.

"I think I need another cold drink," I said instead, getting up to escape his heat and to calm myself down. I really needed a little distance between myself and my sex-oozing boyfriend.

_Holy crow! _

**EPOV**

I knew it was driving her crazy, just like it was driving me crazy. Now that we'd been sitting right up against each other and were no longer engaged in any sort of physical activity that demanded our undivided attention, it was so hard, _yes, so hard…just like a steel ramrod_, to sit there, and not be completely focused on each other and the evening ahead.

The _coming_ evening…

_Fuck!_

_Yes, please._

_Damn it! Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about IT!_

Bella returned a moment later, setting a bottle of water down at her place at the table as she climbed back in to sit down next to me, and then plunking a second bottle of cold water down loudly in front of me.

"I thought maybe you could use another cold drink too, you know, to help you cool down," she said to me. She looked at me pointedly. Her meaning wasn't lost on me.

_Damn! She looks all ruffled and sweaty._

_I bet I can make her more ruffled and sweaty…I just have to wait for the opportunity. The right place and time. _

_Coming right up! _

_Literally. _

_Fuck! _

_Yes, please, literally._

"I don't know if that's going to help much," I said to her, taking a deep breath and trying to focus on something else. Anything else. She rolled her eyes at me. She knew what I was saying. I'm certain she knew what I was thinking.

I knew, as I looked at her, that if all of these people weren't around us, she'd either swat me on the butt right now or tickle me mercilessly for the hell I was putting us through. Then again, if all these people weren't around, we wouldn't be having any of these problems, I could just cart her off to the nearest secluded spot and we could get busy with our evening ahead.

_We could get busy!_

_Oh, hell! _

_Oh, fucking hell!_

_This is hell, yes indeed. Just not fucking…_

_But later... _

_Cullen, you're disgusting._

_Maybe I should just pour the ice water down my pants right now._

It was like having Emmett stuck inside of my head. My thoughts were short-circuiting all over the place and I was starting to piss myself off. I moved as far away from Bella as I could on the bench, feigning a big stretch and sprawling my legs out as I tried to settle down. I managed to put a little distance between us, so I could breathe and not just be breathing in the scent of her and feeling the heat rolling off of her curvy little body. I grabbed tightly onto the bench seat so I wouldn't be tempted to hold her hand again, pressing it against my aching alter ego. I willed myself to settle down. Somehow I managed not to break chunks of the bench seat off as I did so.

I realized one of Jake's sisters had been talking this whole time and I hadn't heard a word she'd said. I wondered if Bella had been paying any attention. It didn't appear that Rachel had directed any comments or questions directly at us. I tried to focus on what was being said, but it was only with great difficulty that I lifted my mind up out of the gutter and Bella's naked body that was apparently in said gutter.

"Edward," Bella said quietly, interrupting my thoughts, "You should come see the kitchen. It looks great now that Rebecca, Rachel and I painted it. I've never done any painting before but we did a really good job. I'm proud of myself. Come on; I'll show you."

She stood up, climbing back out of the picnic bench and waited expectantly for me. I turned on the bench, lifting one leg out and then the other and standing up to follow her inside the house. I was finally calming down enough to walk around nearly comfortably. I was glad I'd put my flannel shirt back on; it hid my residual trouser-tent.

We walked into the kitchen and I saw that they really had done a good job. Earlier, the kitchen was a rather drab, faded, jade green color. It had probably looked like that for years. They had repainted it a rich taupe brown color. The cabinets were white as were the countertops and tile flooring. It seemed brighter; cleaner.

"You three really did a very nice…"

Suddenly Bella was leaning up to me, surprising me as she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down to her, and kissing me deeply. Of course I returned the kiss; it was the gentlemanly thing to do. It was transparently obvious that this was why we were really in here. And I was completely onboard with this show of affection. A new coat of paint was nice, but my girl's tongue, doing an erotic dance with my own, was just so far superior to fresh paint.

_I'm really losing my fucking mind. _

She pulled away and looked up at me with dark, sparkling eyes that must have matched my own. I couldn't see my own eyes, of course, but she sure makes me feel rather sparkly, after all. She accuses me of being the dazzler and yet she dazzles me all the time.

_Consider yourself bedazzled, Cullen!_

_Cue the girly sigh. _

It was so easy to drown in those luscious, liquid, sultry, dark chocolate eyes.

"You were really misbehaving out there earlier, Edward," she said with a little smile licking at her lips. "It was difficult to sit there and take some of the things you said and did."

I chuckled at her. "And is this how you reprimand me?"

_I'd take this kind of tongue-lashing anyday._

"Yes, are you feeling contrite now?" She giggled as she looked up at me with her arms still looped up around my neck and her fingers twining and tugging in my hair.

_The hair thing…holy shit…did she really not realize how lethal that move was?_

I smiled back down at her. "Not really. Maybe we could go lock ourselves in a room and you could reprimand me a little more severely."

She leaned back into me and kissed me again with a smile dancing on her lips. Then I just held her close and rested my chin on the top of her head, taking a deep breath, breathing in the scent of my girl; my own personal oxygen. It felt good to just hang onto her for a bit. I hoped no one would come in to ruin our stolen moment.

**BPOV**

Edward stood there with his head resting on mine, enfolding me in his arms as I held him. It was nice to just have this quiet moment to connect.

"Hey, look!" he said suddenly as he straightened up a little and pulled away from me slightly. "I'll be damned."

I looked up at him to see what was the matter. He was peering at something behind me. I turned my head to see what had caught his attention. It was a little card, attached to the refrigerator door with a magnet; a business card. He reached up and moved the magnet as he took the business card into his hand.

"What is it?" I asked.

"This is my mom's shop!" he said in surprise. He showed me the little card.

"_Interior Solutions by Esme_," I said, reading off the front of the card. There was a time and a date written on the card in pen.

"They must be having work done in the house and your mom must be doing it. Let's go ask Jake, come on." I grabbed Edward by the hand and we walked back out into the back yard where people were cleaning up and packing up the picnic and barbecue remains. We found Jake and showed him the card, asking if they were having additional work done to the house.

"Oh, yeah, the bathrooms are going to be redone a little to make them wheelchair- accessible. You know, some bars will be put in; the shower stall is going to be enlarged, bench seat put in. I don't think they're going to have to tear out too much. The bathrooms themselves are plenty big enough, they just need some re-working. So we have an initial appointment this week with the designer and then construction will start next week. It's a business in Port Angeles."

"This is my mom!" Edward told Jake, indicating the card he held between his fingers. "'Esme Cullen. This is her business."

"Are you kidding?" Jake was astonished.

"No, this is her shop," Edward said as he flicked the card with a long finger. "She's an interior designer. She can tackle anything; she's had a lot of experience. She'll do a great job for you. I'll tell her your…um, connection…to Bella. I'm not sure that will do anything, but my mom loves Bella."

"Oh, and his mom really is a great designer!" I added. "You should see their house. It's incredible. She'll do a great job for you and your dad."

"That's so weird, isn't it?" Jake asked, shaking his head, still amazed.

"Yeah, who would have imagined that? Small world, huh?" Edward replied.

After that surprising coincidence we all officially got back to work. It was getting later in the afternoon, and Edward and I would leave in about an hour.

Rebecca, Rachel and I painted the trim and baseboards in the kitchen. We used a nice glossy white that matched the cabinets. Edward went back to work helping to replace baseboards that had been painted and had long since dried. Then he helped to move furniture back into place in the bedroom and living room. He stayed in the back room, mostly and I didn't see him as much during that last hour.

The work seemed to go pretty fast. It was easier to concentrate without Edward and his blazing green-blue eyes watching my every move, making me blush with that lopsided grin as he winked and blew me kisses and paraded around half-naked carrying carpet rolls and rolls of padding, the weight of which accentuated the muscles in his shoulders and back.

_Where the heck did I put my ice water? I'm feeling flushed just reminiscing..._

We were finally done with what we could manage to do for Billy Black and it was time for Edward and me to get on our way. I said my goodbyes to Rachel and Rebecca, giving them each a long, hard hug.

"Hang onto that guy; he's not just a pretty face." Rachel whispered in my ear as she hugged me. "What a nice thing he did coming here. And he really worked hard. You be good to him." She pulled back and we shared a smile.

"Thanks…to both of you." She spoke more loudly now as she grinned at Edward, "It was really nice meeting you, Edward.

Rebecca nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thank you, you two. Come back and visit when Dad gets home; he'd like to see you. Both of you."

We made our promises, said our thanks, and then looked for Jake. He was with his boys. They no longer looked quite as menacing as they had earlier. I guess they had accepted Edward's presence. It didn't really matter at this point, we were leaving anyway, but at least they probably wouldn't be making many snide comments to Jake after we'd left. He probably wouldn't have listened to very much of what they had to say anyway; he was perfectly capable of making up his own mind and he'd always been friendly and outgoing and accepting. Those were some of the reasons why I'd always loved him. He'd always really been a good guy.

"Jake, we're leaving," I told him. "We came to say goodbye." I walked up to him to give him a hug, but his eyes darted quickly to Edward. I glanced over too, wondering if Edward would be upset. I hadn't even thought about my actions.

He certainly wasn't smiling, but he sort of waved his hand and looked away, indicating that we should just go ahead. He glanced down, shoving his hands in his pockets, waiting for me. He wasn't thrilled, but he seemed accepting of Jake's place in my heart and in my life.

Jake gave me a big bear hug, then quickly let go as his eyes flickered to Edward. "Thanks," he said and I realized he was acknowledging being allowed to give me a hug. "Thanks both of you for coming to help out," he said. He turned more fully toward Edward, extending his hand. They shook hands. "Today almost felt like a celebration of sorts, you know?" He said to both of us as we nodded in agreement.

"Come on, I'll walk you out," he said, falling in step with us as we headed across the front yard. The sidewalk and the driveway were all roped off, so the concrete would not be disturbed. As we walked, Renie met us midway across the yard.

"You two are leaving now?" she asked.

"Yeah, we've got to get going," I said.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you both. I took a lot of pictures, Bella. I'll get your email address from Jake and send some to you, of both you and Edward, and the rest of the crowd.

"Thanks, Renie, I'd like that. That was a great idea to make Billy a scrapbook. He'll love it."

"I'm sure he will. I think it'll lift his spirits; I know he's ready to move on and anxious to get back home. It was great for me to get the chance to meet so many people that are part of his life and Jacob's, too, you know?"

She turned and spoke a little more quietly, just to me.

"I'm glad I got to meet you, too, Bella. I'm sorry about you and Jacob, but I'm glad, too, you know? Things happen for a reason, I always think. There's a plan for all of us and we can't even begin to know what it is." She looked at me shyly, a smile on her face.

"I'm glad I got to meet you, too, Renie. Take care of Jacob; he needs some looking after." I smiled at her and she returned the warm look.

Jake and Renie stopped as we got closer to the road. He slipped his arm around her and they both gave us a little wave.

Edward and I turned and walked over to where my dad was helping to load debris into the back of a pick up truck headed for the dump.

"Daddy, we came to say goodbye. We've got to go."

"You're sure you have to leave, Bells?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's too bad we'll miss the bonfire. Are you going?"

"I think so. I'll hang out with Harry and Sue for a little while, at least. I'll head home early, though. It was good to have you home, even if it was only for a short while. You did nice work in that kitchen; I was admiring the paint job earlier. I should really paint our place sometime; it's been years since it's been done."

"Well, now that I know what I'm doing, I could help you. Maybe when I'm home over winter break."

"I'll keep that in mind. Take care, Bells. Keep in touch and keep safe." He gave me a tight, quick hug, not wanting to hover.

"Okay, Dad. Goodbye." I started to turn, to head to Edward's car, but then my dad spoke up.

"Can I have a word with you, Edward?"

I saw Edward blanch slightly, but he recovered quickly and nodded, telling me, "I'll meet you at the car, Bella."

**EPOV**

I couldn't help but feel somewhat panicky. What did he want to say to me? Was he going to give me some kind of a warning? Had I said something inappropriate as I'd daydreamed about my evening with Bella? I hoped to hell I hadn't been thinking out loud; some of that shit was X-rated and this was his daughter I'd been imagining in some very compromising positions. With me. In some compromising positions of my own.

"Edward…"

"Yes, sir?" I nervously ran my hand through my hair.

"You're kind of jumpy, aren't you, son? Take it easy. I'm not going to bite."

_I'm more worried about shooting. Just please make it quick._

"I just wanted to say that I'm glad you came with Bella this weekend. I didn't know what to expect, really, but you passed inspection. You worked hard and I enjoyed working with you even though I didn't get to tell you any fish stories." He smiled that wry smile that curled a bit under his thick mustache.

"There's always next time," I told him as I shrugged, smiling.

He chuckled. "I guess so." His face became more serious then, his voice lowering.

"And I really appreciate you keeping an eye on Bella. If anything comes up with this James character, you make sure she lets me know immediately, all right? Sometimes she keeps quiet about things. I'd rather know."

"Will do, sir. I'll keep watch. It was nice meeting you, Charlie

"You too, Edward. Take care." He put out his hand to shake mine. "And don't drive too fast."

"I'll be careful."

_Does it say "speeder" on my forehead?_

We shook hands and then I turned to head to the car where Bella stood waiting.

I actually felt a lot more comfortable around her dad now at the end of the day. That was nice of him to tell me how he felt about me. He knew I was nervous. But now, as I headed toward the Volvo, I couldn't contain my grin as I looked at Bella. Even from this distance I saw her blushing. She was all mine for the rest of the evening…and night...and morning...and day…and who really knew when or if this would ever end?

I walked to the passenger side, where Bella stood, and opened her door for her. Just before she turned to get in I grabbed her hip and gave it a squeeze, turning her toward me.

"I missed you today," I said to her in a low voice. "I was on the verge of jumping you at lunch. It was all I could do to maintain."

She leaned into my body, running her hands up my arms and around the back of my neck. She spoke in a low voice as she gazed up at me.

"Well, you won't have to maintain for much longer. And neither will I." Then she kissed me on the nose, smiled and ducked down into the car. I shut the door, standing there for a moment with a shit-eating grin on my face.

"Thank God for that," I muttered to myself as I rounded the car to get in on the driver's side.

I climbed into the Volvo and Bella suddenly turned to me, reaching over and cupping my cheek in her hand, turning my head toward her and pulling me closer.

"I love you, Edward. Thank you so much for coming with me. I know it can't have been very easy for you, but I really appreciated it." She pulled me in for a nice, slow kiss and I'm pretty sure I sighed audibly when she released me.

"It went a lot better than I thought it would," I told her honestly as we moved apart. "Most of the people I met today seemed pretty accepting of me. Jake really surprised me. He's a pretty decent guy. I hope his dad likes the place."

"Billy's going to love it. I'm glad we were a part of it."

I patted her leg and then I started up the engine. We pulled away from the curb and headed rapidly in the direction of Port Angeles. At least I wasn't speeding too much.

Bella turned toward me in her seat, watching me as I drove. "You were a fast thinker earlier when they asked why we couldn't stay for the bonfire. I didn't know what to say; it really caught me off guard."

"You couldn't very well tell them our plans; so I came to your rescue."

"Yes, you did, thank you. You lied pretty quickly off the top of your head, Edward. What am I supposed to think about that?" She had a little smirk on her face; both of her eyebrows raised doubtfully.

"I wasn't lying. We _are _going to Port Angeles tonight. We _are_ heading to Seattle—that just won't happen until tomorrow. I can't help it if they thought I meant we were going back to school tonight."

She smiled. "And what about going to your parent's house? You made it sound like you had to go home."

"Well, actually, I do need to stop by the house. I've got to pick up some stuff from home and then I have to run an errand into town before we get to our final destination." I smirked at her, because that was all the info I was going to be giving her. She could sit and wonder about the rest.

"So we're staying someplace in Port Angeles?"

"Yes; not too far from my parent's house. But you'll have to hang out at the house for a bit while I get stuff together and run my errand. You could take a bubble bath in Alice's bathroom, if you'd like, while you wait for me to get back. We could both just clean up there at the house before we go."

"Actually, that sounds really nice, and I'm sure Alice has plenty of fabulous products for every possible spa treatment I might want."

"You know Alice. She's got about as many products as she has clothes…and you know all about Alice and her clothes." I smiled at her and put my hand on her thigh as I drove. She covered my hand with hers and I thought about what a different, happy ride to Port Angeles this one was, compared to the last trip we took together, when I'd seen Jake kissing her and thought she had gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend.

_Jeez…that day had been just all kinds of fucked up._

But Jake turned out to be a pretty decent guy. He was friendly and outgoing; a lot more so than his homeboys. I was surprised and even taken a little aback at how accepting of me he'd been. I certainly felt a lot better about Jake now that Renie was in the picture. They seemed like they'd known each other for quite a while, even though it hadn't really been that long. She seemed like a pretty sweet girl.

_As long as she wasn't bringing up unplanned pregnancies for Bella and me._

_Holy. Hell. _

_Could she have picked a more inappropriate topic, given our plans for tonight? I nearly coughed my lungs up choking on my drink._

**BPOV**

It was almost twilight when we got to Port Angeles and Edward pulled into the driveway at his parents' home. We got out of the car, bringing our things in so we could clean up and change before we were off on our romantic evening together. Or our "sexscape" as Rose had called it. I could feel myself getting jumpy just thinking about it; wondering about his secret plan. He was my adorable, adorkable guy and I thought it was incredibly lovely that he wanted to do something special to make this "event" memorable. And that made me blush just thinking about it. And it made me nervous.

_And it made me hot. Really hot. For him._

We headed into the empty house. As I looked around the now familiar rooms, I couldn't help but think about the wonderful time we'd had here last weekend. Everywhere I looked, something reminded me about that special weekend, when Edward and I had really connected with each other on so many levels after realizing that we were falling in love.

We dropped our things off in Edward's room and then he walked me up to Alice's bathroom where I was going to treat myself to a spa treatment of sorts. Edward's bathroom only had a large shower stall, no tub. Alice's bathroom, however, was large, with a big, deep tub. I felt like I was in a resort hotel bathroom. I'd have to see what Alice had available for pampering myself. Edward handed me two towels, pointed out the baskets filled with a variety of bath and body products, gave me a kiss on the nose, and told me he'd be back as quickly as possible.

At first I felt funny, thinking about his parents coming home to find me in Alice's tub, but then I remembered that Edward's parents had worked rather late when we had come to visit last weekend. They probably wouldn't be home for a few hours still, so I could just relax.

Edward had turned around to the door and was just about to exit the bathroom when I asked him, "What are we doing for dinner?" He stopped, frozen on the spot and then he looked back at me in total mortification.

"Shit! Bella, I didn't even think about eating!" he said, turning to face me. He was obviously shocked and embarrassed.

I burst out laughing, looking at his expression.

_I wonder where his mind has been?_

"Food isn't a priority, Edward?"

His mouth transformed into a crooked, sexy grin and the tip of his tongue licked at his lower lip.

"Apparently not," he admitted sheepishly. "Sorry, Bella. We'll figure something out when I get back. Or I can pick something up on my way back here."

"Maybe I can fix us something here; before we leave?" I suggested. "Would that be okay?"

I saw his jaw working. "Do you really want to do that? We could go out; I just hadn't thought about it; it never even entered my mind. I've been thinking of other stuff."

"I'll bet," I smirked at him. He was probably thinking of my "inner stuff" that I had told him I'd purchased. That and the "stuff" we'd be engaged in once I was rid of my "inner stuff."

"I'll see what your mom has in the kitchen," I reassured him. "I miss cooking, being away at school, so I really wouldn't mind. And I'm pretty inventive. Besides, I'd like the chance to cook something just for the two of us."

That seemed to make him happy. He smiled warmly. "Okay, we'll see if you can come up with something. We could always get something out, although that will bite into our evening a little."

_Yeah…no…that's not going to be happening. We want all the time in the world, so why waste it eating out?_

"I'll check things out when I'm done here, Edward," I said as I began running water into the huge tub.

He gave me a second kiss on the nose and a pat on my behind.

"Okay. I'll be back in a little bit, Chef Swan."

"Okay. I'm not going anywhere." I grinned.

I added some bath salts to the running water. I found shaving gel and picked a razor from a three-pack. I chose a freesia scented body wash and some herbal shampoo and conditioner. I discarded my paint-spattered thermal t-shirt and jeans, and peeled off my underwear and bra. I stepped into the tub and climbed in to relax for a little while in the hot water before I began using all of Alice's exotic products.

A while later I headed down to Edward's room wrapped in my towels; cleaned, buffed, shampooed, conditioned, shaved, moisturized and rather relaxed. I opened up my bag and fished out my blush-colored matching push-up bra and thong. I figured this set would be the appropriate one for tonight. When Edward saw me in it, there was a good chance I, or he, or maybe both of us, would be blushing to match my underwear.

I pulled on my best pair of low-cut jeans and a fitted white blouse, with a row of buttons down the front. I slipped into a pair of ballet flats and went into the bathroom to dry my hair, pull it up into a ponytail, and put on a little make-up.

When I finished, I headed upstairs to the kitchen and began searching out the contents of the refrigerator, freezer and pantry. I had just put on a pot of water to boil when Edward walked back in the front door.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called to me, peering around from the entryway grinning, his eyes lighting up. I swear he must have had something up his sleeve. He looked like a little boy with a barely-contained secret.

I grinned right back at my beautiful boy. "Hi Dear, how was your day?"

My question seemed to catch him off guard for a second, but then his mouth curled up at the corners and he replied, "Well, at first I had some management issues, but my supervisor turned out to be my closest ally. I also had some initial reservations about working well with a few of my co-workers, but that took care of itself as soon as management stepped in. I made it through the day in one piece and I was able to leave work early with the girl of my dreams. So it was a very good day at work."

I giggled at him but a tiny corner of my mind wondered what it would be like to say to him, "Hi honey, how was your day?" on a regular basis.

_Okay, just stop right there. We've known each other for a little over a month._

"You found something to make for dinner?" he asked, coming into the kitchen and looking around.

"Yeah, I've got dinner covered, as long as your parents don't mind me using up their food."

"I think they'll manage. What are you making?" he asked, craning his neck to look past me and check out the ingredients on the countertop.

"Go away. No snooping." I moved to stand in front of the ingredients I'd selected, barring his view. I smirked at him. "It's a Chef Swan Secret. It's my contribution to this evening's surprises." I began to turn him around and push him out of the kitchen as he chuckled.

"Okay, well then, I'm going to go hop in the shower. How much time do I have?"

"Twenty minutes would be about right."

"Twenty minutes it is, Chef Swan," he said over his shoulder as I continued pushing him out the doorway of the kitchen.

He turned and gave me a quick peck on the cheek and then he took off downstairs for his shower.

When he returned a short while later, Edward seemed calmed. He was dressed in clean, dark jeans and a pale gray button-down shirt. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone and I saw the curly-soft hairs at the top of his chest poking out. His sex-hair was still slightly damp and in its usual state of fabulous disarray. He was now clean-shaven and though I hadn't yet touched his face, my fingertips knew how soft and smooth his face and jaw would now feel.

"You are quite the resourceful girl," he said, smiling at me after he had glanced into the dining room beyond the kitchen. I'd found taper candles in a drawer of the kitchen and had decided dinner by candlelight would be a nice touch. "I'm impressed; that looks amazing!" he said as he neared me, looking over my shoulder at the dinner I'd prepared and running a hand lightly down to the small of my back.

He picked up the serving bowl and carried it into the dining room where I had already set the table for our candlelight dinner of Fettuccini Alfredo with peas and bits of bacon. I'd come to learn that he loved any kind of Italian food, so I had figured the fettuccini would be a pretty safe bet.

"Hang on. One more thing," he said as he disappeared back into the kitchen. He returned a moment later with two glasses of wine for us, in addition to the water I'd already put out for us.

"This smells delicious, Bella," he said, inhaling the aroma and looking at me appreciatively as I began serving up the pasta. "I can't believe you just threw this together." He handed me my glass of wine as he took his seat, raising his wineglass in a toast.

"To Chef Swan. You saved my dinner fiasco with your culinary skills, love."

I clinked his glass with my own, smiling over the rim as I took a sip. And then we both dug into our pasta. Edward sighed contentedly after his first forkful. After the busy day we'd had it really hit the spot.

At first.

Gradually, however, the focus of our dinner seemed to shift as we sat across from each other in the soft candlelight, talking quietly and gazing at each other. Edward seemed less and less focused on the bowl of pasta before him and more and more focused on me as he reached across the table and took my hand in his. He stroked across my knuckles with his thumb, watching me. I felt a sparking electrical charge in the room that gradually gave way to a feeling of butterflies in my stomach as I looked across at him and his perfectly sculpted mouth and darkening storm-sea eyes. He looked delicious.

We had been in such close proximity to one another all day but unable to do much about it. And the fact that we'd known for the past few days what our plan for this evening was…well, it all made eating dinner somewhat difficult.

I put down my fork and I gazed across the table at him. As my appetite for him increased, my appetite for dinner decreased. I wanted him for dessert. His eyes widened slightly and I found myself wondering if he knew what I was thinking. Or maybe he was thinking what I was thinking. The electrical charge in the room seemed to crackle and spark up a little more wildly.

"Are you done, love?" he asked, seemingly ready to just get on with our evening as he put his fork down and pushed his plate away.

He wasn't alone in those thoughts. I nodded and smiled a little nervously. I could feel myself biting at my lower lip. I wondered if he had butterflies in his stomach or felt at all nervous.

He ran his hand through his hair and thanked me again for saving the evening with my mad kitchen skill. We stood and began clearing the dishes.

"Love, I need five minutes before we leave. There's one last thing I have to do."

"Well, why don't you let me do the clean-up here in the kitchen and you can do whatever you need to do? My bag is by the door. I'm ready to go when you are."

"All right. I'll be back shortly, love," he murmured, kissing the shell of my ear. He squeezed me tightly in his arms before letting me go. He left the room then, disappearing around the corner and out the front door of the house.

I washed and dried our dishes and put them away and cleaned up the kitchen. Before I knew it, Edward was back and ready to go; his eyes sparkling with excitement. We grabbed our bags and headed out to his car. He put the bags in the trunk and then turned to me with his signature crooked grin.

"So, here's the deal, Bella. You need to wear this," he said as he pulled a dark plum colored scarf out of his pocket and held it aloft in his hand. It was Esme's birthday gift from Rose, I thought, distractedly.

"You want me to wear a scarf?" I asked him in confusion. "Why do I need a scarf?"

He chuckled in response. His thumb was suddenly smoothing the frown that had formed between my brows. "You're going to wear it as a blindfold, love."

_What!_

"A blindfold? Are you serious?"

"When we get to our destination you can take it off," he laughed. "But you can't take it off until then. I'll tell you when. And no peeking!"

"Edward, are you joking?"

"Nope, deadly serious." He wagged the scarf he held in front of my face.

I rolled my eyes, but I shrugged and turned for him to put the scarf in place and tie it behind my head. Once he had tied it, he put his arms around me and shuffled me to the passenger side of his car, where I heard him open the door. I felt his hand on the top of my head.

"Okay, bend down and sit; I won't let you bump your head." I heard him explaining, as he neared me and his hands helped me into the car. He smelled divine; it was his usual man-soap scent, his own uniquely-Edward scent, along with the scent of freshly laundered clothes. I hadn't really noticed the combination earlier. But now, with my eyes blindfolded, I guess I became more aware of scents and sounds around me. He shut the door and I listened for him, hearing the soft sounds of him rounding the car and the driver's door opening a moment later. He climbed in chuckling to himself.

"Edward, so help me, if you take me down some dark country road and abandon me, I'm never speaking to you again."

He burst out laughing. "I'll keep that in mind. I'm not ready to ditch you quite yet, though. I think we still have some mileage left in this relationship, love."

I smiled, turning my head toward him, although I couldn't see him, of course. I could hear the smile in his voice. It was a crooked grin; I was willing to bet money. Of course we had mileage left in this relationship. We were only just beginning.

He started the car and began driving. I felt the motion of the car as he made a series of turns, followed by a straightaway, then a few more turns and another straightaway. Eventually the car slowed and turned a few more times and finally the car came to a stop a while later. I heard him put the car in park, and put on the emergency brake. He turned off the engine.

"Okay, we're here. No peeking. I'll tell you when you can look." I could still hear the grin in his voice. I imagined those perfect lips in their signature imperfect smile.

"Edward, I can't believe you're going to make me walk around like this. Are there people around?"

"Not really. Besides, who cares? It's our night, not theirs. Come on, love. Er, actually, wait, I'll come get you. We don't want you knocking yourself unconscious as you try to get out."

I heard his door shut, followed by the sound of the trunk opening and shutting. He had gotten our bags out, I realized. A moment later he was at my door, helping me out, admonishing me once again not to peek. He picked up our bags then, I thought, but didn't give mine to me, saying he'd carry both of them. Then he wrapped his arm tightly around my waist and walked with me, guiding me, chuckling a tiny bit as he pulled me in close to his body. I felt his jaw against the side of my face as he squeezed me to him. His strong jaw was smooth, his skin so soft and smelling wonderful, like the rest of him.

We finally stopped walking. His hand was on the small of my back, long fingers guiding me. "Step up. One more step." We stopped. I heard him opening a door and setting our things down. Suddenly it seemed that the atmosphere had changed. I couldn't see anything, but I felt the warmth of his body standing right behind me. His arm slid down and wrapped around my waist, holding me back, up against him. I heard the sound of his breathing. I hadn't noticed it before, but the breaths seemed to have gotten a little uneven.

_He was nervous!_

I heard him swallow. When he finally spoke again, his voice was like soft velvet wrapping around me, caressing me; smooth and rich and lush. His warm breath tickled at the shell of my ear as he leaned down to speak to me.

"All right, Bella, one more step up and we're there." I did so, with him right behind me; his arm wrapping around me, his long fingers against my stomach.

"Okay, my love, I've made you wait long enough. Now you can look." He slowly untied the the blindfold with his other hand and it slid from my eyes as he pulled it gently away and wrapped both arms around me from behind now.

I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the low, flickering light in the same moment that the floral scent hit my nose.

"Oh!" I gasped, sudden tears pricking at my eyes as I looked around. "Oh my gosh! Oh, Edward…!"

_Enchantment and desire..._

_ambiance…_

_and love._

**A/N: The next chapter is THE ONE and the chapter after that will be ANOTHER ONE. I know I left you hanging, but the next chapters will make up for it, I think. What are you imagining...? (Besides throttling me.)**


	60. Supernova

**The Transfer **

A/N: It took longer and it's a big one. (That's what she said.)

I won't waste your time infringing, just start reading. ;)

Saturday Evening with the Boy of Our Dreams Part 2

* * *

**Chapter 60: Supernova **

**BPOV**

In the five weeks that I'd known Edward I had come to find that he was a real romantic at heart and as such, he had a definite flair for the romantic gesture, whether simple or grand.

I'd ridden in his car this evening with a blindfold around my head and butterflies in my stomach, anxious to know where we were going and slightly nervous about the evening ahead. I was jumpy just thinking about what I might find at our destination but I knew it would be heart-stopping. The anticipation was a delicious torment and Edward was a delicious tormentor.

_An incredibly delicious tormentor._

With the blindfold securely in place, I had begun to focus on other things that I might not ordinarily have noticed. Unable to see, my body was more attuned to other physical sensations as I searched for clues around me. My other senses seemed heightened and I was suddenly more aware of what I felt, smelled and heard.

When we'd arrived at a threshold, he had helped me up the steps and I heard him opening a door. With the door opened, slight heat from the interior of the building we were entering, warmed my face and the front of my body through my blouse, removing the chill from the night air. I heard two soft thumps slightly ahead and to the side of us. Edward must have set our bags down on the ground nearby.

My ears were listening intently for the sounds around me. I heard the far off sound of trickling water; _a very small_ _waterfall? Maybe a fountain?_ _A running faucet? _From somewhere beyond, in another direction, I heard a very faint snapping sound that seemed familiar, but that I couldn't quite identify.

Although I still hadn't been given permission to remove the scarf and look around the room, the area we were entering seemed large because the sounds I heard seemed to be a distance from where we stood. There seemed to be a faint echo. I still couldn't make out the sounds of other people. I wondered if we were walking into a hotel, only to have people stop and stare at my predicament. I blushed at the thought.

Edward was standing immediately behind me. His breaths had become shakier and a little shallower. I could tell that he was breathing through his mouth now, not his nose, and it struck me: _he was nervous. _I was listening to him feeling jittery. He must have had butterflies in his stomach just like I did. I realized that he was anxious about my reaction; that he wanted me to be pleased with what he'd done. He finally spoke; his voice seemed huskier, caressing me with its soft tones.

"Okay, my love, I've made you wait long enough. Now you can look." He slowly untied the blindfold and it dropped from my eyes. I felt the soft silk whisper and slide down to my neck and across my collarbone as he pulled it off and away from me.

I blinked; my eyes adjusting to the low light when a floral scent hit my nose. And then I couldn't believe what I was seeing, what he had done for me, the effort he had gone to in such a short amount of time and what his actions were telling me. It was all right there.

_Enchantment and desire…ambiance…and love. _

"Oh!" Sudden tears pricked at my eyes as I gasped at the sight before me. "Oh my gosh! Oh, Edward…!" I raised my hand to my mouth in surprise, and maybe to keep my heart from jumping right out of my chest. My other hand covered his, where it lay flat against my stomach as he held me from behind. My fingers laced through his. I felt tears pooling in my eyes as I absorbed the romantic sight before me. I blinked, trying to clear my vision and I felt stray tears slip down my cheeks. Edward clutched me more tightly and I felt his other hand tuck my hair back from my face as he brushed light kisses against my hairline and temple. I stood there speechless, in awe at his thoughtfulness and the love he had for me, all on display before me.

"Oh, Edward," I finally managed to stumble through a sentence in a shaky voice, "…this is…this…I can't believe you did this."

I turned around in his arms to hug him, quickly brushing the tears from my eyes and cheeks with my fingers. His dark green-blue eyes widened in surprise when he realized I was crying. I was about to place my hands on either side of his head and pull him down toward me, but he stopped me. His long fingers wrapped around my wrists, halting my movement, and he pulled his head back to look more intently at me. His brow furrowed and his eyes filled with concern.

"Oh, Bella, don't cry, love. I wanted to make this special for you. I just thought… I wanted you to see how much I care about you and how much tonight means to me. I wanted you to see how very important everything that has happened between us has been to me. I know it's probably not the best location..."

"Shh," I breathed, putting my fingertips to his lips to silence him. He was overanalyzing and worrying needlessly like he so often did where I was concerned.

"These are good tears, Edward; really good tears," I whispered up at him, my voice catching in my throat. I smiled at the troubled expression on his face. "I can't believe you did all this for me...for us." I watched as his concern disappeared and the furrow between his brows relaxed.

"You like it then?" He looked anxious. "I tried to make a statement."

"Oh, Edward…I love it. I absolutely love it. This is an amazing statement."

He smiled down at me, seeming relieved, wiping at my cheeks with the back of a knuckle and then leaned into me, pressing his soft Cupid's bow lips tenderly to mine. When he released me, I turned back to take it all in more carefully, before moving a little farther into the room. He turned and reached back, quietly shutting the door behind us and locking it, before coming to stand behind me once again, wrapping his arms around me once more.

We were in the pool house.

I had thought it beautiful when I had seen it for the first time last weekend, but now it had been spectacularly transformed. When we had been here last, the room had been lit by the bright light of day streaming in through the glass wall. Now however, because it was dark outside beyond the glass that faced the woods, it was actually quite an exotic, seductive location. The natural stone tiles of the floor glinted and sparkled in the shimmering low light.

The floor was strewn with rose petals; so very many _orange_ rose petals. They formed a wide and intoxicating path that led from the doorway to the far corner of the room. The lush scent of the roses was thick and heady, adding to the seductive scene before me.

Interspersed among the rose petals were little groupings of votive candles_, _all lit and flickering, serving as the main illumination for the room. The only other sources of light came from within the dark blue shimmering pool, nearly a midnight blue now at nighttime, and the fireplace that was burning and crackling at our destination in the far corner.

I realized the snapping sound I'd heard when he'd first opened the door was the sound of the flames licking at the logs within the fireplace. I turned my head and looked in the other direction. The trickling water that I'd heard earlier was merely water running into the pool from a spout at the far end.

Facing the fireplace, on the far side of the room, amidst a profusion of rose petals, Edward had positioned one of the very large, extra-wide chaise longues. It was nearly as wide as a double bed; certainly enough room for two new lovers to fully experience each other for the first time. The back of the chaise was propped up slightly, but otherwise it had been made up like a bed with white sheets and fluffy pillows and a pale blue duvet covering what must have been a thick, down comforter.

Next to the chaise longue was a small table that held various things Edward had set out. There was a crystal vase and an ice bucket. I could see the neck of a bottle protruding from the ice within the ice bucket, along with two champagne flutes standing nearby. Next to the bucket was a small plate, holding something round, about the size of a softball, but I couldn't quite see what it was from this distance.

The most telling thing however, was lying on the top of the bed. Prominently displayed in the center was a bouquet of long-stemmed roses. They were velvety, deep _red_ roses; the symbol for love. They were positioned right where Edward would love me and where I would love him in return. I felt a lump rise in my throat.

Everything had been so beautifully, so thoughtfully, so romantically done. Edward had created something amazingly lovely in such a simple setting for our first time together and I would never forget the scene before me, created by the boy holding me. I would never forget what he'd done for me or the way he'd shown me just how much this evening with me meant to him.

Beyond the fireplace and chaise longue, the large wall of glass looked out onto the woods at the back of the building. The pale moonlight shone down, illuminating the trees and the little path that Edward and I had walked late at night a week ago. Everything was bathed in a pale, silvery glow.

Edward had managed to transform the pool house into an exotic romantic hideaway. It was a still life of romantic love and lavish seduction.

"You _really_ love me," I whispered to him, leaning my head back against his shoulder as he stood there behind me still, enfolding me in his arms.

I heard a quick, quiet exhale. A small laugh of surprise. I knew he had smiled at my comment, even without even looking back over my shoulder at him. I could picture his lips, curled slightly at the corner. I didn't have to see it to know the crooked grin was there.

"Why, yes, I really _do_ love you," he agreed, chuckling very softly. "I thought you'd already figured that out. I'm pretty sure it's come up in conversation before, as well." I felt his lips press against the top of my head.

I laughed a little at myself.

"Mmm, yeah, now that you mention it, I think it has come up in conversation once or twice." I tipped my head and looked over my shoulder to smile at him. I reached up, running my fingers into his hair the way he liked, pulling him down toward me a little to kiss him. I felt his fingers press against the soft flesh of my stomach as he held me back against his body. I felt his arousal, pressing into me from behind, and then his lips were on my temple as he kissed me.

"This is an amazing gesture of love," I murmured, still awed by what he'd managed to put together in such a short time and after such a long day. "I honestly don't know how you managed this."

But suddenly it really sank in where we were and I abruptly whirled around to face him. "Wait, Edward! What about your parents? We can't do this here! What will they think?"

He had flinched in response to my abrupt turn but then snorted a little laugh at my mortification.

"Relax, love, they don't mind if we're here. We can come here anytime we want. But if it makes you more comfortable, my parents are gone this weekend, Bella. Remember my dad's birthday gift for my mom? He had booked her a trip; they're gone and they're not coming back until Monday afternoon. And I made sure that Emmett and Alice were staying put in Seattle this weekend; so they're not showing up with Rose and Jasper either."

I contemplated all the times we'd been interrupted in the midst of a romantic moment by his brother or sister and their significant others. Their timing and curiosity were unparalleled. They really were an inappropriately nosy bunch but they were also awfully good friends and really, they just wanted us to be happy together.

"No one's going to come by and ask if we want to go to dinner?" I asked him. "Or if we're coming to breakfast? Or if we want to go shopping? Or if we want to play Wii? Worse yet, they're not going to suddenly appear on the other side of the glass wall, peering in and clapping and high-fiving each other, are they?"

He burst out laughing, grimaced at the thought of it, and then said, "Nope. Not even a chest bump. I took care of it. I threatened them, so no." He paused, smiling wickedly, "no chance of 'coitus interruptus siblingus.'"

"Oh, my God, Edward! What a horrible thought!" I blushed furiously at that and ducked my head down against his chest. He just tipped his head back and laughed, his arms wrapping more tightly around me in case I tried to escape.

"I'm just trying to assuage your fears, love. I didn't mean to add to them." He chuckled, leaning in to my neck and kissing me there. He appeared to be pleased with himself for getting such an extreme blush out of me.

He pulled away and grinned down at me. "There's also no damn Two-Layer Chocolate Cockblocker Cake that needs to be baked and decorated in ten aggravating steps. So even dessert won't interrupt us."

"What kind of cake?" I sputtered. "What are you talking about?" I began laughing at him, knowing full well to which cake he was referring.

He snickered. "That was how I came to think of that cake we made for my mom last weekend. It seemed like every time I got you in my arms, we had to quit and go do the next step on that damn cake. It was rather unfulfilling. The cake was delicious, don't get me wrong, but I had a poor relationship with the cake."

He was right. I grinned at the memory.

"So it's just us here?" I asked him, snuggling into his arms, feeling relieved and relaxed.

"It's just us; no parents, no siblings, no friends and no damn cake. We have the whole place to ourselves. Come on, love, we don't have to stand here at the doorway the whole evening; we can actually move inside the room more and enjoy it."

Grasping my hand in his, he led me to the far side of the room. We walked among the rose petals and the scent wafted up stronger as our feet disturbed and crushed them. Near the fireplace it was warmer and the rose scent was even headier. He had angled the huge chaise so that we would be able to look into the fireplace, yet we could also look out the glass window into the silvery woods and over to the shimmering water of the dark, low-lit pool. The chaise was propped up but it could be reclined, like a bed; I'd seen it that way last weekend.

I reached down and picked up the bouquet of red roses that were lying on the chaise. I closed my eyes as I brought them to my face and breathed in the scent.

"Mmm, these smell wonderful, Edward."

"You know red roses symbolize love, don't you?" he asked.

"I think every girl knows that." I still had my nose amidst the blooms, but I tipped my head up and smiled at him.

"Do you know that they also symbolize 'enduring passion'? I kind of like that concept." He grinned that sexy, smirky lopsided grin.

I blushed. "You're certainly learning a lot about flowers lately, aren't you, Edward?"

He chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess I'm getting in touch with my inner Alice or my inner florist. You bring it out in me, love."

I giggled at him. "Thank you for these," I said as I glanced back at the bouquet in my hands.

"You're welcome. Here, I put some water in this vase; you can set them in here."

"So what's in here?" I asked after I had arranged the roses in the vase. I was peering at the ice bucket that sat nearby.

"Asti," he said simply, as he watched my face. "I remembered that you liked the Asti at my mom's dinner. But there's also pink champagne, if you prefer. Or prosecco…I bought a bottle of that as well, because I wasn't sure which you liked best. That was what we had at The Pink Door. I thought we should celebrate, but I didn't know which you preferred, so I got you several choices."

I smiled at him. He was always giving me choices, making sure that I was as happy as possible.

_How could I not be happy if it involved him?_

"The Asti is fine, Edward. I liked that it was a little sweet. Especially for after dinner."

I looked back down at the little table.

"And this? What's this?" I asked pointing down at the plate that held a knife and a softball sized glob of various…_chocolates_? There was a stick poking straight up out of the ball.

He smiled. "That's a commemorative dessert for us. We can eat it later and I'll tell you about it then," he said with a little gleam in his eye and a devilish grin on his lips.

I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head a little. There was something about that dessert blob. Something that would make me blush…I could already tell. I sighed at my adorkable boy who was now biting at his lip to keep from laughing.

_How does he manage to be dorky and unbelievably sexy at the same time?_

_Doesn't matter, but it's such a gooood mix._

"Would you like some Asti now?" he asked, managing to get his sexy smirk under control. I nodded, smiling at my romantic, silly boy. He picked up the bottle and popped the cork. I yelped at the sound and clapped in celebration as we watched the cork sail toward the kitchen. He was grinning at me as he handed me my champagne flute. Then he poured the sweet, sparkling wine into our glasses, set the bottle down, and moved in closer to me, taking my hand in his.

"To the perfect night with the perfect girl," he said almost shyly but so obviously happy.

_Oh my. No pressure there._

I squeezed his hand in mine and smiled up into his beautiful, dark, green-blue eyes, touching my glass to his.

"To being perfectly happy with the perfect boy," I said in response, feeling suddenly a little shy myself. I watched as his eyes widened and his lip curled up in a very satisfied manner. We both took a few sips then, smiling a little goofily at each other and just watching each other over the rim of our glasses as we drank.

"Wait a sec," he suddenly blurted, "I almost forgot! I have music. I have a special playlist for tonight."

"Oh, Edward, it's not Emmett's 'Girly Shit' playlist, is it?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, I made my own without his help, thank you very much." He looked down for a moment before he met my eyes and seemed more serious. "Um, I tried to think back to various songs that maybe meant something to us together, and some of these are just songs that make me think of you, so it's a combination of things."

He walked over toward the bar in the little kitchen and I saw the iPod docking station on the counter. Glancing back over at me he explained, "The playlist is titled 'Hallelujah,' because that's what tonight feels like." He cocked his head to the side and gave me a little smirk but there was a very soft look in his eyes. We'd both been waiting for this night.

"It's also the title of the first song on the playlist. 'Hallelujah,' by Teddy Geiger. Do you know it?" he asked.

I shook my head. It didn't sound familiar.

"It could actually be me singing the lyrics to you. It pretty accurately describes how I feel, Bella."

He walked back over to me. In his hand he was holding a small remote. Quiet music filled the room as his green-blue eyes gazed into mine. He set the remote and his champagne flute down on the little table.

"Dance with me, love," he said softly. He held his hand out toward me and I stepped into the circle of his arms. He took my glass and set it down on the little table next to his. As the music floated through the room I linked my arms around his neck and he pulled me in close, kissing my forehead. He looked down into my eyes then and we began to move together slowly, rhythmically, completely in tune with each other and the song that told me how he felt.

You're the girl in the back of the room  
My wallflower that's in bloom  
You're so oblivious to this  
But I could fall into those eyes  
Pretty circles that I try  
To escape into, yeah

Well, Hallelujah, when you look at me  
Hallelujah, you're the halo over me  
You're all that I need

With you, every day is Saturday  
With you, every word you say is like a song  
With you, well, everything is obvious  
Hallelujah, hallelujah, well I found you  
I found you, I found you, Hallelujah

When the chorus had begun he'd tipped my head up with a finger, kissing my lips chastely. His arms tightened around me then, squeezing me against him as the next verse began.

I never thought I'd take that jump  
A nervous laugh around someone  
I'm sleeping in the palm of your hand  
The way you whisper on the phone  
I hear your voice when I'm alone  
You always understand just who I am

Hallelujah, your love is free  
Hallelujah, you're the halo over me  
And you're all I need

With you, every day is Saturday  
With you, every word you say is like a song  
With you, well, everything is obvious  
Hallelujah, hallelujah, I found you  
I found you, I found you, Hallelujah

By the time the chorus began the second time, our bodies had slowed and Edward was kissing me deeply; hungrily. He pulled back slightly as the chorus ended, bringing his warm hand up to softly caress my cheek. His dark eyes sought mine as the next few lines played.

The best things are unexpected just like this  
Like a billboard in the sky you just can't miss  
And I'm never letting this love go

Hallelujah, Hallelujah  
With you, every day is Saturday  
With you, yeah, every word you say is like a song  
With you, yeah, everything is obvious  
Hallelujah, hallelujah, 'cause I found you  
Yeah, I found you, yeah I found you  
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, hallelujah

By the time the song ended we had completely stopped dancing. He kissed me softly as the music faded, cupping my chin and tilting my head up to his. I moved my hands up to run them through his hair, holding him to me as our kiss deepened. I felt beautiful and desired and loved and I could feel my heart thudding within me as I thought about that last verse.

I knew it hadn't been planned or easy for Edward to get to this point, but he had and somehow I had gotten here with him; feeling completely in love with him after such a short time. He pulled his lips from mine and looked at me with such a serious expression.

"You were so totally unexpected, love. You weren't flashy and you weren't aggressive. You were sweet and kind and I couldn't ignore you. I walked away from your room that first night after I came to apologize, and all I could think of were your eyes. I really think I fell into them; I'd looked at you and could never really stop looking at you. And even after just those first few days, everything had changed. I was yours before I knew what had hit me. I love you, Bella."

I could feel the tears pricking at my eyes again as I thought about what this had done for him and how much he now meant to me; how very important he'd become to me. He reached up a knuckle and caught the tear that escaped and rolled down my cheek. His thumb stroked gently at my cheek as he looked at me with such obvious affection.

"I wasn't trying to pursue you, Edward, but I couldn't stop thinking about you, either," I confessed. "I kept wondering about you; all the time. I even had recurring dreams about you; dreams where you were pursuing me. I think I wanted you to catch me."

"It must have been fate," he simply said with a tender smile. "I'm glad I caught you." His thumb traced the line of my lip as I returned his soft smile.

We held each other tightly. Maybe, like the song, we would never let this love go. I sighed happily.

"You've thought of everything tonight, Edward," I said looking around at the poolhouse once again. "It's a feast for the senses: sight, scent, sound…"

"…touch…taste…" he said in a husky voice as his hand gently tugged at the band that was wrapped around my pony tail. He managed to pull the band out, freeing my hair. He ran his fingers through the locks that cascaded around my shoulders.

"I really like your hair down," he murmured. "It's like a soft halo surrounding your face on your pillow when you sleep."

_Oh my._

He gently gathered my hair with his long fingers and tipped my head back with his hand in my hair. His lips descended to my throat, trailing soft kisses up to my earlobe. His other hand slipped between us, up to the top button of my blouse. The button came away and I felt his fingers caress the base of my throat and collarbones gently before sliding down to the next button on my blouse, undoing it just as slowly.

_Oh…my. _

I was beginning to feel lightheaded. I reached my hands up into his hair, running my fingers through the tousled mess, tugging on the soft strands and eliciting a low groan from him. His mouth was now on the other side of my neck, kissing just under my ear, in the little hollow there, and then his lips and teeth grazed my earlobe and tugged gently on it. I felt his arousal against me, pressing into me, as another button slipped open. His fingertips traced down from the little hollow at the base of my neck to my cleavage, stopping at the edge of my bra and then tracing lightly out along the top of it.

"Oh, Edward," I sighed, pulling one hand down to the nape of his neck and cupping his smooth, soft cheek with my other hand, urging his lips back to mine. His mouth covered mine, opening as I felt his fingertip sliding just inside the upper edge of my bra. I could feel my nipples tensing, expecting his touch.

Instead he removed his fingers and two more buttons on my blouse came away in quick succession. His fingers trailed from the very last buttonhole back up my stomach and chest, to my neck. His tongue was caressing mine, tasting and exploring.

"I think you've had this on long enough," he said softly against my lips as his hands grasped my blouse, finally pulling it back and slipping it down over my shoulders. He pulled it down my arms and dropped it to the rose petal-strewn floor below.

He softly exhaled, as his dark eyes took in my nearly nude torso, clad only in my blush colored push-up bra. I watched the bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed thickly. His eyes roamed over the rise of my breasts and the accentuated depth of my cleavage. Even though it was mostly illusion, it was worth the hungry look in his eyes.

"What a lovely sight you are, Isabella Swan."

His smoldering eyes watched me as I began to unbutton his shirt, just as slowly as he had done mine. Once I had several buttons opened, I leaned into his chest, pressing a soft kiss amidst the soft curling hairs there. I continued to unbutton his shirt, pushing it apart as I planted kisses on either side of his chest, grazing lightly with my teeth and tasting with my tongue. I heard him suck in a breath when I finally managed to slip his shirt off over his shoulders, sending it cascading to the floor to join my own.

"What a lovely sight you are, Edward Cullen," I breathed up at him with a little smile as I took in his broad shoulders, well-defined chest and abs and the v-shaped indentations that made his happy trail center stage.

_And oh, do I have plans to wander down that happy trail tonight! _

He pulled me up against his chest, making a sexy humming sound and running his hands down my back. My hands slid up to the nape of his neck as I kissed the hollow at the base, reveling in his scent and the taste of his skin. I worked my way up and over his Adam's apple to his ear, tracing the shell of his ear with my tongue. I heard a low groan and felt his hand pressing against the small of my back, holding me tightly against his insistent erection. He shifted his stance and I felt him rub against me. The fingers of his other hand tucked into the edge of the waistband of my jeans at the back and slipped around to the front, unbuttoning and then unzipping them.

"Come here, you" he said in a low, throaty growl as he clasped my hand. He moved to the chaise and sat down on the edge, pulling me towards him. His one hand held me by the hip as he bent to slip off my shoes. His eyes traveled back up to meet mine and held my gaze as he slowly pulled my jeans down. I put my hand on his shoulder to steady myself as I stepped out of them, leaving them there on the floor with the rest of our discarded clothing.

Edward sat back upright then. His lips were parted and his darkening eyes were traveling slowly up my body. I stood there, breathing somewhat erratically, wearing only my blush-colored underwear and the necklace he had given me. His hands reached out for me, grasping my hips and pulling me closer to where he sat on the low chaise longue.

"You're my beautiful Bella," he said, looking up through his long lashes. He leaned forward to kiss me, his tongue tracing my navel. His thumbs were on the inside of my hip bones, pressing in slightly. Under ordinary circumstances it might have tickled, but not under these circumstances. Instead it was driving me crazy. The sensation went straight to my core, adding to an already dull yearning for him that had taken up residence there.

He kissed me softly above the line of my panties, from one hip bone across to the other. His hands slid around to my backside and I heard the hitch in his breath when he realized that I was wearing a thong. His long, sensuous fingers grasped and kneaded and smoothed over the exposed flesh there.

I felt breathless and dizzy as I stood there with my hands in his hair and then on his shoulders and neck. My fingernails grazed down along his back. I looked down at him as he bent briefly, slipping off his own shoes and socks. I threaded my fingers through his hair, capturing the strands between my fingers and pulling a little, watching as Edward shivered involuntarily in response.

He reached a hand up to grasp my wrist. I think his intention then was to pull me down to the chaise, but I pulled on his hand and he stood up gracefully before me. He straightened a little more and lifted my hand over my head as he cocked an eyebrow.

"Turn around," he said, huskily, "I want to see all of you." He held my hand and gave me a slow little spin. His eyes traveled appreciatively over my body, front and back. It was a little unnerving and I could feel myself beginning to blush under his heated gaze.

I felt so lightheaded. "I, um, I bought this for tonight." I said, looking down at my scantily clad body. "I hoped you would like it."

He looked a little surprised at first by my words.

"Oh, love, I do. You look…so…so…fucking sexy." He exhaled a slight little laugh and seemed surprised at what he'd just said. He was shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "I hate when I swear around you, but sometimes it just falls out of my mouth before I know it. I'm sorry, but… knowing you bought these things, to wear for me, so that I can see you looking like this and I can have the pleasure of taking them _off_ of you…I don't know why…I really like that thought. I…_really _like that thought." He grinned sheepishly at me.

I blushed at what he'd said, thinking of where this was going, but I wanted to respond.

"The swearing doesn't bother me and I actually kind of like knowing that you're a little out of control and can't filter what you're saying." I smiled at his expression. "I'm going to take it as a compliment, Edward, so don't worry." He exhaled and seemed relieved.

He stepped behind me then, moving my hair to the side and kissing softly along the nape of my neck and the top of my back. His long fingers slid beneath the satin straps of my bra, pulling them down off my shoulders. He moved in close and I felt his arousal as he leaned into me. His hands had dropped to grasp my hips and then they both moved slowly up, strong fingers flexing over my waist. I felt the soft press of his lips on the top of my now completely bare shoulders. He lifted his head, skimming his nose up along my neck and into my hair. I heard him inhale deeply.

His hands continued upwards, cupping my breasts, caressing them slowly and sensuously through my bra. His hands moved back behind me, to the back of the strap. I felt him unfastening my bra and pulling it down and away from my body. I closed my eyes and felt it drop at my feet in front of me. His hands moved back to my now naked breasts, squeezing and then stroking lightly, tugging at my nipples until I felt that I would surely come this way.

I moaned as his fingers swept across the peaks. "Oh, Edward…" I inhaled a shaky breath as I turned around to him, wanting more of him. I pulled his face to mine and kissed him hard, sliding and pressing my tongue on his as he pulled my hips in tightly against his erection. The hairs on his chest tickled my naked breasts.

My hands moved to his chest, feeling the planes of his muscles, my fingernails raking through the trail of hair on his chest and abdomen. I leaned into his body, kissing his chest. He shivered when I trailed my tongue down to his nipple. I reached for the buttons on his jeans, slowly undoing them, pulling the fly apart and easing his pants and boxers down over his hips and imposing hard length until they joined the pile on the floor and he stepped out of them.

He stood before me, unselfconsciously and totally naked in the play of light from the candles and fireplace. Truly I had never seen anything as glorious as an aroused Edward by candlelight. His body and face were perfection, his thick, turgid erection impressively jutting out before him as he stood; hungrily waiting to love me. The flickering light played off the planes and dips of his sculpted musculature and in that moment, Edward was a Greek God. He was my Adonis; his striking and unabashed beauty about to be loved and worshipped by me, his very willing Aphrodite.

He kept his eyes on mine as he smoothed his hands over the cheeks of my behind, grasping me before slipping his fingers beneath the band of my thong. He slowly eased it down over my hip and legs until I stepped out of that last remnant of clothing.

I backed away a little and sat down on the edge of the chaise then, gazing up at him through my lashes. I reached for his hand and urged him toward me, moving my hand to his straining erection and watching his mouth drop open at the sensation of my hand on him. I stroked him from tip to base and back as he watched, flexing his hips slightly to match my movements. I leaned forward to capture the pearl of fluid that had appeared and to envelope him in the warmth of my mouth.

"Oh…Bella!" he hissed as I took him in and closed tightly around him. He exhaled several shuddering breaths as his head tipped back. His hands cupped my head gently and his fingers wrapped in my hair. I sank down on him, listening to his ragged breaths and soft groans as I moved on him and he flexed toward me.

"So good…" he breathed, looking back down, watching what I was doing to him. "Oh God…" he groaned as I continued moving slowly on him, working his shaft with my mouth and hand, tasting him and teasing him with my tongue, swirling around the head until he abruptly pulled away and bent down to me.

"Shit, love, I don't want to come yet; not that way," he said raggedly. "It'll all be over in a matter of minutes that way." He smiled crookedly at me and I couldn't help but return his smile, biting my lip. He joined me on the chaise longue, guiding me backwards. He pulled the comforter and sheet back so we could both lie down in the center.

I wrapped my arms around his body, pulling him close as he raised himself up on an elbow, leaning over me, kissing me heatedly. His hand caressed my jaw before moving down my throat, to my breast, stroking me slowly and tugging gently at my nipple. He broke the kiss to lean over my other breast and take it into his mouth, sucking and teasing the nipple there with his tongue and teeth. I gasped, feeling the sensations traveling down my body with a direct link to my very core. He moved to the other breast, eliciting the same shuddering reaction from me. Keeping his lips on one breast, his fingers teased the other until I was writhing under his lips and touch, moaning his name.

His fingers began a slow trail down my ribs to my waist and hip and beyond. I felt his fingers stroking along my heat, circling and pinching the tight little bundle of nerves there. Soon he was dipping and sliding his exquisite, long fingers into me.

He began to shuffle his body down, kissing along my stomach and biting at my hips until his mouth was suddenly right _there _on me_. _I moaned at the contact, arching my back and pulling at his hair. His tongue circled and tasted, stroking and sucking until I nearly couldn't take it. I grasped at his shoulder, trying to pull him back up to me, but his hand pulled mine away, lacing our fingers together and holding my hand tightly.

"Wait, Edward," I breathed hoarsely, "I thought you didn't want to…um…do this...exactly." I looked down at him, lying between my legs, feeling myself blush as I stumbled over my words. He lifted his head, sliding up a bit and kissing my stomach just below my navel. He looked up at me with a tender little smile on his Cupid's bow lips.

_Holy hell!_

"I didn't want _me_ to come this way, love, because then it's over until I regroup." But I want to make you come like this, in case…" He paused, searching for the right words as he kissed my belly again. "…Bella, I might just explode on impact, and I don't think that would be very satisfying for you. I don't know how long I'll be able to maintain inside you this first time because I know it's going to be amazing. But I really want you to feel good. Let me do this for you; for both of us."

_Oh! _

_Oh my!_

_Oh my goodness that was hot!_

"Okay," I managed to squeak out as my blush rushed through me. I flopped my head back down to the pillow and I felt him shuffle back down between my thighs. Suddenly his lips were pressed against me, _right there_, in a kiss. His mouth was on me, his tongue slowly teasing me. It didn't take long until he was bringing me to the brink where I hovered, feeling his lips gently sucking, his tongue probing and circling, his fingers pushing into me then, pumping into me as he teased me with his mouth.

"Relax, love, just let yourself go," he breathed against me in his velvety voice. It was enough to push me over the edge. I was suddenly spiraling out of control and plunging into my climax.

"Oh, God! Edward! Ohhh…!" I felt myself writhing and then stiffening, arching my back as the sensation overcame me and he kept going. I was suddenly shuddering with the pulsing sensations within me. I gripped his head, weaving my fingers through his hair and tugging on it. I finally collapsed, grasping at his shoulders. I was out of breath and my muscles were twitching.

As the haze in my brain cleared I became aware of Edward kissing me softly on my thighs, right there near my still-throbbing core, until he was gradually moving back up my body, kissing me softly, wetly. He settled off to the side of me, pulling me toward him and cradling me in his arms, his hand in my hair, smoothing it behind my ear, smiling at me and my incoherent self. I weakly hugged him to me as I curled up into a content and satisfied ball.

"Jeez, Edward, I think you just turned me inside out," I mumbled against his chest as my breathing and heartbeat began to calm. I heard his soft chuckle.

"Well, let's give you a few moments, then we'll see about turning you right side out again." He pulled back a bit and looked down at me with raised eyebrows. He really looked rather pleased with himself. I smiled at the look on his face. I was feeling rather pleased and satisfied myself.

I began tracing designs on his chest with my fingers. I ran my hand over his upper chest, my fingers running through the hair there. I traced a fingernail down through his happy trail, feeling him shiver against me and watching his abdominal muscles clench from the tickling sensation. I felt his hard length twitch against my thigh. I grasped his hip then before I slid my hand up along his ribs, looking up at him and reaching up to his mouth with mine. We kissed tentatively, but gradually the kiss became more enflamed.

"I don't want a few moments," I murmured against his lips. "I want you now, Edward. I don't want to wait."

I heard his sharp intake of breath as I reached down to grasp him. I stroked him as we kissed slowly. He groaned into my mouth before finally rising up and moving over me, coming to rest between my thighs as I bent my knees, pulling my legs up on either side of his hips. I gripped his muscled upper arms and shoulders. He was right _there;_ I felt the tip of his erection nudging at my heat as he looked at me, his eyes filled with so much emotion, so much love, and maybe a little…trepidation too? He paused in his movements, looking carefully at me.

"Are you sure about me not using a condom, love? I brought some in case you'd changed your mind." He looked carefully at me, gauging my expression for my reaction.

I nodded. "I'm sure; I trust my pill and I trust you. I just want to feel all of you."

A little smile flickered on his lips and he kissed my nose. "And I want to feel all of you, love. You have to talk to me, though. I only want you to feel good. You have to tell me if something…doesn't...if something I do…hurts. I don't want to hurt you, love."

"Okay," I exhaled, out of breath and waiting for him; adjusting my hips and feeling him _right there_. Wanting him _right there. _

_Right now._

He eased into me slowly, holding his breath; his eyes flickering shut at the overwhelming sensation. I felt my own pulse throbbing within me as I pushed myself toward him; taking him in, stretching to accommodate his size. _Holy crow! _I felt so full, but not just in the physical sense. Edward did have a physical…_gift_…but it wasn't just that. We were joined on much more than just the physical level. I felt bound to him. He was on me and in me; part of me and completing me.

He inhaled through clenched teeth in a shaky hiss and then he froze momentarily.

"Don't move," he suddenly groaned. His eyes were closed and his brow was wrinkled in a tight little frown. "Be very still, love. Give me a moment." He seemed to be concentrating as he lay very still; within me yet immobile. Finally he exhaled and seemed to relax.

"Are you okay, Edward?"

"Hell, that was close," he breathed. "That would have been horrible. But...God, you just feel so good, Bella," he murmured, resting his forehead against mine. "I almost lost it."

I tipped my face up to his, wanting his mouth on mine. He kissed me deeply before he pulled back and gazed down at me with a soft, slightly embarrassed expression.

"I'm sorry, love. I'm in control now. Mind over matter, you know? That was a case of extreme sensory…"

"…overload?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling with him. "That's okay, baby," I reassured him, "it is overwhelming to finally be together like this." I wriggled a little, to indicate what exactly I meant by "together."

"Yeah?" His eyes widened at what I'd said; that it was overwhelming for me too. "But you're okay, love?" he murmured against my lips as he bent to kiss me.

"Yeah; I'm very okay," I breathed between kisses. I moved my hands down over the smooth expanse of his strong back until I reached the curve of his tight, muscular backside. I pressed him to me, urging him to move; letting him know that I wanted him and was ready for him.

He began moving slowly, gently, filling me up until he was fully sheathed within me and then pulling back, nearly withdrawing completely. After a few moments he found a slow rhythm. I began to move with him, rising to meet him as he sank into me more deeply; filling me. He reached down and brought my knee up higher, holding it above his hip, bringing him closer as he thrust more deeply into me.

"Oh, Bella," he breathed as he rested his forehead against my own, "you feel…so incredible." He sucked in a breath through his teeth. "So…unbelievable..." He continued moving, increasing his pace gradually, but pulling his head back to look at me, making sure I was okay.

I was so far beyond okay. I gasped at him moving within me; thrusting hard and pulling back. I felt so…full. I closed my eyes, lost in the sensation of Edward stroking deeply into me. The angle at which he was holding me, pinning me with his arm, brought him in direct contact with the little bundle of nerves at my core with every flex of his hips, winding me more tightly with every movement.

"I love you, Edward," I gasped, clutching at him, moving to wrap my legs around him. "Don't hold back, baby. You feel so good." I was panting and breathless

He rose up from his elbows, grasping one of my hands in his own and moving them above my head, pinning my hand there. His lust-filled eyes were boring into mine as he moved faster, thrusting harder, bucking into me. I could feel myself getting close. The visual of Edward, stretched out over me, his fine sculpted body on display for me as he worked at loving me, made the feelings within me escalate. I was watching him as he watched me, listening to him, to his harsh breaths, becoming more and more uneven; the grunts and groans as he pulsed into me matching my own. I was being pushed closer and closer to my climax, barely able to breathe.

His burning gaze moved down, focusing at the point between my legs where we were joined. He slowed his movements a bit, watching himself as he slid into me and withdrew from me. He uttered a low growl and his eyes fluttered closed briefly, seeming to concentrate on the feeling, or maybe trying not to concentrate on the feeling. When he opened his scorching eyes, looking directly at mine, he brought our clasped hands down to where he moved into me, splaying my fingers with his own, pressing our joined hands between our bodies so that we could both feel him thrusting into me; feel me welcoming him.

"Oh, fuck…! Oh…Bella!" he gasped, as he shifted, moving our hands out from between us, clutching my hand while digging his fingers into the mattress. His movements became harder and faster and much less controlled. I felt myself tightening; tensing under him, until suddenly I felt that pulsing burst, sparking and flashing through me, quick and speeding from my core to my limbs. I was vaguely aware that I had been incoherently repeating his name. I felt his movements still as he clutched me, suddenly throwing his head back and groaning my name as he released into me. His hips slammed into mine erratically once, twice more; his body finally collapsing down onto mine. We lay there without moving then, a tangle of legs and arms and bodies, panting and spent and struggling to get our breathing under control.

After a bit I felt him press his lips to my cheek. He lifted his head only to rest it once more against mine. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and exhaling in a sigh. I think we were both so content in that moment.

"Jesus, Bella," he said, still sounding rather breathless, "that was…absolutely...celestial."

"Celestial?" I asked with a little breathless giggle.

He chuckled softly and sighed against me.

"I don't know…it was divine...out of this world. I thought 'celestial' was good." He lifted his head to look at me. He kissed my nose and smiled. He was all flushed and overheated and perfectly, thrillingly sexy. I brushed his hair back off of his brow with my fingers.

"Am I squashing you?" he suddenly asked with concern, although most of his weight had been transferred back to his forearms as he lay over me.

"Mm-mm, you're not squashing me." I circled my arms around him and held him firmly in place so he wouldn't move away. "Besides, I like your squash."

He snickered. "You like my squash?" he mused. I could see his tongue moving inside his mouth, rolling toward the corner as he got a twinkle in his eye.

_Oh no. What now? I sense an Emmett moment._

"Are you calling my genitalia a zucchini? And if so, is it the regular, average, garden-variety, or the spectacular, award-winning, pick-of-the-crop?"

"Oh, God, Edward!" I tried to swat his butt, but he caught my hand before I connected and he giggled at my consternation. He burrowed into my neck and kissed me there. I felt the tickle of his whisper as he leaned toward my ear.

"So, which one is it love? Garden-variety or award-winner?"

I rolled my eyes at him when he pulled back to look at my heated face. "You win the prize, Edward."

He smirked at me and I lay there smiling up at him. I suspected he knew he was the spectacular pick-of-the-crop to me.

He winced a little as he finally pulled out of me and moved over to lay next to me. He looped an arm around my back, gathering me and pulling me over against him, his lips pressed against my temple, his eyes closed. There was a smile on his face that matched my own.

"I see what you mean about being turned inside out," he sighed. "Fuck, that was amazing! I don't know if I'm inside out or upside down or what the hell direction I'm facing." He nuzzled against me as he inhaled deeply.

I leaned into his neck, planting a soft kiss there, "I really liked that, Edward." I patted his naked chest and then I draped my arm across him as our breathing and our heartbeats returned to normal. I smiled contentedly as I lay there, my cheek resting against his chest, my arm draped across him, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"I love you, Edward Cullen. More than you know."

"I love you, Bella Swan. More than you can imagine."

We lay there, snuggled up against each other for a while. His long fingers stroking and squeezing my shoulder as he held me in my place against him. Finally he spoke softly in that low, oh-so-sexy, musical, velvety voice.

"Let's do that again."

_Gah!_

* * *

**A/N: I think it's the right mix of serious, silly, sweet and sexy for these two. Let me know what you thought.**

**Next chapter: More sexy on the way with Rambleward's Post Coital Worldview...and more sexy times. I missed the EPOV this chapter. It was all Bella and I have a harder time writing her, probably because I like to write a sexy dork and that's just not Bella. ;)**


	61. Orbitting Celestial Bodies

**The Transfer**

A/N: tThis is a bigger chapter, almost entirely in EPOV-which is why it's a longer chapter. You know Rambleward.

I'm not Stephenie Meyer and this is definitely not Twilight.

This is Rambleward's take on the day and their first (and second!) time together. And that dessert he chose. (Such a sexy dork.)

Saturday Evening with the Boy of Our Dreams Part 3

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**Chapter 61 : Orbiting Celestial Bodies **

**EPOV**

I was leaning on the backrest of the chaise; it was propped up slightly and I was cradling Bella's small, cozy body into mine as she dozed on my shoulder. I glanced down at her and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. I didn't want to wake her. I knew she was tired. It had been a long day and I think I'd pretty much worn her out this evening.

I glanced down at her sleeping face. I couldn't help smiling at the ghost of an expression I saw on her features there. The slight, upturned curve of her lips caught my eye and seemed to silently voice my own feelings.

_Peaceful…serene…content. _

I wasn't sure if there was a word that quite encompassed all three of those specific feelings into one. But that would have been the word to describe how I felt at this point in the evening. It was the best feeling I'd ever experienced.

I thought back over the past few days, realizing how many different emotions I had gone through. And stress. A lot of stress. Basically a fuckfest of stress. But that was okay because of how I now felt holding this sleeping beauty in my arms.

_Peaceful…serene…content._

Earlier in the week, the minute I'd seen Jake in Bella's dorm room, my anxiety had kicked into high gear. I was ready to take him in round two. When it had turned out he had only come to return her truck and invite her to the build at his dad's house today, my anxiety had lessened only slightly.

I knew Bella. I knew she'd want to go and help out; she has a kind heart and these are people who have figured prominently in her life for years. I, on the other hand, had only been run over by her and her belongings five weeks ago. My boyfriend status was still brand-spanking new and therefore fragile.

I felt slightly better about her going back to Forks and to Jake's house when he invited me to come and help as well, although that had seemed rather odd and suspect at the time. And then I found out afterward that Jake had met someone new.

The stress about her going to Jake's began to evaporate a little and I'd told Bella I'd go along but wanted to spend this evening away with her. That was when I'd told her I wanted to make love to her if she felt ready but that I didn't want to rush her if she wasn't. I'd wondered afterward if she'd thought I was being possessive and territorial, wanting to "claim her" as mine after spending the day at her ex-boyfriend's house. I'd never mentioned that thought to her though, and I'd hoped it hadn't occurred to her.

So I began to stress again.

Until she said "yes." That had been pretty damn uplifting and stress-alleviating.

And then she'd mentioned wanting to leave on Friday so we could spend the night at her Police-Chief father's house beforehand.

We're talking a shitload of stress with that little disclosure.

I had given in because I knew how important it was to her. But still, the thought of spending the night at the home of the Chief of Police had been very stressful. Obviously I'm not a bad guy and I know that I put Bella first in everything I do, but still, to meet her dad, and have to try to convince him of those things…well, it had seemed daunting.

Thank God I had that mini counseling session with Jasper where I unloaded the fact that I'd be fucked if I went and fucked if I didn't. I came away with Jasper Hale's Rules of Behavior Modification to be Adhered to in the Presence of an Armed and Potentially Lethal Parent. I'd rolled my eyes at him at the time. It was all common sense shit. He must have thought I was a total imbecile.

And then I'd broken half of the rules, including inhaling her tongue and shoving mine down her throat in exchange. Right the fuck in front of her father. Right the fuck upon arrival. What a fucking total imbecile.

I'd nearly fainted from the stress incurred from that offense. And from the thought that I was going to be taken to lock-up.

But he hadn't shot me or even tasered me, although I knew I'd be under surveillance from that point on. And that thought had really stressed me out.

My late-night nature hike with Bella had done much to alleviate my stress. I had pretty much been putty in her hands. Or actually in her mouth. And then I was Jell-O afterward.

_Shit! That tongue thing she does… My girl has a definite gift!_

_And I do love being the recipient of her gift. _

_Fuck. Almighty._

I believe I alleviated any and all stress she may have had as well out there under the stars. She was so stress-free afterward I had to hold her upright for a bit because her legs no longer seemed to function correctly.

_So maybe we're both gifted. And although the saying goes, "Tis better to give than receive," I personally think it's fuckawesome to give AND receive._

But then I'd been stressed out once again this morning thinking about spending the day at Jake's home.

Bella had told me at one point that he and I would have liked each other under different circumstances. At the time she had said that, I'd thought she was absolutely loony; it was a completely ridiculous thing to say. And honestly, I hadn't known what to expect from Jake once I got to his house today. But after spending the day there, working next to him, listening and talking to him, and seeing him interact with others, I had to admit he was actually a pretty decent guy. I'd told Bella as much. I could see though that he was a little on the young and unsettled side for Bella, because she strikes me as being quite a bit older and wiser than most girls her age, but Jake seemed okay and I realized I could at least accept him.

I really had little to worry about regarding him anymore. He had found someone new and seemed awfully content and completely wrapped up in Renie. It appeared he and Bella would be able to remain friends without feeling awkward about their prior romantic relationship. Renie had seemed accepting of that as well, which kind of amazed me. But I guess she saw, like I did, that Jake and Bella had both moved on and that chapter of their lives was now closed.

Still, it was weird being with Jake, knowing that he had been with Bella. I would always think about that in a small corner of my mind and harbor jealousy regarding it. But I knew Bella had cared about him as a friend before their romantic relationship developed and would still care about him now that it was over. It was obvious that he would remain a part of her life. I really had little say in the matter. And if I was going to be part of _her _life, then I guess that meant _he_ would be part of _my_ life.

I tried to focus on what was important: he had been good to Bella. He had cared about her and always would. And I think for the first time, I even appreciated that. She could have been in a bad relationship, or worse, in a series of wrong relationships, but instead she had been involved with someone who had truly cared for her and had been her friend. I realized now that I was glad for that. I realized, too, that he had contributed to the person that she was now; the person she was with me. I wouldn't want to change a thing about Bella, so I guess that meant that I had to accept her prior experiences.

The shirt-free gang that happened to be Jake's friends was another source of stress. They weren't happy at all that I had shown up with Bella today.

But when the Chief of Police takes you under his wing and picks you to be on his team the stress and worry about being subjected to a group beat-down fades away.

Although there is that added stress about being under the watchful eye of the Chief of Police once again.

I think I had subconsciously been waiting for some sort of interrogation or investigation that I would somehow fail. But I guess I had passed whatever test he had thrown my way. He had been much more fatherly than prosecutorial. I hadn't expected that, but I was grateful for it. He had helped to put me at ease and he made me feel comfortable, not just around him, but within the whole dynamic at the house. The semi-naked-man-pack had pretty much dropped their antagonistic posing once he introduced me to them.

I realized now that Bella and I could visit her dad again and I would feel a lot more comfortable because I think he trusted me more now, having met me, and he felt glad to have me watching over Bella while she was away from home. I'm sure he had high hopes that I would do so without ever having sex with her, but he never said that to my face and even if he had, that would have been laughably unlikely.

_Shit! I hope I never have a daughter. _

_And thanks, Renie, for planting that little seed earlier today. _

_I'd sure as hell better not be planting any seeds any time soon. Well, actually, seeds had already been planted this evening; they'd just better not be any germinating for a few years._

_Think about something else, Cullen._

Of course the biggest, most stressful factor in the past few days had been James. I really didn't want to even be thinking about him for the rest of our weekend. Bella and I both needed a respite from that disturbing nightmare. I refused to even bring him up just to give Bella a little break from it.

Today had been stressful for me for another reason, though.

I had wanted to create the perfect romantic evening for Bella. It had been a lot to coordinate and I had run through my plans countless times since I'd first figured out what I would do. But of course I had worried all day that I somehow wouldn't be able to pull it all off and that I'd screw something up.

Turns out I did. I'd forgotten dinner. But turns out my girlfriend is Chef Swan.

Earlier in the week I had remembered that my parents would be out of town and we could stay at the house in Port Angeles. That would be perfect, since we had to be in Forks on Friday and Saturday anyway. I could have taken her to a nice hotel, but I knew that she had enjoyed our home. We would have the entire place to ourselves, it would be more relaxing, and we would have more options than a single hotel room would offer. We would have the run of the house and pool house without another living soul to interrupt us. And that had made my decision easy.

Much as I would have liked to have taken Bella away to a secluded tropical isle or to a rustic mountain hideaway those ideas were an impossibility. But with its view of the moonlit trees out the glass wall, the shimmering pool, and bubbling spa, the pool house seemed at once a secluded mountain cabin in the woods, as well as a deserted tropical oasis.

The bonus was that I could do with it as I pleased. And so I had set the stage. I think Alice would have been proud of me if she had had any idea what Bella and I were up to tonight. I think my twin would have approved of my efforts. In fact, I'm doubtful she could have done better herself.

On Thursday morning I'd called a local florist in Port Angeles and I'd ordered roses. Lots of roses. One dozen long-stemmed, deep red roses as well as several bags of orange rose petals. The girl that had taken the order over the phone had been inordinately nosy. I didn't tell her a damn thing. And when I'd gone to pick up the flowers earlier this evening she had been extremely attentive, overly attentive, annoyingly so; batting her eyelashes and telling me she hoped the girl I was doing this for knew just how special I was and how lucky she was. I didn't bother to tell the girl that she had it completely wrong: Bella is the one who's special; I'm the one who's lucky.

Once I'd picked up the flowers, I went into the little chocolate shop that was next door, looking for chocolate dipped strawberries. They had them, but then as I looked around, I decided against the strawberries, opting for something I spotted that was even better. Something more appropriate. Something that would make Bella blush. A commemorative dessert that was so appropriate it nearly made me laugh just thinking about it.

I just absolutely fucking love it when she blushes. I'm not sure why, but I think it's the cutest thing when she gets all embarrassed. I know…I'm such an ass. But I wonder how long the blushing thing will last. Won't there come a time when I run out of things to say and do to make Bella blush? I'm sure I can come up with embarrassing comments and activities for quite a while to come, so I'll worry about crossing that bridge when we get there.

When I got back from the florist's Bella was still taking her bubble bath in Alice's spa tub and I went directly to the pool house. I quickly made up the oversized chaise like a bed, scattered the rose petals, placed the bouquet on our bed, and set out our dessert. I took out the candle votives that my parents kept in a cupboard in the pool house and set them among the rose petals, waiting to light them until later. Luckily the votives all had brand new candle inserts, so that would give us a couple hours of light.

The votives had been used on occasion for entertaining, though I'm not sure they had ever been used in quite this way before. Then again, with my parents, who really knows? I didn't want to ponder that line of thinking too much. There have been nights when there were low lights on in that pool house when I'd expected everyone to be in bed. I sure as hell wasn't going to go and investigate. All I know is that it wasn't me. I'd had no social life until about a month ago. Before Bella had careened into my life, my social life had been pretty much a huge, sucking void. Just the way I'd thought I preferred it.

It's amazing how the right girl can rearrange your perceptions of life.

When I'd returned to the house tonight, I'd heard Bella in the kitchen. She was dressed and just taking out a pan and had a pot of water beginning to boil on the stovetop. I asked her what she had found to make for dinner but she wouldn't say, smiling and telling me that it would be her surprise for me.

I couldn't believe I'd completely forgotten about dinner. I had been so caught up in my plans for setting the perfect romantic stage that I had never even thought for a moment about feeding her.

Okay, I'll admit it, I wasn't just thinking about setting the perfect stage. I had also been thinking, nearly non-stop, twenty-four-seven, for the past few days about what was actually going to be _happening_ this evening. Potential images of our first time together had been pretty much all-consuming in my mind, if I had to admit it. Shit! I'm a guy, for Christ's sake! There would be something wrong with me if I weren't thinking constantly about a sexual relationship with Bella. Contemplating what was finally going to happen had been a turn on; to the point where it had actually verged on painful on a few occasions over the last few days and I'd had to take matters into my own hands, so to speak. Often.

It seemed possible that I'd jacked-off more in the past week than I had in the entire five weeks I'd known Bella. Granted, part of the problem this week was the fact that she'd been sick and out of commission and I'd been sleeping and not-really-sleeping next to her at night, holding her body, wanting to touch her and being unable to do so. _Fuck! What a challenge that had been!_ The need to release sexual tension had increased as the weekend neared and the anticipation really began to set in. At least I had established on numerous occasions that my junk was primed and in perfect working order.

Last evening at her dad's house had been the absolute worst. She was finally healthy, back to her normal self, I'd known we were done with our period, and yet I couldn't do anything about it, either with her or alone in the shower. It was too disconcerting thinking about all of the heavy artillery at the Swan residence. I didn't dare touch my dick at The Chief's house.

And then last night, when she kept trying to straddle me on the couch, I thought I was going to burst my button-fly. That is, until we hiked out to our rendezvous in the woods near her home. That little interlude outdoors took the edge off, at least somewhat. Then again, maybe it had made things worse because I kept revisiting that situation in my overly-stimulated, sexually-focused, imagining-willing-Bella-naked-beneath-me mind today.

Once I'd returned to the house after going to the florist's this evening I'd asked her to give me twenty minutes to get ready before dinner because I needed to shower. Well, it takes me maybe ten minutes to shower and shave, another five to get dressed, two minutes on the hair. So you can figure where those other three minutes went. Honestly, it didn't even take three minutes once I thought back to last night, with her mouth on me in the great outdoors.

_Fuck! Just thinking about it now gets Dick peeking around for options. _

I was a lot calmer after my shower and thought I would hopefully be able to enjoy the evening without fear of premature combustion and erectile disaster.

When I'd returned to the kitchen, she had dinner waiting. She'd set the dining room table for two and had even found candles to light. She'd cooked us a great meal and I was impressed. I love Italian food and she'd made us some fettuccini. It was delicious, but of course, because of nerves, I really hadn't eaten as much of it as I would have liked. Maybe we'd sneak back to the house at some point and have more. That depended upon whether or not we stopped to think about food and inconsequential things, like whether or not we were hungry.

I'd needed just a few more minutes to get things ready after dinner, so while she cleaned up the kitchen, I sneaked back out to the pool house to leave my iPod on the counter, take the Asti out of the refrigerator in the mini-kitchen and put the bottle in an ice bucket near the chaise, start a fire in the fireplace, and light the candles. When I went back inside she was ready to leave and I was ready to surprise her.

I'd blindfolded her because I didn't want her to know that we were just going to the pool house. I wanted to build the anticipation a little.

I drove her around a bit, so she'd think we were headed away from my house. When we got back I'd helped her out of the car and steered her to our destination. She kept cocking her head and I realized that she was listening for clues. The closer we got to our destination, the more I was feeling antsy and nervous. I'd looked everything over one last time as we stood there in the doorway. I thought I'd done a pretty good job and I'd hoped she'd like it.

She did. So much so that it made her cry. I didn't even know it at first. I'd heard her gasp and saw her hand fly up to her mouth, covering it, looking around the room, from one thing to the next, taking it all in. She finally managed to say she couldn't believe I had done this. And then she turned to me with tears in her eyes, wiping at them frantically.

I stopped her hands as she reached for me, looking carefully at her. When I saw her tears I thought at first that she was disappointed we'd come to the pool house; that she would have preferred to go away to a nice hotel or something and I'd let her down.

I told her I hadn't meant to make her cry. I just wanted her to know how special she was and how much tonight meant to me and how very important everything that has happened between us has been to me. She shushed me, putting her fingertips to my overly anxious, babbling mouth, and told me her tears were good tears, she couldn't believe I'd done all this for her and I'd made an amazing statement.

I'd shut the door then and locked it, moving farther into the room with her. The roses smelled incredible. They'd had a while to lie there in the slight humidity thrown off by the pool and Jacuzzi and the scent permeated the air thickly. If I'd realized that ahead of time, I'd have chosen additional, more exotic flowers, with more exotic scents, so that we could have pretended to be in some lush, tropical grotto.

"You _really_ love me," she had whispered to me, catching me by surprise and making me chuckle.

I had been tempted to call her Captain Obvious and remind her of the whole reason why we were standing in this location tonight amidst flowers and candlelight. The whole point of being here was because I loved her and wanted to express that physically.

Instead I'd admitted that I did, indeed, love her. But she already knew, of course.

And that was when she'd scared the shit out of me, whirling around suddenly and freaking out, wondering how we were going to be doing what we were going to be doing at my parents' place; wondering what they'd think.

I'd reminded her of my mom's birthday getaway trip with my dad.

_Hell, they'd probably done the same thing we'd been doing this evening._

_And did I really have to have that thought? Fuuuck! Ewww!_

We'd laughed then about all of the interruptions we'd ever had to endure with my idiotic brother, my well-meaning sister, their 'helpful' significant others, and even that fucking birthday cake. But finally tonight, there would be no interruptions. It was just us. The whole night would just be about us.

We wandered over to where I'd made up a little bed for us on one of the chaise longues. She liked the red roses and I made sure she knew why I'd chosen them. I knew she'd already gotten the meaning behind the orange rose petals and the candles. I didn't explain the dessert; I wanted to save that for…later but I think she knew something was up with that thing.

I poured her some Asti, and started the Hallelujah playlist. I told her why I'd picked that song to start it off and I pulled her into my arms to dance with me while she listened to the lyrics.

Then I actually told her how I felt about her. And I told her when I'd started thinking about her…that very first night.

And she told me how she'd felt, and that she'd actually even dreamed about me.

And then I'd undressed her so I could finally show her how I felt about her.

I'd undressed her slowly, wanting to commit everything to memory, so that I would always have this moment to look back on. This first time. Our first time.

She began undressing me slowly then, too, following my lead, and probably for the same reason.

I'd looked at her, standing there in her pretty, lacy underwear, with her dark, hooded eyes, and her lips parted, and I just thought, like I do so often, that she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She was a vision. She was absolutely glorious as she stood there in her sudden shyness. It was endearing and incredibly hot at the same time.

I made her do a little spin for me, once I realized that she was wearing a thong, so that I could take her all in, front and back.

Oh my God. My girl really has quite the stellar ass.

It was so hard to maintain_. _She looked especially lovely. That was when she admitted that she'd picked the bra and panty out for tonight, for me. For our special occasion. She was blushing beautifully as she said it. I told her she looked so fucking sexy.

I thought back to that day when I had helped her move into Alice's room. I'd been the one to carry her underwear drawer to its new destination and it had driven me crazy, knowing that the lacy, frilly stuff I saw was underwear that she might have worn for her boyfriend and that some of it didn't even seem to have much of a point except that it was something pretty to take _off. _Her underwear drawer had mocked me and my burgeoning feelings for her. It had pissed me off thoroughly even though I knew it was really irrational of me to react that way.

So when she told me this evening that she'd bought that sexy little set with me in mind, well, it was one of my fantasies come true. I'm man enough to admit that. Hell, I admitted it to her.

As I looked at her I realized that she was truly all mine. She was a gift to me and she had wrapped herself up special, just for me. And now I would get to unwrap my gift. Maybe it was a small, silly thing to think, but for some reason, it meant a lot to me in that moment. That small gesture, her buying new underwear for me, it really inflamed me. I wanted to touch and taste every inch of her, be surrounded by her and I wanted to overwhelm her like she was overwhelming me.

Once she and I were both naked, she sat down on the chaise and pulled me toward her. She reached out and grasped my aching dick, stroking me, her eyes flickering from my dick up to my face. I watched her hands on me and began to move slightly with the rhythm of her strokes. I could feel myself starting to leak, but that was when she leaned forward, taking me into her mouth.

_Holy shit._

It felt incredible, of course. I've had that experience with her a few times now and it's always absolutely earth-shattering. It really took everything I had to pull away from her warm mouth and tongue, rather than letting her take it to completion, but I wanted to make sure that she was going to feel good tonight.

I was beginning to have my doubts about how long I'd be able to keep a lid on things when I was finally inside her, moving with her. I pulled away from her and actually told her that, because I didn't want her to think I wasn't enjoying the shit out of her…lingual ability. I joined her on the chaise then, lying down with her and kissing her amazing mouth, moving down to her perfect breasts and farther down. I positioned myself over her, lying between her creamy porcelain thighs, breathing in her secret honeysuckle and orange scent that told me she was just as aroused as me. I caressed her with my fingers and lips and tongue and made sure she came hard at least that way, in case the rest of the activities didn't go the way I hoped.

She'd come back down all rosy and warm and breathing hard, curled up into a little happy ball against me and told me I'd just turned her inside out. That made me chuckle. I loved that I could do that to her; that I could make her as crazy as she made me.

I told her we'd give her a few moments and see about turning her right side out again. And then she was kissing me and touching me, running her hands across my chest and down my abs. She said she didn't want a few moments; she wanted me now and then her hand was on my hard-on, stroking me again. I realized I no longer felt nervous, once we'd gotten to that point. We were both _ready. _I wanted her to really feel what she did to me and I wanted to experience her from the inside out; I wanted that connection, that completion. And she wanted it as well.

I asked her it she really wanted to do this without a condom, because I was willing if she wanted me to use one. She said no, she just wanted to feel me. I'll admit I felt the same way. I'd never experienced that before.

And I wanted her to know that she should talk to me; I only wanted her to feel good. I knew no matter what we did, it would feel good for me, but I was concerned for her; I wanted it to be as good for her as possible.

Then I just began to push into her slowly, holding my breath and watching her; trying to concentrate on her despite how good she felt to me. She was so tight and perfect and wet and warm. I closed my eyes for a moment, just…feeling her. We were connected, physically and emotionally; two halves making up a whole; we were _complete._ I was where I belonged, with her, and inside her. I moved until I was completely sheathed inside her enveloping warmth.

And then I froze in place.

It was a guy's worst nightmare. Well, almost.

It was nearly a case of premature detonation.

I was experiencing Extreme HD Imax 3-D Surround-Sound Hardcore Sensory Overload.

_Fuck! _

_Or a near lack thereof._

I had to tell Bella not to move; that she needed to be still and give me a moment. Meanwhile I was trying to keep the tectonic plates from shifting and the magma from blasting through to the surface.

I distracted myself with thoughts of my parents and Bella's dad bursting in the door to the pool house. I imagined my dad calling out, "There'd better be a condom on that penis, son!" And then my mother, asking, "Did you notice Edward's birthmark, Bella?" And then Chief Swan would lift his service revolver and take careful aim.

And those distracting thoughts got me through the moment.

"Are you okay, Edward?" Bella had asked.

_No, love. If you could read my mind, you'd see that I am definitely NOT okay. But thankfully neither of us can read minds._

I'd admitted to her that it had been a close call and that it could have been a horrible situation. I would have felt embarrassed about it but I told her that it was because she just felt so good. I figured honesty was the best policy and really, I feel like I can tell her anything. She doesn't judge. I apologized after a moment and told her I was okay.

She knew it was sensory overload. She even said so herself. Girls don't have to worry about that shit, but I got the feeling that she understood my pre_dick_ament, because she admitted that it was a little overwhelming to her to finally be together with me like that as well. Being Bella, she probably would have brushed it off, would have made me feel like less of an adolescent idiot and we would have laughed and just started over when I recouped and regrouped. But I didn't want that to be our memory for our first time.

Somehow I managed.

And then she squirmed.

And I realized we were good to go.

I made sure once more that she was okay. Her breathy voice answered that she was fine, and then, as I kissed her, I felt her hands drifting down my back, stroking and kneading my back until her hands were at my waist and then lower, on the rise of my ass, pressing me into her, and I felt her hips angle up to me.

That was all the encouragement I needed.

_Lord! She felt soooo good!_

I began moving, pushing into her and then withdrawing, slowly at first, because I wanted this to last as long as possible. Bella and I would never have another first time; it would never be this new and unexplored.

I pulled one of her legs up higher and found that I was able to go a little deeper, relishing the feel of her as she moved with me and being completely sunk into her. I told her how incredible she felt. It was unbelievable. I just focused on each and every push and pull of our two bodies. I began moving a little faster, pushing a little harder, a little deeper, wanting to bury myself as deeply as possible within her and her love.

I pulled back a little so I could look at her watch her face as we loved each other and make sure she was okay and feeling good. She must have seen concern in my expression, because she told me she loved me, encouraged me to just let go and she said I felt good inside her. Those things were all said between gasps and panting breaths, so I knew things were good.

Her mouth moved against my neck, lips kissing, teeth nipping, tongue tasting. She was going to drive me right over the edge of the cliff, into a glorious, mind-shattering free-fall until I floated back down to Earth and reality. And the reality, our reality, was a phenomenal thing; so far beyond any expectations I could have had or dreams I could have dreamed.

The reality was that we were perfect together. I grabbed her hand in mine, pulling our locked hands over her head, just wanting to feel our connection with every part of our bodies possible. I watched her, watching me with love in her eyes as I began thrusting harder and deeper, moving faster as the innate rhythm and sensation began to take over. I felt myself winding up, I heard grunts and groans and moans and realized half of them were mine.

But I wanted to watch.

I pushed myself up over her. I wanted to really see everything that I was feeling and doing with this beautiful girl who held my heart so lovingly and carefully in the palm of her hand. I wanted to see myself moving into her; see her taking me in. I looked down at her face as she gave herself over to the sensation, listened to her ragged breathing and the little moans and whimpers, mingled with my own grunts and groans of pleasure. My eyes were locked onto hers and I saw her getting close.

I rose up a little higher, looking down to where we were joined and I had to slow myself, wanting to really see and feel at the same time. I watched myself nearly withdrawing fully and then plunging completely into her heat. It was bordering on too much; I had to close my eyes. I knew she was getting close and so was I. It was all going to be over and I didn't want it to ever end.

I pulled our joined hands down between our bodies, to where we were joined, spreading our fingers so that I was thrusting into her between our fingers. I was feeling her and me and letting her feel both of us as I thrust in and out of her. She gasped, her eyes widening as she felt me moving within her and through our joined fingers into her. Suddenly the sensation of it all was too much and I could feel her beginning to tighten and tense around me, because of me, as her pleasure began to wash over her. It was excessive. I had to move our hands away and grab onto the bed as I felt myself lose complete control of the situation.

_Holy fuck! I'd never experienced that before. _

She was crying out and stuttering my name repeatedly as I _felt_ her come around me. Undulating, pulsing waves of sensation at her very core were squeezing me, gripping me, and pulling my orgasm from me. I was there with her, unable to hold on, beginning to pump erratically into her as she came. I felt myself about to erupt and I clutched her to me. I think I said her name as I slammed into her and then stilled. And then I pounded into her a few more times, twitching and spasming and releasing over and over into her as she pulled from me the most intense orgasm I think I'd ever experienced.

I collapsed down onto her, too shaky to even hold myself up off of her. I was breathing hard and spent and completely euphoric.

I was…

Utterly.

Fucking.

Drained.

We held each other as our breathing and heart rates slowed. I was in awe. I looked down at her content little smiling face and I told her that had been "celestial." She giggled. Her laugh is one of the most wonderful sounds in the world. That made me laugh then too. And I have to say it's kind of a weird feeling laughing while you're still…connected…in that way.

There's just so much to experience together.

I worried that I was crushing her. I used the word "squashing." She told me she liked my squash and that just brought out the smartass in me. I picked on her for calling my dick a zucchini, just to get another lovely blush out of her. I asked if she thought it was the regular, average, garden-variety, or the spectacular, award-winning, pick of the crop.

She tried to swat my butt, and I honestly deserved it, but I wanted to hear what she had to say. Turns out I'm a prize-winner. I know I've got a little more size than most, still, it's nice to have that ego boost coming from the one person that matters most.

I removed my zucchini from her garden and just pulled her into my side as I lay next to her. She curled up to me and we just relaxed there together in the afterglow.

She told me she loved me. I already knew that. I told her that I love her; more than she can imagine. She's everything to me. And I know it's just plain ridiculous to think about this and certainly to admit it, but I wonder if she might not always be everything to me.

_Can you know that this soon? _

We lay there close for a while as I thought about everything that had just transpired between us. It had been, by far, the best sexual encounter I'd ever had.

"Let's do that again," I said looking down at her and grinning.

She seemed caught off guard for a moment but then she just grinned back at me.

"So you liked that, did you, Edward?" she asked coyly, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, duh, Bella. Weren't you paying attention to my response?" I huffed jokingly.

She giggled. "I guess I was side-tracked, paying attention to my own reaction to things."

"You seemed to react well, love."

She blushed. "I did. I reacted really well. I um…I've never…um… She looked down and seemed embarrassed and hesitated to continue.

"You've never what?" I asked, curious now about why she seemed embarrassed.

She exhaled and then quickly said, "I've never reacted that way while doing that."

I was stunned. And I was ridiculously pleased. Like I'd just won the Nobel Prize for Sexual Accomplishments.

_Wow._

"Really? You've never come before?" I asked, not even caring that we were talking about past sexual experiences in a roundabout way.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I've come before. I've come with you before. I've just never come during…" She blushed and didn't bother completing her sentence.

"I _know_ you've come with me before, but I mean you've never… Really? I mean, _really_?"

"Really," she said as her shining eyes met mine. "That was the first time. That felt incredible, Edward," she murmured. And then she sighed happily.

_Wow._

I cleared my throat. "Uh, well…I've never _felt _that before. I actually _felt _you come. That was what made me lose it. You were…pulsating."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really. That was incredibly intense for me."

She beamed up at me. "That was incredibly intense for me too," she agreed softly as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips.

I held her hand to my chest, right over my heart and wrapped my other arm around her, pulling her into a tight, long hug.

_Wow._

"So you're okay? You're not sore?" I asked after we'd been lying there for a while, calmed down, holding each other, relaxing. I brushed my fingers through her hair, tucking a few strands back away from her face.

"I'm very okay," she answered, smiling and blushing a little as she looked up at me. "You felt..._wonderful_." She tucked her face into the crook between my neck and shoulder. I felt her kiss my neck. Then she looked back up at me, her lip curling a little at the corner.

"And you, Edward, you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely okay. But…" I let my voice trail off as I looked away.

"But what? What is it?"

"I...I think we should practice. There's probably room for improvement. You know, 'practice makes perfect.' We should consider doing that again soon, you know, to practice. I'm only trying to be considerate of you, love."

She rolled her eyes with a smirk on her lips and then she reached around behind me and swatted my butt.

"Hey!" I yelped as I grabbed her wrist, pressing my chest up against her soft breasts. I could feel her nipples brushing against me as she struggled, using her other hand to try to pry mine off her wrist. I just grabbed her other hand and gathered both wrists into my one hand, pinning them on the pillow above her head.

"Here you are manhandling me and I'm just trying to make sure I get this right. I'm telling you that if we had to practice a lot, well, that would be okay with me; I wouldn't be too upset. I'd be willing to put out the effort to improve any inadequacies on my part."

I was laughing as she giggled and wrestled her arms away from me. In the next moment she had pushed herself up, pushed me back into a semi- sitting position against the backrest, and moved her leg across me. And then she was climbing up and straddling me, looking down at me all breathless and sexy and smirky.

"What are you doing?" I asked, still chuckling. _Like I didn't know._

"You're the one that said, 'Let's do that again.' I'm cooperating. What if you're right? What if there's room for improvement? We should find out. Right now."

That got my full attention. That got Dick's attention too. I quit my goddamn chuckling in a heartbeat.

I looked up at her, sitting there on my thighs and looking down at me and I couldn't resist another opportunity to make her blush.

"Are you planning on dominating me now, love?" I grinned evilly at her. "Did you want to first go get the blindfold I made you wear?"

"Actually, Edward, I think you could use a gag."

_Holy dominatrix! You're fucking kidding me, right?_

I actually felt my mouth drop open and hang there all slack.

She started giggling. "Oh, my God, Edward! If you could just see your face!"

I probably looked like a goddamned codfish. _I'd show her…_

"How about the blindfold, a gag and some handcuffs, love?" I smirked at her.

_And here comes the blush in five, four, three, two…_

_What? No blush?_

"Perfect," she said all sultry and sexy. "I'll tell my dad you want to borrow his handcuffs."

_Fuck! Shit… she won. You'd think I'd remember what a smartass she can be. And she's giggling at me again! And I'm blushing. _

"So you think we need to practice?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, her eyes all seductive. I felt her hand drift down my stomach. I felt my abs clench and then her fingertips were lightly brushing my already waiting erection.

I smiled. "Practice makes perfect," I murmured as I reached up to her face and pulled her mouth down to mine. She rose up over me as we kissed and then I moaned as she gripped me and settled down onto me slowly. I was right back in her heat where I belonged. I exhaled long and hard.

_And damned if that didn't describe Dick as well._

That second time was a lot less tentative. We'd already established that things had been good. With her on top of me, she was in control, so I knew I wouldn't hurt her and she could move however she wanted. The first time had been more of me making love to her, and now with her on top, she was more the one making love to me.

_And the visual of her sitting on me, moving on me, is something I'll think of often. _

Bella had leaned into me and we'd kissed for a while until she sat herself up more, putting her hand on my chest, right over my heart, to steady herself. I covered her hand with my own, feeling her and watching her. My other hand was on her hip and moving back behind her, feeling the slope of her curvy behind. She was beautiful; the firelight and flickering off her body. Her eyes looked down at my body and then traveled back up to my eyes.

She moved slowly at first, her breasts swaying a little as she rocked on me, until I couldn't take it and I had to touch her. I reached up and cupped her breasts, my thumbs stroking over her taut nipples. I could see her flush, not just on her face, but down her neck and across her breasts as I touched her there. I tugged and pinched her nipples lightly and the gasp and groan that elicited made my dick twitch deep inside of her.

I held her hips then with both of my hands, thrusting up into her and helping her move on me in a slow rhythm until we gradually sped up. I looked down our bodies, watching as she moved up and down on me. I moved my hand so I could touch her just above where I was disappearing into her tight, wet warm body. I rubbed small circles there; watching as her eyes closed and she lost herself to the sensation and began to unravel.

I felt it again; felt her as she came unglued and we were exploding together.

Again.

I sat up quickly, pulling her down onto me and into me tightly as we both hit the final wave, finding each other's mouths and crushing our lips together, kissing and gasping.

_Fucking…amazing. _

_Amazing…fucking._

_That sounds so crass but it's the absolute truth, so help me God._

I pulled her back down against me onto the chaise and we held each other tightly as the intensity ebbed. Eventually I felt her body relax and I'd heard her even breathing and knew she'd dozed off. She was still sleeping in my arms now.

And so now I was peaceful, serene and content, propped up against the backrest of the chaise, cradling her warm little body into mine as she dozed and breathed against my shoulder. It was a comfortable, soothing feeling, and it had given me time to think and process everything that had happened in the past few days, including this incredible evening.

I'd worried the past few days. I'd begun to have performance anxiety. I'd been in a nearly constantly aroused state, thinking about what we'd be doing this evening, and maybe at some point during the night, and tomorrow morning and possibly even the afternoon. But I'd worried how I'd do and whether she'd feel satisfied. I didn't want to screw up our moment now that it was finally arriving.

What a waste of time and energy my worrying had been.

We were good together. We were mind-blowingly amazing together. We'd made it to this pivotal point in our relationship. We'd made it to the ultimate, most intimate point a relationship between two people could get. It had been a revelation for me, actually. I'd had sex before, but this had been different; this had been so much more than just sex. It had been so far beyond what I'd imagined it would feel like when Bella and I finally made love. I hadn't realized how _moving_ the experience would be.

I'd fallen in love with Bella weeks ago. But this evening I felt that love grow exponentially. She was truly everything to me, and I found myself wondering, and really contemplating, what a future with her might be like. What a 'forever' with her could be. I knew, intellectually, that it's way too early to say or do anything about that, but I know in my soul it's where we're headed. I know she's it for me. I've found my forever.

I felt her begin to stir against me and then, after a few moments, she stretched, gazing up at me and smiling contentedly at me.

"Hey, you," she mumbled against my chest. "I guess I was sleepy."

I smiled down at her, kissing her temple. "Welcome back, love."

She smiled sheepishly. "Did you miss me?"

"Yeah, I did. All I had were my memories. But, damn, I've got some pretty outstanding memories now." I gave her my best grin. Truly, it was a blissful idiot's grin.

She smiled and leaned over, kissing me on the jaw as she sat up a little more. She turned and looked at the table next to the chaise. "I'm thirsty. Do you want a little more Asti?" she asked, picking up the bottle and beginning to pour some into her glass from earlier.

"I'll take a little. Would you rather have a bottle of water? I can get you one from the little refrigerator over there." I indicated the kitchen area.

"No, this is good," she said as she handed me my glass.

"This has truly been the best night of my life," I told her as I held my glass.

"Best night of mine, too," she whispered, clinking her glass to mine. She smiled, looking over the rim of her glass at me as we both drank. When she finished her Asti, she set her glass down on the little table and turned back to me.

**BPOV**

"Okay, Edward, what is this thing that's been sitting here all evening, staring at me in all its chocolaty glory?" I pointed to the plate on the table that held our dessert and a knife.

"Does this mean you'd like our commemorative dessert now?" he asked me, grinning as he reached over me and set his glass down next to mine. He picked up the plate and knife and set it down in front of us on the chaise as he sat up, folding his legs and sitting there gloriously naked and fabulously sexy. I scooted back, sitting cross-legged, contemplating the chocolate blob before us.

"Yes, please. I'd like some commemorative dessert. Tell me about it. I can see that you're dying to."

He was struggling as he tried to hold onto his crooked grin and not let it morph into a ridiculous smirk.

"I thought I could maybe find chocolate dipped strawberries for us, and I did, but then I saw this and thought it was actually more appropriate."

"What is it, exactly?" It was hard to tell in the dim, flickering light.

"It's a caramel apple. You know, like a candied apple; it's dipped in caramel, then rolled in milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips and then drizzled with white chocolate."

"Oh, gosh, that sounds decadent. You got all of the varieties of chocolate for us. But what did you mean when you said that this was 'actually more appropriate' than strawberries?"

He pursed his lips, looking down for a moment, just drawing it out, as though he couldn't quite decide if he wanted to tell me and was thinking it over. He was stalling for effect and loving every minute of it.

_What a sexy smartass!_

"Say it, Edward. Just tell me. Spit it out." I rocked my body sideways, bumping his shoulder with my own. He was smirking at me now. Somehow I could sense a blush with my name on it on the near horizon.

"Well, since you asked," he said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, the shadow of a grin struggling to take shape on his chiseled, pouty, Cupid's bow lips. "First of all, this is an _apple_. It's the fruit of the tree of knowledge, you know. Eve offered it to Adam and I'm offering this one to you. After tonight, we've gained some new knowledge of sorts about each other." His devilish grin was blazing now, of course.

And of course I was blushing. "And then this is our Pool House of Eden?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow a little, as I indicated our surroundings.

"Yes, I guess it is, Eve." He smirked.

"Okay, Adam, and then I guess the serpent would be…" I trailed off, glancing down at his naked lap.

He tipped his head back and laughed loudly. "I can't believe you said that! And without a hint of a blush! Emmett would be so impressed, you know."

"Emmett will never know about this." I looked pointedly at him, arching a brow.

"You're so very right." He laughed again. "Anyway, back to this dessert, you didn't let me finish. This particular variety of caramel apple is called…" he was grinning wickedly now, "'Chocolate Explosion' and I suspect you can guess why I picked the one with that name."

_Oh Lord! Could he possibly exude any more sex, just with a look?_

"Yes, I can guess." I rolled my eyes in my overheated face.

"Well okay, then, Isabella Swan." That lopsided grin was just so deadly.

"Well okay, then, Edward Cullen." I looked into his sparkling eyes shaking my head because he's such a sexy dork. "So you were right. You picked an apt apple."

He leaned over and kissed my nose, then began slicing our Chocolate Explosion Apple with the knife. He picked up a slice and fed it to me and then I did the same for him.

"You put so much thought and effort into this evening, Edward." I popped another slice of the Chocolate Explosion apple into my mouth and looked around the room once again. "I don't think I could ever come up with a gesture for you that would be as amazing as this."

His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. He seemed surprised by my statement.

He set the apple plate aside for the moment and took both of my hands in his. His face became absolutely serious and his deep sea eyes looked at me tenderly. "You've already given me the most amazing gesture," he murmured low, holding my eyes with his own. "You set someone else aside, to be with me. You chose me, Bella. That was an amazing gesture."

I saw the enchantment and desire in his beautiful face and in his darkened eyes. He looked delicious, he smelled delicious and, as I tipped my head up to him, and his lips came down to claim mine, I had to admit, he tasted divine.

I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Edward Cullen.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you'll let me know what you think of Edward's take on the stress of the past few days. Or his behind-the-scenes organizational skills. Or their first time from his POV...including his near premature detonation. Or maybe Edward's willingness to practice. Or their second time. And that idiotic dessert. Take your pick, just talk to me.**

Now here's a complimentary thank-you song. I corrupted this just for you since you stuck with me 60 chapters before getting some from me. This goes to the tune of "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack. Forgive me, please, Roberta.

_Going insane with her chapters_

_Reading her book with her words_

_Killing me slowly with her fic_

_Killing me slowly, with her fic_

_Waiting my whole life to read updates_

_Killing me slowly with her fic_

_I heard she wrote a good tale, I heard she had a style_

_So I began to read it; peruse it for a while_

_And there he was, her Edward, an enigmatic boy_

_Now I'm going insane with her chapters_

_Reading her book with her words_

_She's killing me slowly with her fic_

_Killing me slowly, with her fic_

_Spending my whole life reading chapters_

_Killing me slowly with her fic_

_I got all hot and bothered, alas with no relief_

_Would Bella get her Edward? Would waiting never cease?_

_I prayed she'd just dump Jacob, and jump that wild-haired boy. _

_So I'm going insane with her chapters_

_Reading her book with her words_

_She's killing me slowly with her fic_

_Killing me slowly, with her fic_

_It's taking forever, for the lemon_

_Killing me slowly with her fic_

_She wrote as if she knew me, and what I'd like to read_

_And she just kept on writing, all foreplay, but no deed_

_But then in chapter sixty, FINALLY SHE WROTE THE SEXY! _

_I'd been going insane with her chapters_

_Reading her book with her words_

_She'd been killing me slowly with her fic_

_Now I'm exhausted, from her fic_

_E & B lovin;' they finally got somethin' _

_And now I'm smilin', at her fic_


	62. All Across the Night Sky

**The Transfer**

A/N: I tried to get these two crazy sex-crazed kids out of the poolhouse and on their merry way back to school, but they weren't going to budge. Seems I'd made them wait so long for their lemons they weren't quite through with them yet. So, hope you can put up with another lemon or two.

God, how I wish I were Stephenie Meyer and able to be on set watching Rob be Edward. But I'm not. And this isn't Twilight. And I'm not trying to infringe.

Saturday Evening with the Boy of Our Dreams Part 4

* * *

**Chapter 62: Across the Night Sky **

**BPOV: **

Edward and I sat in the fading light of the pool house as we shared the Chocolate Explosion apple. We were sitting on the chaise, feeding ourselves and each other slices until the apple gradually disappeared. It was probably one of the best desserts I had ever eaten, although the circumstances might have had a lot to do with that. I don't know what was more mouthwatering, that decadent, multi-chocolate, caramel apple or my naked, uber-sexy, freshly sexed-up, probably rarin'-to-go-again-soon boyfriend.

_Sigh…_

_Okay, that's just ridiculous._

_Like that taste treat had anything on Edward's seriously delicious nudity, his yummy messed-up, mussed-up, sexed-up, fucked-up hair, or the supremely satisfied and sweetly content expression on his face._

_Mr. Hotness won the competition hands down. _

_And he looked like he was having the best night of his life._

_I think he was. _

_I certainly was._

My dream boy picked up the knife and the plate, that now only held the stick and the apple core, and reached over across me to set them back on the little side table. The bottle of Asti had been polished off and was now upended, sticking out of the melting ice of the ice bucket. Near it stood our two empty champagne flutes.

"Do you want a water, love? I'm going to grab a bottle for myself."

"Yes, please, I need something to wash down all that chocolate explosiveness."

He smiled at me as he leaned over and planted a kiss on my lips before unfolding his lanky frame, preparing to get his naked self up off the chaise.

"Mmm," he murmured, "You taste like apple, Eve."

"I feel more knowledgeable now, too, Adam."

A lazy, sexy smile lifted the corners of his lips. "Yeah, I know what you mean; I know a lot more now too."

He kissed my nose before he scooted himself over to the edge and got up from the chaise. My eyes followed him as he walked over to the little kitchen area.

I couldn't help but admire his beautiful, lithe body as he moved. I watched the muscles of his calves, thighs, and butt flex and stretch as he walked away from me. He moved so gracefully and fluidly. I realized I'd never really gotten the chance to check out his naked behind before. It was a great butt, a tight runner's ass, the carved muscles well-defined as he moved.

_Mrs. Cope would have killed for the view to which I was currently privy._

As I looked from his narrow hips up the sculptural curve of his back and the play of muscles as he moved, to his broad shoulders and muscled arms, I was again struck by his physical perfection and his total indifference to it. It was amazing just how un-amazing he found himself.

I watched him as he opened the refrigerator and leaned down, reaching in, grabbing two bottles of water before closing the door and turning back. I couldn't help but admire the overall picture from the front as well. I couldn't look away, even though I knew he'd probably give me a hard time for checking him out. I watched him as he walked back over toward me.

His musculature had the appearance of a nude in a classical work of art: sculpted pectoral muscles and defined abdominals, strong arms and long, lean legs in perfect proportion to his torso. My eyes flickered to the sharply defined V-indent of the muscles that pointed the way down between his hips. The light dusting of hair on his chest trailed down his stomach in a more definite line and became darker and more lush as it reached his groin.

Of course my eyes were drawn to that thicket of dark curling hairs at the juncture of his legs. With his sex drive satiated he was no longer erect but even in his current, un-aroused state he was quite impressive.

I had the sneaking suspicion that this current, un-aroused state was only a temporary state.

I wondered if I could comfortably go another round tonight. There was, afterall, his…impressiveness... to contend with.

I was sure I could manage somehow if the occasion were to…arise…again tonight.

I finally looked up and met his gaze as he neared the chaise. He was observing me, observing him. A little grin licked at the corner of his mouth and I watched as his lip curled up at the corner. One of his eyebrows twitched at me.

"You're staring," he observed unselfconsciously in that low, velvety voice.

I blushed at being caught but it was so very difficult to look away from his effortless, almost supernatural beauty. "I can look at what's mine," I said in defense of myself.

His grin broadened. "I guess that's right. I like looking at what's mine, so I guess you're welcome to look at what's yours, love."

His lopsided grin suddenly became devilish as he stopped in place before me. His lips took on that pouty Cupid's bow shape as he sucked in his cheeks, creating a much more chiseled line to his cheekbones and jaw line. He turned sideways and began to slowly flex his muscles and strike a few poses for me like a bodybuilder would, checking to make sure that I was watching and admiring his display.

I rolled my eyes at him and laughed at his macho moves. Sometimes it was easy to see that he was, indeed, Emmett's brother.

"What?" he asked. His crooked grin deepened. He twitched both of his eyebrows up in a sexy little move, as he sat back down. "Can't you handle my heat, Bella?"

I blushed and shook my head at him. "Oh, you're definitely hot…you're also more of a dork than most girls would probably ever guess, but you're _my_ hot dork and you do have a way of making me melt. Even when you're not posing and flexing those incredibly manly muscles of yours." I reached up and grasped his bicep and gave it a squeeze.

"Well here, maybe this will help you to cool down a little." He smirked as he uncapped my bottle of water and handed it to me.

He drained most of his water bottle quickly, recapping the bottle and setting it back on the small side table. I watched him as I sipped at mine. He began stretching his back, torso and arms as he sat there, then his fingers were kneading at the muscles in his left shoulder. He winced when his fingers poked a certain spot.

"I think my incredibly manly muscles are going to be rather sore tomorrow. I guess I worked harder at Jake's than I thought; pulling up carpet, carrying rolls of it outside to dump into Harry Clearwater's truck, carrying flooring, bending and lifting. I think I was hell-bent on keeping up with the gang of territorial semi-naked-dudes. I didn't want any of them, or you for that matter, thinking I was a wimp; I felt compelled to perform at my utmost ability. It actually became quite competitive and I did hold my own, if I do say so myself." He grinned at me.

I giggled at him. "Good, because the only reason I left with you at the end of the afternoon, is the fact that you carried out the biggest roll of carpet. I'm not into personality, sparkling wit and conversation or character traits, silly things like that; just give me a strong, burly caveman exuding buckets of testosterone and I'm happy. That pretty much sums you up, don't you think, Cave-Boy?"

He looked at me for a moment, and then his grin became a smirk as he took my water from me, capped it, set it on the table next to his and suddenly grabbed me up into his arms as he stood. I was pretty sure I knew where this was headed and I shrieked and tried to squirm out of his arms before we got to the final destination. It was to no avail; his arms were like bands of steel around my writhing body.

His chuckling gave way to a voice that was a deep, caveman growl.

"Pretty Girl have smart mouth. Cave Boy not amused. Time to learn lesson, Pretty Girl."

He carried me over to the pool, snorting with laughter as I struggled in vain in his arms. He approached the edge of the deep end and finally tossed me in, jumping in after me. I bobbed up just before he resurfaced with a big smile on his face. He was proud of himself. I pushed the hair back from my face, laughing at his boyish expression as he flipped the hair off his forehead with a quick flick of his head. He looked so happy, so alive and so completely unburdened. It was exactly how I felt here with him in our bubble; in our Pool House of Eden.

"Good move, Cave Boy, because you were just talking about how you were going to feel sore tomorrow, and then you picked me up and threw me into the pool. You probably tweaked even more muscles right there. I probably weigh a few more pounds than your typical carpet roll."

He shrugged, still smiling. "Someone had to put you in your place." He looked around and shrugged helplessly. "I don't see anyone else here with less sore muscles, so the job fell to me. Besides, you only weigh about a half a carpet roll."

I kicked toward him in the water and wrapped my arms around his neck as he treaded water. I pulled myself closer so I could reach his lips and I kissed him. I kneaded his shoulders a little with my fingertips.

"Maybe you should sit in the Jacuzzi for a bit. That might help your big, bulky, He-Man Cave-Boy muscles. You could drag me over there by my hair if you'd like." I bit my lip and looked up at him innocently.

He laughed, wrapping one arm around my waist and pulling me along with him as he kicked, floating on his back toward the steps at the shallow end.

"I think this time I'll just hold your hand and let you walk over there with me."

"Must be those sore muscles talking now." I grinned at him.

We climbed the steps out of the pool and walked over to the Jacuzzi. He turned on the jets and we stepped down into the hot, bubbling water. It felt wonderful and we both just sat there, relaxing against the jets. I hadn't done any heavy lifting today, like Edward, but it felt good all the same, just to unwind and relax next to him.

Edward's hand found mine under the water and he gave it a squeeze as he slouched down in the water and leaned his head back on the edge, closing his eyes. I did the same, luxuriating in the heat and the bubbles. We sat there for a while, without speaking, simply relaxing, Edward shifting occasionally to get the jets to hit a different spot on his back and shoulders.

My eyes were still closed as I spoke to him. "This has been a perfect night, Edward. Thank you so much for everything you did to make it so lovely. This doesn't even feel like reality. Are you sure you're real? You're not some fictional character in a romance novel?"

I opened my eyes and glanced over at him with a smile.

He was smiling with his eyes still closed. He pulled our hands up and out of the water, bringing them to his lips, where he kissed my knuckles. He gently unfolded my fingers and pressed the palm of my hand against his cheek, turning finally to look at me. "You're so very welcome; you're so very worth it. And if I'm a character in a romance novel then that must make you the girl of my dreams because this doesn't seem like it's reality to me either."

His hand let go of mine then, and he snaked his arm around behind me, pulling me over closer to him. His green-blue eyes were filled with the softness of love. He leaned over and kissed me on the lips, pulling back afterwards and gazing at me. "You mean so much to me, love."

I slid my hand up his arm and over his shoulder to the nape of his neck, running my fingers through his hair there, tugging on it. "I love you, Edward."

His soft lips came back to mine, kissing me more intensely than before, his tongue sliding against mine slowly, sensuously as he cupped my face in his hand. I felt his fingers on the small of my back, pressing into the flesh, pulling me closer to his body and running down to cup my backside in his large hand.

"I love you, Bella," he murmured as he kissed my lips chastely at first and then gradually more ardently. He turned his body toward mine a little more and I felt the tip of his growing erection nudging against my hip.

_Oh my goodness! _

_Again?_

I slid my hand down to grasp him, eliciting a groan from him as my fingers curled around his arousal.

"For someone who put in a lot of physical labor today, you're rather perky," I murmured softly against his lips as I slid my hand down his length and back up to the tip.

"I'm 'pervy'?" he asked, pulling back and looking at me, his eyes confused and unsure.

I giggled and stilled my movements. "I said 'perky' not 'pervy.'" I smiled up at his unsure expression. "That's one perky serpent you've got there, Adam." I blushed as soon as I'd said it. I was turning into Emmett now too.

He tipped his head back and laughed, unrestrained and obviously relieved that I wasn't calling him a pervert. When he looked back at me, he cocked an eyebrow deliciously.

"Oh, Eve, you're a little bit naughty, aren't you?"

"I might be a little bit naughty, but now I'm curious, Edward, _are_ you 'pervy'? Is there something I should know before this goes any farther? Is this a pervy Python?" I grinned up at him as I gave him a squeeze. I felt him twitch in my hand.

"Mmmm," he sighed, the heat flaring in his eyes briefly, and then he chuckled quietly. In a low, growly voice he said, "You'll just have to wait and see, won't you? Time will tell. And if I remember correctly, you were the one who thought a blindfold, gag and handcuffs sounded 'perfect.' In fact I think you said you'd check with your dad on the availability of handcuffs."

"I was joking!"

_Although the visual of Edward by firelight…with all that…equipment…Holy fuck!_

He chuckled at the look on my face but I was glad he couldn't read my mind.

"Relax, love. For now my python and I are just perky, not pervy."

He smiled a slow, sexy, lopsided grin as his hand dipped below the surface and came to rest on top of my own. His long fingers curled around mine, prodding me to resume my movements on him. He breathed a sigh and his eyes fluttered closed as I slowly stroked him.

After a moment his hand released mine and traveled up to my breasts, lazily caressing and tugging and pinching. When he opened his eyes to look back at me the green-blue hue had become so much deeper and so much more…heated. His lips and tongue found mine and thoroughly claimed me.

I pulled back from him gently and looked at his heavily-lidded, lust-filled eyes.

"Sit up here," I breathed, patting the rim of the Jacuzzi. I felt slightly embarrassed but it was obvious as I looked at him that he would do whatever I asked in that moment.

He blinked and then pulled himself up and out of the water, his erection jutting and straining before him, and sat down on the apron of the Jacuzzi. His lower legs were still in the water, feet resting on the bench seat. He looked down at me and swallowed thickly as I moved between his thighs to kneel on the seat directly before him.

"Oh, Bella…" I hear him murmur as I grasped him in my hand once more and leaned forward to take him into my mouth. I heard the slow hissing intake of his breath as I explored him with my tongue. He exhaled in a long breath as I finally sank down onto him, taking him as deeply into my mouth as I could.

When my other hand slid up to the top of his thigh I felt his hand cover mine there, clasping my hand in his as I tasted him, pulling back and then sinking down again. He moved to scoop my hair back and away from my face. I knew that he was watching. I felt his hand gently cupping the side of my face; felt his thumb move to the corner of my mouth, tracing my lower lip as I grasped him firmly in my hand and slowly sucked my way up and down his length.

"Oh…fu-u-uck," he exhaled in a whisper as he shifted, leaning back and relaxing into the sensation, resting back on his forearms.

I could feel his eyes on me as he spoke again through shaky breaths. "That feels so good, love…" he breathed. He began to slowly flex his hips toward my mouth in time with my own movements. He was watching what I was doing to him and continuing to thrust gently with his hips.

I peeked up at him through my lashes and saw him close his eyes and tip his head back, completely focused on the movements of my mouth and tongue as he continued to flex the muscles of his backside and thighs slowly, pushing himself deeper into my mouth. When I flattened my tongue to slide against him his head tipped forward again and I saw a tiny furrow appear between his brows as his mouth formed a small 'o.' His eyes opened, his smoldering gaze meeting mine.

"Bella?" he murmured in a husky voice. "Are you sore?" he rasped.

I pulled away, releasing him and shaking my head. "I'm okay," I whispered, waiting.

He sat back upright on the edge of the Jacuzzi before slipping back down into the water and pulling me toward him. He grasped my face between his hands and brought my mouth to his, kissing me slowly and deeply.

"You're sure?" he breathed against my lips after a moment. "I don't want to hurt you."

My answer was to climb over his lap to straddle him.

Edward scooted his hips forward as he cupped my behind in his hands, squeezing. But the bench seat within the Jacuzzi was hard on my knees and lower legs. I knew it would hurt before too long.

"You okay?" his soft voice asked near my ear when he felt me pause.

"Um…no. This is going to be uncomfortable," I muttered.

He lifted me from his lap, turning me around and pulling me toward him until my backside was firmly against his hard arousal. His hands moved up from my hips, smoothing across my stomach and up my abdomen, light fingers trailing beneath the swell of my breasts, teasing me until he finally cupped a breast in each hand. His lips moved to my shoulder and neck, kissing his way up to my ear.

I reached my hand back and into his hair, holding him against me as he continued to kiss and lick at my neck, working his way toward my ear. My hands were in his damp hair, tugging on the strands that were wrapped around my fingers. When I pulled my fingers through his hair I felt his teeth on my earlobe and heard the little hiss of breath as he inhaled. I moaned when he snaked a hand down between my thighs to cup my sex and I felt a finger begin to make slow circles there before pressing into me slowly, repeatedly.

His other hand moved between our bodies after that, behind me, grasping his hard erection as he lifted me with his other arm, raising me up enough so he could position himself beneath me at my entrance, and then he was entering me and pulling me back down onto him, sliding into me slowly with a soft groan. I felt his fingers clutching my hips as he pulled me down onto him and thrust up into me, moving me over him as he flexed upward. It felt so deep this way, sitting on him. My back was to him, but his hands were traveling over my body to all the right destinations.

"I love you," he said between harsh stuttered breaths at my ear.

"Mmm, Edward…" I murmured as I turned my head back toward him, seeking his lips as he bent his head toward me. Our lips met as he grasped my hips and moved me up and down over him, repeatedly. He started slowly, but his thrusting sped up as I began grinding myself onto him. There wasn't much I could do but hold his mouth to mine as he moved. Both of his hands were caressing my breasts, stroking and tugging on my nipples as he thrust up into me. I heard his breaths speed up, matching mine.

"I want to feel you, love," he said through ragged breaths in my ear as his hand drifted back down between my thighs, finding the bundle of nerves and circling with his finger until I could feel myself hovering, waiting to plunge. His soft voice was in my ear, whispering words of love and calling me to the edge until I suddenly tensed above him and felt myself letting go.

"Oh…Oh Edward…Ohhh!" I heard my voice moaning as the sparks took off within me.

He had stilled beneath me once I began to climax and I realized he was feeling me come, focusing on those sensations he had described. And knowing that only served to intensify what I was feeling.

"Bella…Oh love..." his tight voice grunted as his arms pulled me down tightly onto him. He thrust hard a few more times before I felt him twitch within me and come with a loud groan, finally leaning his forehead against my head, panting into my ear.

"That's… Christ… That's amazing. You feel so amazing, love." I could feel and hear his heavy breaths against the side of my head. Edward took a deeper breath. "Fuck," he exhaled heavily. I felt his chest expand beneath me as he inhaled deeply once again. "Holy fuck." His arms slowly wrapped around me and held me back against him. I hummed contentedly and moved my hands over his hands and arms, hugging his arms against me as he hugged me to his spent body, both of us catching our breath together.

I lingered where I was, keeping him within me, but I lay my head back against his shoulder, just above the water line of the Jacuzzi since he had slouched down into the water a little. I felt his soft lips against my temple as I closed my eyes. His hand stroked gently through my wet hair. I turned my head and kissed his strong angular jaw.

"Your perkiness this evening has been astounding," I mumbled contentedly to him, turning and kissing his jaw again.

I felt his body shake a little with quiet, sudden laughter, then I felt a kiss on the top of my head. "Your receptivity this evening has been commendable. My perkiness would be lost without your receptivity."

I sat up gingerly, not wanting to damage any of Edward's goods within or beneath me. He helped me up as I moved off of him feeling a little bereft at the loss of our connection. I moved to sit next to him and looked at his contented face.

"Good sex and good vocabulary; you're an English major's dream come true, Edward."

"As long as _you're_ the English major, love; not just any old English major will do. As to the vocabulary, I attribute it to Advanced Placement English class and overzealous studying for the SAT test back in high school, and as to the sex, well, I think I'm making up for lost time.

I've spent the last several weeks imagining all of the things I wanted to do to you and with you if I ever got the chance. You're willing to help me work my way through my list though, right?" He smiled that crooked grin I loved so well.

I giggled as I kissed his chin. "As long as it's you, I'm _very_ receptive."

We relaxed there for a while longer before deciding we really needed to shower off and get to bed at some point tonight. I climbed up the steps out of the Jacuzzi and began to head for the hallway. I realized that Edward wasn't right beside me so I looked over my shoulder.

And caught him.

Several steps behind me.

Checking out my backside.

His eyes snapped up to mine, looking like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His eyes widened a bit as I raised my eyebrow and waited for him to catch up to me.

"Edward. were you ogling my ass?" I couldn't keep the smirk off my face.

"Um, I thought we'd established earlier that we can look at what's ours." He bit his lip and looked hopeful as he waited for my response.

"'Looking at' and 'ogling' are two different things," I pointed out to him.

He cleared his throat and smiled cheekily. "I assumed 'looking' extended to 'ogling,' so I thought I was well within my rights." He leaned backwards and pointedly looked down at my ass. "You really have quite the stellar ass, love. I don't know that I can curtail ogling."

"Hmmm, well, I guess you're within your rights to ogle my ass, just don't go ogling anyone else's."

"That would never happen, love." He chuckled as he took my hand and led me off to the bathrooms and shower.

We showered and shampooed together, starting off on our own bodies and then gradually washing each other because it was just so hard to keep our hands to ourselves. It wasn't highly-charged, sexual washing and shampooing, it was a lazy, loving activity. For some reason it made me feel so close to Edward. I felt like he was my other half; my freshly washed and shampooed other half.

As we were drying off Edward asked if I was hungry, adding that he was thinking about going back to the house for a midnight snack. He sheepishly admitted that he hadn't eaten enough at dinner because he was anxious and nervous about bringing me to the pool house and wondering about my reaction.

I told him I'd go back to the house with him. Maybe I'd eat a little something and I could at least keep him company.

He opened a small closet in the shower and pulled out Esme's and Carlisle's thick, white, terrycloth robes. He helped me into Esme's smaller robe, and then pulled Carlisle's on himself. He leaned back down to the closet, pulling out two pairs of slippers. I recognized Emmett's gift to Esme for her birthday; the other pair was obviously Carlisle's. We both slipped them on and headed back to the house hand-in-hand.

Edward took the bowl of leftover fettuccini out of the refrigerator and set it on the counter. As he shut the door of the refrigerator I heard him make a small noise, a small "huh" of quiet surprise. I turned and looked to see him staring at the calendar that was hung up there with a magnet.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

He almost seemed a little startled as he turned and looked back at me, his eyes widening.

"What? Oh, nothing…I uh, I guess I didn't realize we're already almost a week into October. Tomorrow's the fifth already. Or, actually, it's already the fifth since it's after midnight."

I nodded, looking at the calendar, remembering I had a paper due on Monday, October sixth. At least it was mostly finished.

"I have a paper due on Monday. I guess I'll have to work on it tomorrow night. Or I guess it's now tonight, huh? At least it's nearly finished. Maybe I can even work on it on the drive back to Seattle tomorrow, or actually later today, since it's already Sunday."

I took the lid off of the container of fettuccini and set the bowl inside the microwave oven. Edward peered back into the refrigerator, asking what I wanted something to drink and rattling off my choices. I chose a bottle of lemonade and he grabbed a bottle of beer for himself.

As I heated up the fettuccini he got out two forks and several napkins, placing them on the breakfast bar, then he took the bottles and sat down on a bar stool to wait for me. He uncapped his beer and took a big drink, before setting it back down. Then he reached over to my lemonade, uncapped it, and sat there spinning the cap like a top, watching it as it spun, seeming to be lost in thought. He was probably really tired, I thought.

I removed the hot fettuccini from the microwave and set the bowl down on the counter between our two spots. I went around the counter to sit next to him and climbed up onto the barstool. We shared what was left of the fettuccini, the both of us digging into the same bowl with our forks. Edward seemed ravenous. As he ate he raved about my cooking skills once again, promising that breakfast would be on him in the morning.

_Honestly, my mind went there…thinking about eating breakfast off him since he had said breakfast would be on him._

_Sigh…_

I shook my head, trying to get myself back into the here and now. Breakfast would wait.

As I sat there next to Edward the moment suddenly seemed very 'marital' and the thought took me by surprise. Here we were, sitting alone together in the kitchen, where I had prepared our dinner. We were eating the leftovers as a midnight snack, while we wore our matching 'his' and 'hers' robes. I found that I could well imagine myself doing this with Edward for real someday and that thought surprised and frightened me.

_What was I doing with thoughts like these?_

_I'd known Edward for less than two months!_

_Marriage was such a frightening commitment; how could I even entertain the fantasy?_

My own parents' marriage had been a poor example of matrimony. After the debacle that was their marriage, my father had never attempted love again and my mother had had a multitude of short-term, completely inappropriate boyfriends. And so I'd never really thought about marriage in any definite terms. It certainly never had a very positive allure for me.

It was a strange and bizarre thought to suddenly contemplate what marriage might be like to someone I had known for such a short time.

_Okay, just stop, Isabella Marie!_

_Why am I even thinking this?_

_Maybe it's just the sex talking._

I knew I wouldn't speak of it to anyone because it was completely ridiculous and unrealistic at this point. We barely knew each other. Well, that's not true; I think we actually felt like we knew each other pretty well, or at least we understood how each other worked. But who knows what the future will bring? Suddenly it seemed that marriage, to the right person of course, could be a possibility. Maybe marriage could be a good thing; a fun thing; a fulfilling thing, with the right person.

_Like Esme and Carlisle. _

_Hmmmm._

"Your parents are really cute together, Edward," I suddenly said.

"That came out of nowhere, love." He was smiling at me and looked curious as he waited for me to elaborate, his fork in mid-air, about to polish off the last of the leftovers.

"I was just thinking about their matching robes, how they go swimming in the mornings together before work, how your dad doted on your mom on her birthday. He made her that fabulous paella and just treated her so sweetly. And your mom was just really looking forward to the little vacation they took this weekend. It's nice to see parents who seem to have a good, solid relationship. My own parents had such a different experience, but it's nice to be able to look at your folks and see a good example of how things can be."

He chewed thoughtfully before replying. "Well, they have their disagreements, but they're good about talking things through and I think they've always really liked and respected each other, besides loving each other, you know? And I think they've always had a lot of fun together. I think all those things are important. But yeah, I guess as far as parents go, they're pretty cute together. Just don't ever tell Emmett I said that, please. I'll deny it if you do. Alice wouldn't judge, but Emmett would split a gut guffawing."

"I'll never tell." I smiled at him as I hopped off my bar stool and carried the now-empty bowl and the forks to the kitchen sink.

Edward drank the rest of his beer, watching me. "So what happened between your parents, Bella? Um, I mean if you don't mind my asking. You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"I'm not really sure," I told him as I began washing out the bowl and the forks. "I was really young at the time when they split and they were both always very good and loving parents to me, but I think they were just too different. You know, maybe opposites attracted, initially, and I know they still care about each other, it's not like they can't stand each other, but more and more, I think their differences began to kind of repel one another.

Edward walked over to my side and took the now-cleaned bowl and lid from me and began drying them, finally setting them in the cupboard with the other storage containers.

"My dad is very down-to-Earth," I continued. "My mother, on the other hand, is very flakey and flighty. I think their differences, which had been so attractive at the beginning, became irritating over time. My dad probably found my mom...I don't know _exciting_? _interesting,_ maybe? But over time he began to see my mother as irresponsible and unpredictable. I think my mother came to see my dad's predictablility and sense of responsibility as stodginess…like he couldn't relax and have a good time or something, although at first she probably really liked the stability and dependability."

Edward nodded. "That must have been really hard for you as a little girl. At least it seems like your parents split amicably more or less. That's good for you. Do you think your mom is any less flakey now that she's remarried?"

I snorted. "No, if anything I think she's more flakey. She's kind of like a high school girl and Phil is her crush, but I guess it works for them. She called a week and a half late to wish me Happy Birthday and even then she just left a voicemail, going on about Phil's chances of moving up to the Pros and things they've been up to. Honestly, I feel like I'm older and more mature than my mother sometimes. A week after the voicemail I got a birthday card and a check." I rolled my eyes at him as I stood there, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Edward looked somewhat upset. "Bella…why don't you say something to her?"

"Because I _get_ my mom. She means well, but she's unfocused; she's got other things going on. When we get together we have a really great time. She seems more like a friend than a parent, you know? I guess I'm like my dad in that respect; I know she's going to be flakey and flighty and I don't expect anything else from her because that's just not her. You'll meet her at some point and you'll see exactly what I mean. She's fun and she cares, she just doesn't get the whole responsibility thing."

Edward didn't seem convinced but it was late and we needed to head back to the poolhouse for the night. He had given me the option of spending the night inside the house, where we could sleep in his bed, but I really wanted to return to the lovenest-sexnest that he had created for us in the pool house. We would never again have exactly the same opportunity to sleep there like we would tonight and I just really wanted to continue to enjoy his lovely gift to me.

The pool house was considerably darker when we returned, all of the little votives having burned down to nothing. The fireplace only held a few burning embers now. Edward put a few more logs in the fireplace, waited until they began burning, and turned the gas off. He switched off the lights in the pool and Jacuzzi, as well as the floodlights that had illuminated the woods beyond the pool house.

Edward reclined the chaise so it was like a bed, and we draped our borrowed robes over a nearby chair. We crawled under the covers, moving up against each other and cuddling into each other's arms and warmth. I stretched up and kissed him on the jaw as we lay in the darkened room.

"I love you," I murmured to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

His voice was low. He sounded tired now, the exertions of the day and evening finally taking over.

"Thank _you_ for a beautiful evening." I felt his soft lips gently kiss the top of my head. "Goodnight, love."

I sighed happily, tiredly. "Goodnight, Edward."

**EPOV**

I felt her body relax gradually and knew that she was falling asleep. I should have been asleep too, but I couldn't let go of this day…of this evening…yet.

The things I had planned for Bella had been a resounding success. The whole evening had been incredible, like I'd been on a week-long vacation in a single evening.

My plans had all come off fine, she'd enjoyed and I think…_loved…_everything I had done for her. And I'd done it all to show her just how much I loved her, how complete I felt with her.

And the evening had been phenomenal.

It wasn't just the sex, although that had been beyond my wildest dreams.

_Fuck almighty! I'd felt her come around me three times! _

_I'd never felt that before. It was a new experience for me._

_She said she'd never done that before. A new experience for her as well._

_I wanted to feel it again._

_I wanted her to feel it again._

_Often. _

The thing that really surprised me this evening was the secret side of Bella. For all of her beautiful blushing, and it really did do something to me when she blushed, she wasn't shy when it came to sex. She was actually pretty damn…hot…and uninhibited…once she got going.

I was head-over-heels in love with the secret side of Isabella Swan.

I wanted to _make _head-over-heels _love_ with Isabella Swan.

We'd had a wonderful time. We'd had a really fun time. We'd talked about random things and I think we'd only gotten closer throughout the course of the day and night.

I wrapped my arms a little more snugly around her sleeping form and pulled her in to my body. I just wanted to love her and protect her. She was so precious to me.

Hours later, the dawn broke and daylight began to illuminate the pool house. I was a little disoriented as I awoke, but then I realized where I was and looked over to see Bella still sleeping soundly next to me. I looked at her sleeping face, admiring her beauty and the look of contentment there. I moved over and cuddled her into my warmth. She didn't even seem to awaken as my arm looped around her, pulling her tighter up against me, as she kept right on sleeping peacefully.

I smiled as I drifted off to sleep again, thinking about how this October, these last few days, I hadn't experienced my usual downward spiral as I'd approached October fifth. I hadn't even been aware of the approaching date for the first time in three years. And this year I finally had something else to focus on; _someone_ else to focus on.

I had the amazing and beautiful brown-haired girl with the liquid chocolate eyes that lay sleeping in my arms.

My girl…my love…the best thing that had ever happened to me.

* * *

**A/N: So, I made you wait for this chapter. Please don't make me wait for your review. ;) Seriously, I'd like to hear what you're thinking.**


	63. Reality For Better or Worse

**The Transfer**

A/N: I celebrated my 25th anniversary with the hubs. Who happens to be named ...Edward. Really. He also happened to give me a bouquet of...orange roses. Really. WOW. He says he's not reading The Transfer. Hmmm...?

Stephenie Meyer is also probably not reading The Transfer. If she were, hopefully she wouldn't feel that I was infringing. Maybe she'd send me orange roses.

Edward and Bella were glad for a little extra hanky-panky time in the poolhouse, but it's time to get them back to school...for better or for worse...

* * *

**Chapter 63: Reality For Better or Worse**

**BPOV**

I awoke in the morning, slightly confused about where I was for a few seconds, until I felt the big warm body wrapped around me and I remembered that I was lying in a chaise longue with Edward in the poolhouse. He was still sleeping soundly behind me, with his arm around my waist, holding me back up against him. I felt the tickle of his breaths against my ear as he slept.

I smiled as my glance fell on the orange rose petals that littered the floor and the now-empty little glass votives whose candles had burned away to nothing during the course of the evening. My eyes swept to the vase of deep red roses on the little side table and the empty plate that had held our Chocolate Explosion apple.

As I recalled the events of the previous evening, and our own explosions that had followed, I felt myself warming up. I was involved and in love with a lovely man-boy who was patient and kind and loved me like crazy. And he lay right behind me, all naked and warm and sexy.

And I had to pee.

I really didn't want to leave the warmth of the sex-nest that Edward had created for us. I didn't want to leave the heat that rolled off of Edward's body. And I didn't want to leave the amazing hotness that was my naked Edward Cullen.

_He was all mine!_

But I had to pee.

And I could tell the poolhouse had grown quite cold in the stark morning light that filtered in through the glass wall at the back. The room would be cold; the floor, like ice. But then I spied the robes we had worn last night on a chair nearby and Esme's slippers tucked underneath.

I began to slowly and stealthily extricate myself from my all-encompassing, heat-generating, Adonis-of-a-boyfriend. I slid out from beneath the weight of his arm and gradually pulled myself to the edge of the bed. A small moan escaped from Edward's lips and I smiled to myself. I'd be back soon enough. I glanced up at his beautiful face: the Cupid's bow of his lips, the dark lashes and thick brows, the hard line of his jaw covered with a dusting of morning scruff and the fabulous disarray that was his glorious, bed-head hair.

_And. He's. All. Mine._

_Holy crow! Bella Swan has won the Love-lottery. Gah!_

And I wanted him. Again.

But I really had to pee.

I reluctantly pulled myself away and quickly scrambled into the robe and slippers, willing my body heat to warm them up as I quietly scampered down the cold hallway to the just-as-cold-if-not-colder-tiled bathroom.

Looking in the mirror above the sink in the bathroom I examined myself carefully. My untamed curls ran rampant but there was little I could do at the moment other than rake my fingers through them. As I washed my hands, I looked at my reflection. The saying "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" came to mind. I wiggled my hips in response to the thought. For some reason I looked well-rested, although I hadn't had very many hours of sleep. Maybe I was just well-loved. I was happy. Completely so. I think I looked downright radiant, and the big reason for that was lying in the other room, snoring quietly. There was a beautiful Greek God just waiting for me back in our little bed.

I hurried back to him before he would wake and wonder where I was. I quickly pulled off the robe and stepped out of the slippers, kicking them under the chair where I tossed the robe. I lifted the edge of the comforter and crawled back into the warmth of the chaise toward my sleeping boy.

"Aaghhh!" he yelped, as my hands found his warm chest.

His eyes sprung open in shock as his hands frantically grabbed at my wrists, yanking my frigid hands off his naked chest and away from his body. He stared at me for a second as he got his bearings before his mouth curled up into a big, smile.

"Your hands are like ice cubes, Bella! What the hell? Put them against your own chest!"

We were both giggling as he fought to keep my freezing hands from his toasty body and I fought to absorb his warmth. He somehow gathered my wrists into one of his hands, holding them like they were shackled. We were both nearly breathless from our laughter and exertions by the time he finally managed to simultaneously pull me towards him while turning me away from him, pulling my back up against him, the way we had been sleeping earlier. His sexy, low voice was in my ear, making me melt and heating me right up.

"Jeez, Bella, don't you have any concept of body temperature etiquette? You're supposed to warm up a little on your own before you try to steal my body heat."

"Sorry, Edward," I giggled, "you're so hot I can't resist you. But if it's any consolation, you know the saying, 'cold hands, warm heart'? That would be me." I pulled my knees up a little more toward my body and slid my feet backward until they met with the warmth of his legs.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, pulling his legs away. "You're feet are cold too! Why are you so cold, love?"

"I got up to use the bathroom. My feet were like ice a few moments ago; I've waited until they warmed up a little now." I slid my feet back further until I met with his skin once again.

"Behave!" he yelled as he smacked my butt with his free hand; the one that wasn't holding my wrists hostage.

I squealed in response.

"In your case," he said, "I think the saying actually goes, 'cold hands and _feet_, warm heart.'" I felt his hand smooth over the side of my behind that he had just smacked. "Hmmm…and let me just add…'hot ass'. Has anyone ever told you that you have a truly stellar ass, love?"

I giggled. "I get that all the time. Mostly from you."

He chuckled low in my ear. "Well, if you're getting that from anyone else, I might just have to beat the shit out of them. I'm very possessive of what's mine."

"Technically, it's _my_ stellar ass, Edward." He was still rubbing my behind, and his movements had become somewhat slower and more sensual. He was actually now kneading the flesh of my behind.

_And I'm needing some of his flesh._

"What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours, love." The sexy voice at my ear said. I couldn't see his crooked grin, but I certainly heard it in the tone of his voice.

He suddenly pulled me back against him and I felt exactly what was his, which was mine, poking insistently against my backside. He gave a sexy little groan as he flexed against me, sliding his erection against my apparently stellar ass.

"This has potential, love," he murmured hopefully into my ear as I felt his lips against my skin. "'Mine' wants 'yours.' How is 'yours' feeling, in regards to 'mine'?"

I was grinning like an idiot though he couldn't see it. "'Mine' could be swayed by 'yours'. And maybe you could warm me up a little more while you're at it?"

I heard Edward's low chuckle as he scooped my hair up and off my neck.

"I will endeavor to give it my all, love," his voice was luxurious, rich, warm velvet as it caressed the nape of my neck. I felt his lips press against me there.

_Holy crap, he's just so damn sexy._

The hairs of his chest and stomach were tickling at my back; the insistence of his erection poking at my behind. I hummed a little sigh of contentment as I felt the whisper of his breath as he moved his lips across my neck in little kisses, finally arriving at the sensitive spot just below my ear. He let go of my wrists and wrapped me in both of his arms in a big hug. I heard a half-growl, half-sigh as he continued to nuzzle my ear and neck.I hummed at the sensation of his lips and teeth and tongue on my ear and at the back of my rocked his hips against me a little. I felt him hard against me, prodding. And poking.

_Oh, my. Gah!_

I felt his lips on the nape of my neck, kissing, sucking and nipping. His arm tightened around me and I felt his hand sliding up my body, his hand moving up from my waist to my breast, his fingertips grazing the outer swell of my breast, then just beneath, driving me crazy until finally…finally he began teasing my already taut nipples.

Reaching behind me I took his arousal in my hand. I heard the hitch in his breathing and the slight hissing sound as he inhaled through his teeth at the sensation. I began stroking the shaft, but avoiding the tip, just as he had done to my breasts, until finally I circled the tip with my fingers and felt the responding moisture that appeared there.

He began lightly stroking my nipple, tugging on it slightly, cupping me as I arched into his hand. His hand then moved to my other breast, giving it the same attention. I realized that I had grasped him a little more firmly at that moment and I heard as his breaths sped up and I felt him flexing into my hand.

I turned my head toward him, over my shoulder, as he leaned up on his elbow and bent to kiss me over my shoulder. His hand reached down and gently pulled my leg up, angling it back over his leg, opening me to his warm hand and exploring fingers. His hand nestled between my thighs, cupping me and pressing against me for a moment before his fingers found the right spot to drive me crazy; circling, teasing.

I moaned at the little electrical shocks that began speeding throughout my body.

I was stroking him a little more tightly as he moved within my hand. A little more fluid escaped from the tip of his arousal. Suddenly his fingers had moved down farther, seeking and finding the entrance to my very core. I heard a small sound from deep in his throat as first one finger, then two, entered me; stroking and then circling, and then finally adding a third finger…stretching me. I began moving my hips in time with his fingers.

"Mmmm," his husky voice murmured, "I want you, love."

"Oh, Edward…please..." I was nearly incoherent.

Edward extricated his hand and I released him, expecting to roll onto my back so he could move to lie between my legs. Instead I heard his soft voice whispering at my ear as he nudged at my back.

"Lie on your stomach, love."

_What?_

I did as he said and felt his leg slide over mine, his knee coming to rest between my knees and parting my legs. His hand was on my backside, smoothing round one side and then the other before I felt his hand move down between my legs and felt his fingers once again moving within me, but from behind. It felt different this way. But I needed more; wanted more from him. I shifted my hips, angling my pelvis so he would have better access and then I felt him moving to lie between my legs, spreading them apart a bit more with his knees.

I felt his warmth as he hovered over me, leaning over me to kiss my shoulder. And then I felt the delicious weight and warmth of his body as he lowered himself to cover me, keeping enough weight off of me so that I could easily breathe. My breathing wasn't really coming that easily anyway, it was actually much more labored, ragged breathing at this point and much of that had to do with the persistent motions of his rocking hips and very hard erection sliding against my backside, making me want him where he would do us both the most good.

Edward's lips were on my shoulder, moving up closer to my neck and up to my ear. I heard his own heavy breaths as he spoke.

"Is this okay, love?" he breathed. "Am I squashing you?"

I couldn't help the breathless burst of a giggle that escaped, but before I could apologize, or say anything, he spoke again and I heard the slight amusement in his voice.

"This isn't a vegetable joke, love. Is this okay or do you want to turn over?"

My voice sounded shaky as I answered him.

"No, this is good…this is…different, but good…" I moved my hips back against him and heard a quiet answering groan as he positioned himself low, between my legs and slowly slid into place.

I'd never had sex this way before-from behind. My previous experiences had mostly been of the missionary variety and not very inventive. We had stuck with the basics and although it had always been nice, the fact that Edward seemed much more…creative…made sex with him…absolutely thrilling. It also didn't hurt that he was almost alarmingly beautiful and he exuded sexuality. Edward looked like the sexual partner of a woman's dreams and I was finding out that he was also able to back that up.

I felt him withdraw after a few moments and kneel up behind me. And then his hands were on my hips, lifting me to my knees.

_What? Oh! Oh. Oh, my…_

I felt him move behind me, closer to me, adjusting himself against me and then pushing slowly into me, pulling back and then entering again…and again…just so slowly.

_Oh my…God. _

_He feels so…impressive._

_It's much…deeper._

I moaned at the overwhelming sensation and he stilled behind me suddenly.

"Are you okay, love?" He asked hoarsely. I heard the concern battling the lust in his voice.

"Yes," I hissed breathlessly as I pushed back against him. "Don't stop, Edward; it's good...you feel so good."

_Anything is okay at this point, just don't stop!_

I heard him exhale and groan in relief as he leaned over me and kissed along my spine, sending thrilling shivers throughout my body. And then he began to move again, picking up speed and thrusting deeper as he slowly succumbed. I felt his hand reach around me, his finger seeking, finding, circling.

I thought I was going to expire as I arrived and hung there for a second before I fell, over and over and over.

"Ohmygod…Ohgod…Ohgod…Oh, Edward!" I felt the wave-like pulsing within me and I heard his answering guttural growl as he plunged deep and held me tightly as he joined me, falling through space, groaning my name as he came.

We collapsed down onto the bed, where he rolled slightly to the side, pulling me with him so that we were still connected but he wasn't mashing me into the chaise. We lay there, a tangle of arms and legs, breathing heavily, panting and gasping for air.

"Mmmm," his deep voice sighed after a few moments.

"Mmm-hmm," I agreed. "That was good," I breathed.

"Mmm-hmm," he answered in an exhale. "That was _very_ good."

"Was that your favorite?" I asked shyly as I tried to get my breathing under control.

He suddenly lifted his head and leaned up a little, looking at me. "We're talking about, uh, _positions_, love?"

I blushed and nodded. "I think so; yes."

His arms tightened around me and his voice was soft and sincere. "They've all been my favorite." He smiled as he slowly extracted himself from me, wincing a little as he did so. His eyes flickered back up to mine apologetically. "Sensitive," he explained and shrugged a little.

"So what's your favorite?" he asked after he had relaxed back and dropped his head back down to the pillow. He pulled me around to face him.

I chuckled and blushed as I answered: "Any position that involves us being naked and making love."

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess if I had to pick one, I'd go with that one as well."

"You seem rather…creative." I murmured after thinking for a moment.

"Creative?" He cocked his head to the side as he looked over at me.

"I don't know, I mean, last night was our first time and each time has been different since then and I'm…not…very…um, experienced, I guess…with that. I mean, you might think I would be, but I'm not. But you seem to be."

His gaze softened as he looked at me and my damn blush.

"You're not very 'experienced' that way?"

My blush continued as I shook my head. 'No, not at all. Just…uh…the basics, you know?"

He smiled softly, happily. "Bella, I'm not very experienced either. I, uh, didn't have all that many opportunities, you know, when I was younger. But I just kind of feel like I want to experience…lots of things…everything…I guess…with you."

He reached out and tucked a hair behind my ear, looking at me tenderly before continuing.

"Maybe that's making me…'creative'." He smiled. "I'm also a guy. Most of us do…_research_."

My eyes widened and then I burst into giggles. "So now I'm helping you with the practical application of your research? I thought this was all an expression of love."

His grin broadened. "This is most definitely an expression of love, love. But you should think of yourself as my lab partner. I think we should do extensive research and experimentation."

I rolled my eyes at his goofy grin.

"That was a great way to start the day." He smiled as he leaned over and kissed my nose.

I nodded. "I agree; that was a great start."

I pulled away and sat up, grinning down at him.

"Now I hear this place serves breakfast. Is that true?"

"Breakfast? It's going to be lunchtime soon. How about brunch? You want to go for brunch somewhere?"

"I thought you were making breakfast."

"I never said that."

"Well, I distinctly remember you saying last night, 'breakfast is on me.' I was then contemplating eating my breakfast off of you. Literally." I leaned toward him and quirked a brow for emphasis.

Edward chuckled as he sat up next to me. He scratched the back of his neck, thinking for a moment.

"I see…like pancakes, for example, with butter and syrup?"

I pursed my lips to keep from laughing.

"Exactly. Pancakes with melting butter and warm syrup. I could lick that right off of you, Edward," I teased.

"You know, we might have to stay here an extra day or two. You have really good ideas, Bella." His eyes were twinkling at me as he shook his head, like he was trying to clear his mind and keep the thought at bay.

"So, would you like your pancake breakfast now?"

"Are you really going to make me pancakes?" I asked in surprise. "I was just joking! We can go out, if you want."

"No, look at how creative you suddenly are! I'd hate to stifle that. Besides, I can do pancakes. I'm actually quite good at pancakes. Come on, love. Breakfast awaits. I'll make you my Edward Cullen Special: Chocolate Chip Pancakes."

I grinned as we both climbed off the chaise and pulled on the robes we'd worn the night before and shoved our feet into the slippers. Edward took my hand as we headed out the door of the poolhouse back over to the house.

In the kitchen Edward steered me to a barstool at the kitchen counter. "Sit," he commanded. He got out a box of pancake mix, a bag of chocolate chips, butter, milk and the carton of eggs. I watched as he pulled out two large frying pans and set them on the stove, turning on the flame and adding a little butter to each pan. He began mixing everything but the chocolate chips into a huge measuring cup.

"No peeking", he admonished. "I can't have you giving away my trade secrets."

He poured pancake batter into the pans. He looked so domestic in his fluffy white robe, making pancakes in the kitchen. After a moment he began adding chocolate chips, dropping them onto the cooking pancakes. While they cooked, he got out plates and put the butter on the counter in front of me. He poured some syrup into a little cup and put it into the microwave to heat up as he got out forks and knives and napkins. He paused to flip the pancakes, got the syrup out and set it on the counter and turned back to the stove, sliding pancakes out onto plates.

He set a plate down in front of me. I looked down and smiled. There on my plate were three big pancakes, studded with chocolate chips. One pancake had chocolate chips in a smiley face design. The second pancake had chocolate chips arranged in the shape of a heart, more or less. The third one had a cryptic message.

_What on Earth?_

"Edward, what the heck does 'mor 5 ek' mean?"

"That's not what it says. Can't you read?"

He came around to where I was sitting, setting his plate next to mine. His chocolate chips were in completely random designs within his pancakes. I felt his hand on my back as he cocked his head and looked at the pancake in question. He burst out laughing.

"You're right. My pancake penmanship isn't very legible. It's a question, but I didn't have room for a question mark. "'Mor' is missing an 'e' at the end; again, I didn't have room. And that's not a '5', it's an 'S'. But I've got to admit, that does look like a 'k' rather than the 'x' it's supposed to be."

I processed what he'd just explained to me.

"'More sex'?" You're asking if I'd like more _sex_?" I laughed.

"What?" He shrugged, his eyes crinkled up at the corners and his grin dipped down at one corner, up at the other. Just the way I loved it.

"You're putting the move on me with a pancake?"

"Looks that way," he acknowledged affably, grinning more broadly as he sat down next to me.

I spread some butter on my pancakes and poured some of the warm syrup on top. Picking up my fork I cut a triangle of pancake and turned to Edward as I speared the piece I'd cut. I reached over to him, pulling the top of his robe open a bit, exposing his sculpted pectoral muscles.

"Would you mind leaning back? Just a little bit?" I asked sweetly.

He grinned expectantly and leaned backward as I brought my fork to his chest, dropping the buttery, syrupy triangle of pancake onto the center of his chest. I smiled at him as I leaned over and ate the pancake piece off of him, being sure to lick up any melted butter and warm syrup that was left behind. I licked once more, just to be sure. And I did it slowly.

"There," I said as I chewed and dabbed a fingertip to the corner of my mouth, "Now you can tell everyone your girlfriend ate breakfast off your body."

"You missed a spot," he said, leaning toward me and pointing to a completely different spot on his chest.

"Nice try, baby." I smirked at him and shook my head.

"Can't blame me for trying."

We finished eating our Edward Cullen Special Chocolate Chip Pancakes and headed back over to the poolhouse. It was time to begin cleaning up.

While I cleaned up the little glass votives, Edward pulled the duvet, sheets and pillowcases off of the chaise longue where we had slept. He made a pile of them near the door to take to the laundry room. The robes would be tossed in with the laundry as well, but we were still wearing them as we cleaned up.

Edward disappeared down the hall for a moment and returned, carrying a push broom. He began sweeping the orange rose petals into small piles.

"Oh, that's so sad!" I pouted. "I want to keep them."

"You want to keep all of these, love?" he gestured around the room. There really were a lot of rose petals.

"Maybe some of them?" I asked hopefully. "I want to keep all of the flowers you give me. I kept the others. They're in a box."

He smiled. "Well, you're going to need an awfully big box, love, because there will be more flowers down the road. How about if we put some of these into a plastic zip-top bag?"

I shrugged and smiled, nodding. "Sure, that'd be perfect."

We cleaned up the poolhouse, tossing trash and rearranging the chaise longues back to where they belonged. Edward took one last look around before shutting the lights and locking up and then we headed back over to the house, wearing the robes, carrying our bags and the pile of laundry.

I carried my bag into Edward's room, sorting out my clothes for the day. Edward took the sheets and robes to the laundry room while I headed for his bathroom to brush my teeth and shower.

**EPOV**

I tossed the sheets and robes into the washing machine and headed for my bathroom. I poked my head in the door and asked Bella if she wanted to shower together so we could conserve our natural resources.

"This is really about the 'mor 5 ek' pancake, isn't it, Edward?" she asked from the other side of the shower enclosure. I could hear the amusement in her voice.

"Are you mentioning the 'mor 5 ek' pancake because _you're_ the one who's interested in 'mor 5 ek', Bella?"

I could see her naked body through the frosted glass of the large shower enclosure. I heard her giggle as I grabbed towels out of the linen closet. And then the frosted door opened a slight bit and a very lovely, very naked, very wet and thoroughly enticing Bella Swan beckoned me in.

_Oh, yeah…'mor 5 ek' was looking like a definite possibility._

Dick and I just couldn't say no, so we both stepped inside the steamy shower.

Of course the shower started out as a shower. There was shampooing. There was washing. There was even conditioning and rinsing. But before long, especially after having mentioned the 'mor 5 ek' pancake, there was kissing and cuddling, which turned into touching and groping followed by heavy breathing, Bella moaning, and yours truly groaning.

All of that turned into me plastering Bella up against the wall of the shower stall and grinding myself against her as we kissed each other quite heatedly. Her answering grinds led me to believe that she wanted 'mor 5 ek' just as much as I did. I pulled my mouth away from hers for a moment.

"I was thinking there was something I wanted to try," I said as my hands smoothed down her slick back and came to rest on the curve of her behind.

"Why does that not surprise me?" she asked, with a little smile as she looked up at me all wet and sexy.

"Because you know me and love me despite realizing what kinds of things go on in my head." I grinned at her.

She must have known where this was going.

"Put your arms around my neck," I told her. She did. "Hold on tightly," I added as I stooped down and quickly scooped her up into my hands, holding her just under her tight, little, stellar ass. She knew exactly what I was attempting, because she gave a little hop as I lifted her up and suddenly her legs were wrapping around my waist and she made a little squeal of surprise…as I…

…nearly…

…dropped her.

"Whoa, Bella!" I exclaimed as I quickly shifted and managed to hang onto her, adjust her, and lift her up higher, holding her more securely in my arms. I wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Don't you dare drop me, Edward!" she said as her arms and legs tightened around me. The look of surprise in her eyes transformed into one of humor.

This wasn't as easy as they made it look in the movies. But we were going to do this thing, because even though I'd nearly let her slip and slide through my fingers, she had also been slipping and sliding and moving and creating friction against my still-very-hard hard-on

I lifted her a little higher, my eyes looking into hers as I sought…found…and quickly…

_Oh. _

_My. _

_Fuck._

…plunged home.

_Ohhhhh, Jesus._

I managed to press her against the wall as I held her and plunged into her, grinding my hips against her and thrusting up into her. I think the angle was good for her because she moaned and tipped her head up making little gasping noises that went straight to my groin.

It didn't take long for either of us to get completely carried away and orgasm our brains out rather loudly. That was probably a good thing, because for as light as Bella was, I was still in charge of holding her without dropping her, even once I'd come and my legs had turned to Jell-O. We stood for a moment, foreheads together, me still pressed hard against her, gasping for air as she slowly unwrapped her legs and I lifted her slightly, withdrew from her and let her slide down my body until she was standing. She pulled me over to the bench seat and I gladly took a spot next to her, looping my arm around her and pulling her into my side. We sat together, just catching our breath and relaxing.

"I would do _that_ again," I admitted as I closed my eyes and sat slumped against her, completely satisfied and exhausted.

_Shit! Five times in less than twenty four hours can really deplete a person!_

"Yeah, I would do that again, too," she agreed with an embarrassed, little, out-of-breath laugh. "Though probably not in the dorm."

"No, definitely not in the dorm. Although they think we already did." I laughed, remembering our first kiss in the shower stall in my suite.

"Oh, that's right!" she giggled.

"We'll probably have to save this maneuver for special occasions, love," I said.

We sat for a little while longer, trying to find the ambition to get up. Finally I stood up, ducking under the still-spraying shower and rinsing myself off once more. Bella stood and did the same.

"Thank you for not dropping me. And thank you for your…creativity. I really enjoyed it."

"Sounded like you enjoyed it, love." I bit my lip to keep my smirk from getting too out of hand.

She swatted my butt anyway as we got out of the shower. I seriously can't help my behavior around her.

Once we'd dried off we headed into my room to dress. My phone beeped where it lay on my dresser next to my keys, signaling a text. I checked it; one missed call-from Emmett, one text-from Emmett. It must have come when we'd been in the shower.

"What is it?" Bella asked, from where she stood behind me.

I turned around to see her pulling on some little, black panties, kind of like little shorts, her cheeks peeking out the bottoms of the back.

"Good Lord..." I breathed.

She turned around and looked at me as she worked at fastening a matching black bra behind her.

What?" she innocently asked.

I rolled my eyes at her. "It's a shame I don't have any energy left," I told her as I looked her up and down blatantly.

"Oh!" she giggled, looking down at herself. "It's probably a good thing that you don't have any energy left, Edward. I don't think I could take it."

"Promise you'll wear those again sometime?" I gestured to her scantily clad body.

She nodded. "I bought these just for you."

I smiled and sighed wistfully.

"Who called?" she asked, bringing me out of my imagination.

"Emmett. One missed call and one text, which reads, 'call me numb nuts.' He doesn't use punctuation, so he probably means, 'Call me, Numb-nuts." Me being the numb-nuts. But I prefer to assume this is a request. He wants me to call him 'Numb-nuts'." I looked up at Bella, to get her perspective, but she was busy doubling over, laughing.

"You and your brother are _both nuts_." She finally managed to say. "Are you going to call him back?"

"No, if he's going to call me names I'll make him wait. Or he can call again if it's really that important."

After I'd dressed I put the laundry in the dryer and went back to the kitchen, where Bella helped me clean up our breakfast mess. I made sure the house was presentable. By the time the laundry was done we were ready to go. I returned the robes and slippers to my parents' room and put the sheets and duvet in the linen closet. I locked up the house and we carried our things to the car, where I loaded them into the trunk.

Bella pulled her laptop out of her bag to bring it into the car and I shut the trunk.

"I've just got to put the finishing touches on a paper that's due tomorrow," she explained. "If I do this on our way back, then I won't have any homework to do tonight. But I may have to use your printer, ours wasn't working."

"Sure. Not a problem, love."

I pulled the car out of the driveway and we headed back to school in Seattle.

Bella opened her laptop, plugging a little flash drive into the USB port. But before she got buried in her paper she turned toward me. I could feel her watching me.

"What?" I asked, turning and looking at the smile she was beaming at me.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening, Edward. And a wonderful night and morning. And thank you for making me such sexy pancakes." She grinned a little more broadly.

"You're welcome, love. I had a wonderful time too. And any time you're feeling sexy, just use the codeword, 'pancake' and I'll know that you want 'mor 5 ek.' Okay?"

"Deal," she laughed.

As we neared the freeway, I decided I'd better stop at a gas station and fill the tank. I was outside of the car, cleaning the windshield as the tank filled with gas when Bella waved at me through the windshield.

"It's Emmett!" she called to me, waving my cell phone.

I got back into the car and she handed me my phone, picking up her purse as she opened the car door.

"Wait for me," she said. "I didn't go to the bathroom before we left your house; I forgot. And I'm going to buy a soda for the trip back. Do you want one, Edward?"

I nodded and mouthed 'Root-beer' to her as I put my phone to my ear and began speaking to Emmett.

"Hey, Numb-nuts. What's up that you have to call me three times?"

I watched as Bella headed toward the convenience store portion of the gas station.

"Hey, Edward, I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Alice spotted James near the dorm yesterday and uh, well, you know the mini-mom, she speaks her mind."

"What happened?" I asked as I started to tense up.

"She marched right up and told him off. Told him to get out of there, that he couldn't hang around our dorm waiting to stalk Bella. Then she told him that Bella was on some romantic weekend getaway with you. Congrats on that, by the way, bro."

I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks. What did James say to all that?"

"He didn't take it very seriously, I guess. Probably because it was a girl trying to tell him off, you know? He said he could hang out wherever he wanted and that he just wanted to talk to Bella. He didn't seem deterred, I guess."

_God damned psycho loser!_

"Well, thanks for letting me know. We're supposed to talk to Officer Peters or somebody else tomorrow, so I guess we'll just report this then. Thanks for the heads up, Em."

"Sure thing, Ed. You guys coming back today or tomorrow?"

I looked up toward the store and saw Bella walking toward the back, where the restrooms were located. She was swinging a key attached to a little block of wood. She looked over at me and waved, smiling. I forced a smile and waved back to her, exhaling into the phone.

"We're on our way back now. We'll probably eat before we come back. Don't wait for us."

"All right. Drive safely. Bye."

"Yeah, thanks again. Bye."

I closed my phone. Then I sat there for all of a minute, angry at fucking James who had the power to ruin my mood because he couldn't face reality. And more importantly he had plans to harass my girl.

I opened my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I came to the one I'd simply identified with the letter 'J.' The number matched the one that had been on the card that Bella had found in her room; the card from her stalker. I'd looked at the card with Emmett, remembered the number, and had entered it into my phone afterward. I'm not quite sure what made me do that, but now I sat looking at his number.

Bella emerged from the restroom, turning and shutting the door and heading back to the convenience store. She looked over at me and blew me a kiss. I pretended to catch it with one hand and I smiled. With the other hand I pressed the little button on my phone. The button that was now placing a call to 'J'.

Bella walked into the store as I listened to the phone ring. On the third ring he answered.

"Hello?"

"Leave her the fuck alone, James," I said menacingly.

"Who is this?"

"It's _Little_ _Fucking_ _Cullen,_ you pervert, and I'm telling you to leave Bella alone."

"_Edward_? How'd _you_ get my number?"

"Doesn't matter. Just quit stalking my girlfriend."

There was a sharp laugh on the other end. "Your _girlfriend_!" he said derisively. "What the fuck is she going to do with you, you pussy? If you're going to fuck a girl you've got to actually take off your clothes and put your book down. _You_ can't give her what she needs!"

"You're fucking delusional!" I yelled into the phone. I took a deep breath and tried to get control of myself. I lowered my voice. "She's happy and she's in love, with _me, _not you. And I must know what I'm doing, because every single time she comes it's my name I'm hearing; she never mentions you, James. I don't know why she would; you're nothing but crazy.

"We've gone to the police and they know what's going on. Everyone in our dorm is watching for you James. Not just my sister. They all know what you look like and they're watching for you. So leave her the fuck alone if you know what's good for you!"

I ended the call just in time to see Bella headed back to the car from the store. Her purse was looped over her shoulder and she was carrying our drinks. She was rolling her eyes as she climbed into the car.

"That took so long! The guy at the register was totally inept! Sorry I made you wait so long, Edward. So what did Emmett have to say?"

I turned the key in the ignition, starting the car and trying to wipe James from my thoughts. I refused to ruin her day and tell her about James' recent visit to our dorm. And I certainly wasn't going to tell her I'd just called him. I couldn't believe I'd let him get to me like I had. Calling him had probably not been the smartest thing I'd ever done.

"Uh, Emmett was just wondering when we were coming back. I told him sometime around dinnertime, but we'd maybe eat before we got back."

"Either way is fine," she said as she made herself comfortable.

Bella went to work on her paper and I concentrated mostly on driving. I'll admit that I daydreamed about select moments of the past 24-hour period I'd spent with her, too, sneaking peeks at her as she worked. I also thought about James and the things we'd said to each other. I couldn't take them back now; not that I really wanted to, anyway.

We stopped for a bite to eat for dinner before we got back to the dorm, wanting to prolong our bubble just a little bit more.

We arrived back in the dorm parking lot a little after six thirty. As we headed up to the dorm, carrying our belongings, Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper materialized from the dining hall on their way back to the dorm. They called to us and we waited for them to catch up.

Emmett was smirking as he looked at the bouquet of red roses in the vase I held. "So, Edward…and Bella…what 'cha been doin'?" he asked in a sing-song voice as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I responded in the same sing-song voice. "None of your business."

He looked crestfallen; even more so once Rose slapped his back.

"For God's sake, Emmett, they just got back. They'll tell us about their amorous adventures if and when they're ready."

I looked at Bella. She was blushing furiously.

"I couldn't help it!" she pleaded. "Alice and Rose came lingerie shopping with me…they knew something was up."

"Don't worry, Edward," Alice soothed, "she didn't tell much; she didn't have much to tell. But now that we're discussing this, where did you wind up taking her?"

We had entered the dorm and Jasper had unlocked and opened our door for me and we were all filing into the room. It felt good to get home…where your business is not your own.

_Shit!_

"We just stayed at the house," I said, answering Alice's question.

"That's it? _That's_ the romantic destination?" Alice began getting louder. "Edward! You couldn't do better than _that_? You should have asked for my help!"

"Alice, no…it was…really romantic." Bella had come to my rescue. "Edward thought of everything…he did a wonderful job. Everything was perfect. You would have been so proud of him."

"So, he brought 'adult toys'?" Emmett asked hopefully. His question was immediately followed by a sharp slap to the head from else groaned at him.

"Oh, you have just outdone yourself, bud." Jasper said to Emmett. "Even I'd slap you in the head right now if Rose hadn't already done it. Information will trickle through. Just give it a few days. I'm sure we'll get it on a need-to-know-basis. And right now, Edward probably doesn't think we need-to-know. You know?"

I rolled my eyes. "You all probably have some bets placed, too, right?"

They just all stood there looking sheepish. I shook my head and sighed.

_They wanted in on the action of our action. Great. Because that kind of stuff isn't personal or anything._

"I guess we'd better get this stuff up to your room, Bella." I was hoping we could get away from them. Coming back to reality had definite drawbacks.

Emmett cleared his throat. "Well, I think I'll just walk Rose back over to her dorm. Welcome back you two. We kind of missed you."

Bella looked over at me. "Let me just print up my paper so I don't have to think about any other school work. I'll be there in a sec if you want to start heading up."

"Come on, Edward," Alice said, "I'll let you into our room and you can try and convince me that you did something romantic for Bella. I want details. Just on the setting, mind you, not any specific sexual activities you two may or may not have engaged in."

"Alice! Jeez!" I grimaced, but she was already pulling me along by the arm.

"Oh, come on, Edward," she said, pushing me toward the door as Bella opened her laptop up on the desk.

**BPOV**

Alice had just left with Edward to take my stuff upstairs. Jasper said that he would be back in a minute and I nodded, turning back to my laptop. But the flash drive I'd used wasn't in the little USB port. I checked my pockets, then I remembered removing it and setting it down in a little tray in the console between the front seats of Edward's car.

_Damn!_

I saw Edward's keys lying next to his wallet on the bed. I picked the keys up and headed back down to the car. This wouldn't take me long.

**EPOV**

I had been telling Alice about using the poolhouse for our getaway. I explained the dozen red roses I was carrying, the orange rose petals, the votive candles and the special iPod playlist I'd made, as we headed upstairs. I was following closely behind her, watching my step as I juggled the vase of flowers and Bella's bag. I'd been looking down when Alice stopped abruptly at the top of the stairs.

"Oh, no!…Edward, look!"

I looked up and immediately saw what had caught her attention. Scrawled across the wall and door to the room she shared with Bella were the words "Fucking whore!" in big, angry, black, spray-painted letters. I stood looking at it dumbly until a drop of paint suddenly ran from the bottom of the exclamation mark, streaking down the wall.

"Oh, my God!" Alice whispered. "It's still wet. He's here somewhere."

I dropped everything in my arms and spun around to the staircase, running back down the stairs as fast as I could.

_Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck!_

"Bella!" I yelled.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no!_

"Bella!

* * *

**A/N: Let me know... I promise I'll write a thank you card and bake you some cookies. **


	64. The Bubble Bursts

**The Transfer **

A/N: Super-sloppy cyber-hugs to you for sharing your wonderful thoughts!

Get a sheet of paper and write the following words: _"Bannerday believes in a Happily Ever After."_ Hold that piece of paper as you read. It's your security blanket; your mantra. And when you get to the end of this chapter, read that paper; repeat your mantra.

Really.

Fasten your seatbelts.

* * *

**Chapter 64: The Bubble Bursts**

**BPOV**

As Edward and I drove away from his parents' house I fully intended to begin working on my paper immediately. I opened my laptop and plugged in the little flash drive to get started. But then I couldn't stop thinking about the wonderful time I'd had with him this weekend.

He and my dad had met and seemed to get on fine, despite Edward's obvious nervousness and my dad's obvious delight in that nervousness. The morning and afternoon at the Black's had been good for us too. I felt the split with Jacob was settled and workable and that Jacob and Renie might even be friends Edward and I could get together with. But our time at Edward's parents' house, at the poolhouse, had been the most romantic thing, the most wonderful thing, that had ever happened to me in my twenty-one years.

I turned slightly in my seat, watching Edward as he drove. He was beautiful. Externally and internally. He had organized something so beautiful for me and it still took my breath away to think about it. I really couldn't contain myself as I looked at him, delighting in the fact that he, his face, his body and his love, for some strange reason, belonged to me. I didn't think it would be possible to feel more strongly in love than I felt with him.

_Mine. And nobody else's._

And I didn't think it would be possible to feel more excited and overwhelmed at the prospect of that person loving me back.

He looked over at me and caught me grinning like a fool.

"What?" he asked, that little cockeyed grin responding to my own.

I thanked him for the wonderful time we'd shared and for the sexy pancakes he'd made me for breakfast.

He replied that he'd had a wonderful time as well.

Some of that wonderfulness had to do with the sex. For both of us.

_The Sex. _

_Freaking amazing sex with freaking beautiful Edward Cullen. _

_Holy hoohah! _

I blushed just thinking about it.

I'd never experienced anything quite like what I had with him.

Nor that many consecutive times.

Edward knew just what the hell he was doing and apparently Jacob hadn't. Not that I regret my physical relationship with Jacob, but Edward had just raised the bar on sex to the outer limits of the Earth's atmosphere.

_Holy. Freaking. Hoohah!_

And now I needed some time off to recuperate.

But when I'm ready to resume, all I have to do is say the word. And the word is 'pancake'.

I'm in love with a beautiful dork. Who has a heavenly body. And he can do magical things with that body. To mine.

He's the kind of dork that tells you "when you're feeling amorous, all you have to do is use the codeword, 'pancake' and I'll know you want 'mor 5 ek.'" Add a lopsided grin for punctuation and that's my beautiful dork.

I sort of wanted to jump him over the center console in the car the minute he said he'd had a wonderful time too. I wanted to whisper sweet 'pancakes' in his ear, but I refrained, since we were pulling into a gas station and there would be too many people around for that kind of business.

Besides, I really needed a break. Even for just a few hours.

Edward had gotten out of the car to pump the gas when his cell phone rang. It was lying in the little tray in front of the console. When I saw that it was a call from Emmett, I picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello, Emmett!"

"Is this Bella Actually?" the voice on the other end cheerfully asked.

"It damn well better be, or Edward's in big trouble and had better start explaining himself."

I had to pull the phone away from my ear when the guffaws burst forth on the other end.

"I seriously don't think you have to worry about Edward, Bella. You have got him wrapped around your little finger and eating out of the palm of your hand. He's going to have to change his name to Pussy-Whipped Cullen!" More guffaws.

"Rose told me that was your name," I replied sweetly and the guffaws were silenced.

"Shit, Edward had to go and pick a girl with backbone. You're evil, Bella."

I giggled as I listened to his easy laugh coming from the other end of the line.

"So, is Edward there?" he finally asked.

"Yeah, hang on a sec, Emmett; we're stopped at a gas station and he's just finishing washing the windows."

I waved at Edward, letting him know Emmett was on the phone and handed it to him as he climbed into the car. In the same moment I decided I needed a quick restroom trip and wanted a drink for the ride. I grabbed my purse, explaining to Edward and asking him his drink preference as I climbed out.

I headed inside the little convenience store and got the key for the restroom. As I walked back outside, heading for the restroom, I looked over to see Edward on the phone with Emmett, watching me. And so I waved. He smiled and returned my wave.

_Look at that smile._

_He's Just. So. Hot._

_And he's mine to do with as I please!_

_Anyone feel like dancing?_

I entered the restroom. Of course the facilities were less than pristine, and I really wished that I had thought of this before we'd left the Cullens' home, but oh well…when you gotta go, you gotta go.

Once I had finished up and tried to rid myself of residual germs, I headed back out and went to return the key and buy our drinks. Edward was still on the phone.

_Emmett must be giving him shit about being gone the whole weekend with me. "Pussy-whipped Cullen?" I don't think so. Well, maybe a little. And just maybe I was "Cock-Whipped Swan." After five times maybe that was pretty accurate._

I giggled to myself at that thought.

_Can I get a 'Holy hoohah'? _

_Holy hoohah! _

_Amen, sister!_

When I saw Edward look over at me I blew him a kiss and watched as he caught it and smiled while still on the phone.

_So hot. So cute. So mine. Maybe I should be skipping…_

Back inside the store I returned the key and got our drinks. Then I stood in line waiting for the cashier to slowly figure out the transaction in front of me before he could be totally confused by my transaction as well.

As I walked back to the Volvo I saw Edward closing his phone. I rolled my eyes at having taken so long and apologized as I climbed back into the car, explaining the ineptitude of the cashier.

We pulled out of the gas station and headed for the freeway.

Edward explained that Emmett had wanted to know when we were coming back and that he'd told him sometime around dinner, but that we might eat out rather than in the dining hall. I knew they had talked for longer than that, but I'd already figured Emmett had probably spent a good deal of time giving Edward crap and trying to find out what we'd been up to. He was probably hoping to report back to the group with whatever scoop he'd discovered.

They were all so nosy! When were they going to get over Edward having a girlfriend? But it was entertaining and I think Edward secretly liked the attention after his self-imposed aloofness.

I began to work on my paper as Edward plugged in his iPod. He played the Hallelujah playlist he'd made for me quietly in the background. We'd been so…busy…the previous night that I hadn't focused on all of the songs, so I enjoyed the chance to hear them again as I edited my paper.

There were some songs that had meant something to us from the past few weeks, like "Clair de Lune," "It Had to Be You," and "Stardust," all of which he'd played on the piano, as well as songs we'd danced to at Esme's party, such as "Brown Eyed Girl," "Green Eyes," "Fix You," and "Hallelujah." There were also many more songs that Edward had included simply because they made him think of me…of _us_. It was an eclectic mix of classical music, oldies and contemporary tunes and I loved that he'd taken the time to make me something that would always remind me of the first time we made love.

I took a break when "My Girl" began and Edward reached over for my hand and started singing along. I joined him, both of us loudly belting out the chorus as we drove along the freeway, him singing "My Girl," and me singing, "My Guy."

When we got back to Seattle we stopped and had a quick bite to eat at a little restaurant. I think Edward wanted to keep us in our bubble as much as possible and I was in agreement with that. I wasn't looking forward to reality. I wanted another weekend escape with the man of my dreams already.

We spotted Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett wandering out of the dining hall after dinner as we walked up from the parking lot. We waited for them to catch up and headed back to the dorm as a group.

Of course they could barely contain themselves and I had the sneaking suspicion that Alice or Rose had somehow spilled the beans on the reason for our getaway. The reason that didn't involve going to help out at the Black's.

As soon as Emmett started up Rose slapped him back down, saying, "For God's sake, Emmett, they just got back. They'll tell us about their amorous adventures if and when they're ready." I died a little right then and felt myself blushing crimson.

Edward looked at me and I knew I'd been caught. He did a little eye roll, shook his head, but I saw his faint grin. He probably realized they'd figure things out anyway. And we really _had_ had some rather amorous adventures.

I told him I couldn't help it; Rose and Alice had gone lingerie shopping with me and they knew something was up.

Alice smoothed things over but was obviously upset that Edward had only taken me to their parent's house. Before she could get too upset with him I explained that it had been really romantic; Edward had thought of everything and had done a wonderful job. I told her she would have been proud of him. I knew she'd want details on what he'd done and I'd fill her in on them later when Emmett wasn't around to make a spectacle of himself. Although Emmett did manage to blurt out something about 'adult toys' at which point Rose slapped him in the head.

Even Jasper was affronted with that little comment.

And apparently they'd all placed bets. I could hardly wait to hear what that was all about, although I wasn't quite sure we'd ever actually divulge the particulars.

Edward was anxious to get my things up to my room, probably to escape the Great Inquisition. I told him he could head on up and I'd follow shortly; I wanted to print up my paper since it was all set to go and I needed to use his printer.

Emmett walked Rose back over to her dorm and Alice grabbed Edward, telling him she'd let him into the room with my stuff and he could tell her what he had done to make their parent's house a romantic destination. Edward was reluctant, but he must have realized that she'd keep picking at him until he gave her some details and so he allowed her to haul him out of the room and head for ours.

Jasper said he'd be back in a minute and left the room as I opened up my laptop on Edward's desk. But the flash drive wasn't in the USB port. I checked my pockets and finally remembered setting it down in the car.

_Damn!_

I grabbed Edward's keys off the bed and headed back down to the car.

I was nearly to the parking lot when I realized that I probably should have waited for Jasper to return rather than heading down to the car by myself. The sun had already set as we'd arrived earlier and the light had faded away now at twilight. The lights in the parking lot were not yet on and I quickly looked around myself, just to be aware of my surroundings, good policeman's daughter that I was. It was quiet, though, no one was about.

I looked ahead to where I knew Edward's car was parked, between Tyler Crowley's van and Mike Newton's aging Camaro. My eyes settled for a moment on a small dark car with a Pizza Palace delivery light perched on its roof.

That was something Edward and I hadn't done yet; ordered pizza from the local shop instead of eating in the dining hall. That would be fun for a change; a swanky fort pizza party with the gang. I'd have to suggest it. Maybe something we could do later this week. The dining hall pizza left a lot to be desired.

I walked toward the passenger side of Edward's car, unlocking it with the remote on his key chain as I neared the car. Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement as I heard footsteps on the pavement. I looked over to see a dark-haired guy in his Pizza Palace uniform and cap approaching his car. He gave a little wave as he tossed his backpack across to the passenger side of his vehicle and climbed into the driver's side.

I opened the door to the Volvo and bent inside the car, looking in the little tray for the flash drive. Just as I grabbed it, Edward's key ring, which I'd slipped on one of my fingers, slid from my hand and down between the passenger seat and the console.

_Great! Because I'm not in a hurry or anything. _

Though the dome light was on, I really couldn't see where it had disappeared and I was having a hard time wedging my hand into the crevice to fish it out.

**POV of a Stalker**

_Perfect; a close parking space. Time to roll. Just shut the door and head to her dorm._

_Fucking whore. That's what she is. Just like all of them. If they aren't bitches they're sluts. Two categories. _

_My own mother was both. I've heard it enough times from my old man. He doesn't have to even bother telling me. I know it. I can still hear the voices of the other little kids at school._

"_How come your mom went away?" "Why'd she leave you?" _

_She left because she was a bitch and a whore. And she left my angry father to try and figure out how to raise a kid on the shit pay he made at his crap job. Forcing me to look for jobs ever since I can remember just to help make ends meet. All because of the original bitchwhore._

_That's old news. Now I know exactly how to fuck with women before they fuck with me. I've got looks and skills. Taking whatever I want, until I get bored. And then just toss them aside like the garbage they are._

_Like her…Bella...Raw Sugar…I thought she was different. She IS different. I can't get her out of my mind…the first one that's brushed me off. Coming on to me in the coffee shop and then playing hard-to-get at the party. I knew she wasn't Cullen's girlfriend. Fuck that charade! Then she shows up again at the coffee shop, looking for me. But I scored that day…besides the little titty stroke I managed…she had no idea…her purse dumped on the ground…and she was so flustered she never even saw me pick up that folded piece of paper. _

_Who carries their class schedule around a month into school? She probably never even missed it._

_That had been the mother lode. I knew where she was headed and when, each and every day. Following her the next two days, keeping an eye on her. The photos I managed to take…she has no idea…neither does her "boyfriend." Where there's a will…there's a way, baby._

_I got your schedule and there's no escaping me. I've got it all memorized. Romantic Movement in English Lit, English Novel Through Jane Austen, Studies in Shakespeare, Creative Writing, Modern British and American Drama…_

_I'll show you drama, Sweet Cheeks. _

_And then she costs me my damn job. Black-listed from working on campus...thanks, bitch! Trying to track her down, talk with her, set her straight… finally giving up and leaving the damn wilted flowers and card with the redhead. _

_But she never calls. Bitch. How hard is it to call? _

_Waiting outside of Humanities Hall, watching for her…spotting her with Clueless Cullen… until he left…left her alone. She was surprised to see me, sitting there behind her in Bertie's class. But I could tell, she was impressed I'd found her. _

_But what the fuck is WITH her? What does she think she sees in him? Fucking Pretty-Boy. _

_And the fucker calls me today! How did he get my number? From her? Bitch!_

_He says she's his girlfriend. That's a laugh. He takes her to bed and keeps his clothes on…reads a book…listens to music…with that hot little body right next to him? Loser._

_I'd drill that tight piece of ass. Hard._

_She's in love with him? She's happy? Cullen is the one who's fucking delusional! She'd be happier with someone that knows how to use a cock. Like me. I'd fuck her into next week and it would be my name she'd be screaming and crying. She can't possibly be screaming his name…he's fucking clueless with chicks._

_And they went to the police? What the hell for? I had just wanted to talk to her. To set her straight. _

_They're crazy._

_And that bitch-witch, skinny-assed sister of his...she's just as crazy…trying to tell me off. Like I give a fuck what she has to say. _

_But at least she'd tipped me off. And Little Cullen confirmed it today: I had to change things up. People were watching for me. _

_Look all you want. You'll look straight at me and you won't even see me. It's amazing what a pair of glasses, a haircut and a bottle of brown hair-dye can do for a person. _

_Thank fuck I managed to get this job. This had been a stroke of genius. The uniform and cap give me access…and I'm going to walk right through the dorm. Right up to her room._

_The sandy-blond, baby-faced guy near the door will be no match for me…I can tell…he's got 'doofus' written all over his all-American, simpleton smile as he nods a greeting at me._

_I return his smile…this will be easy…_

"_Hey, how's it going, man? I have a Pizza Palace delivery for someone in this dorm."_

"_Uh, they should meet you down here at the door. I'm not supposed to let you in. Sorry, Dude."_

"_I've been trying the phone number she gave me, but she doesn't pick up. I think her phone's off."_

"_What's her name?"_

_A glance down at the insulated box and then a quick check in my pocket, like I'm looking for the order slip._

"_Shoot, I left the slip in the car. She said she was upstairs; room 210." Not 206, because that's Raw Sugar's room and that might tip you off, Doofus._

"_Oh, then it must have been Angela, because I just had dinner with Jessica…that's her roommate."_

"_Yeah, right, that's it. Angela." Whatever the fuck you say, Baby-Face...Angela, Kate, Jane, Heidi, Carmen; pick whatever name fits, Baby-face…just get me in the door. "So is it cool if I go ahead and deliver the pizza?"_

"_Oh, sure, Dude, you're good."_

_And he even holds the fucking door open for me…because he's an idiot._

"_Thanks! Catch you later, man." _

_Dipshit. _

_Of course she's not in her room or in the suite, because she's somewhere with Pansy-assed Cullen. A romantic getaway, according to the skinny-assed bitch-witch. But I'm prepared. I'll just leave her a little note, spray-painted on her wall and door. That should get her attention._

_Fucking whore._

_Maybe she's in the dining hall. I can ditch the pizza and cruise over to check things out. _

_No sign of her. No sign of any of them in the dining hall. The place is nearly empty._

_Maybe she's not back from their cozy little getaway. Bitchslut._

_It's just about dark. And I do some of my best work in the dark. I'll wait her out in the parking lot. Because I came prepared for a little showdown._

_Whoa…What?_

_Holy motherfuck! _

_This is unbelievable! I can't believe my good fortune…it's her…Bella the bitchslut, heading down to the parking lot…just like me…and she's all alone. _

_It's fate._

_Gotta keep my eyes on her…nobody else is around…this is perfect. She's looking in my direction. She must have heard me. I'll give her a friendly little wave as I toss my backpack into the opened car door and then climb in, like I'm leaving. I just need the stuff in the front pocket of the backpack. _

_Be cool, James, be cool…you can do this. Ditch the cap and glasses and go._

_She's opening the door of the silver Volvo and bending inside._

_Now's my chance!_

_I'm stealthy and I'm fast. _

_She has no idea what's coming._

**BPOV**

I stuff the little flash drive into my pocket, but now I've got to find Edward's keys where I dropped them. I wedge my hand down…with my fingertips…trying to feel…almost…

"Hey! What the heck? Let go!"

My arms are pulled back behind me. Strong hands on my wrists as I'm yanked backward out of the car. I'm struggling to get my arms free, but they are in a vise grip.

"Let me go! What the heck are you doing? What do you want?"

My body is shoved painfully up against Edward's car, my wrists still held tightly together behind me. Before I can think to scream a hand has shot around my face, covering my mouth and holding my jaw so tightly I cannot even open my mouth to bite the hand. I try to stomp on an instep, suddenly remembering my self-defense class from long ago. But it's no use…long legs are spread wide, a heavy body is pressed against mine and I just can't move my legs to reach.

_Shit! Think…think!_

"Well, well, well, Raw Sugar…fancy meeting you here," an oily voice drawls at my ear. I feel the hot, disgusting breath on my neck. "I was hoping to run into you, but I didn't think we'd have this fine opportunity."

_James! No! Oh, no! Where did he come from?_

I struggle, but it doesn't matter, he has me so tightly pinned I can't move. I feel him shifting, the hand around my wrists is gone, but he has wedged himself that much tighter against me, his hand still clamped over my mouth.

_He's fishing in a pocket?_

I'm smashed up against the car and I can feel the metal as it presses into my flesh.

_Holy shit, he's strong!_

"Now, I can't have you getting all noisy on me, baby," he hisses in my ear. "We'll save the screams for later."

I feel cloth by my face. He's trying to shove something in my mouth.

_A gag?_

I begin shaking my head hard from side to side, trying to avoid the gag and I manage to bite him, but it's glancing, not hard enough and he just punches back against my lip and I can taste my own blood.

_No, not blood! Isabella, so help me God, don't think about the blood! Don't faint!_

"There's no point in putting up a fight, baby. You don't stand a chance," he growls.

He manages to stuff the gag in my mouth and I am frantic, writhing with every bit of my strength. Somehow I get one arm free suddenly, but I'm flailing, unable to do anything of any consequence. He grabs my free wrist and pulls it back toward my other arm, until he is once again holding both wrists and they are beginning to ache in his tight grasp.

_He's too strong!_

"Don't make a fucking sound, or you'll regret it!" He says harshly into my ear. And from the corner of my eye I can see that he looks different. It's his hair. Dark brown and short, the ponytail is gone.

_What?_

I hear a quiet little 'click' and I frantically search my brain for the source of that sound.

_A gun? No…not a gun. Softer, quieter than a gun. What?_

His other hand is once again in front of my face and I see the source of the click, glinting from random lights in the distance…a switchblade!

_Oh, fuck! He's got a knife!_

"I think you should settle down a little, Raw Sugar. I'd hate to have to hurt you. Although you've really hurt me. I just wanted to talk to you. But you've been a total bitch to me. You don't want to talk to me…or do you?"

A wave of nausea washes through me.

_And_ _he has a knife. _

_Oh, God, he has a knife._

_Think! Think! Think! _

_Cooperate…let him think I'm cooperating…_

I can't speak, but I can nod my head. I begin nodding furiously, making soft little whimpering sounds through the gag.

"_Now_ you're willing to talk?" he asks, guessing at what I am trying to tell him.

I nod furiously and he laughs, low in his throat.

"We'll, we'll talk, but that's not all I want. You know what I want, don't you?"

I shake my head.

"Well, here's a clue," he says as he grinds his erection against my backside.

_No! _

The switchblade is there, in front of my face and I can smell the blood from my split lip, making me feel lightheaded. I can't let myself pass out. He pulls me back and forces me down, bending me into the car.

_Edward's car…_

_Edward…_

_No!_

And I can feel the tears as they begin rolling down my cheeks.

**EPOV**

As I sprint down the stairs after seeing the spray-painted wall, I hear Alice's voice behind me, yelling.

"Hurry, Edward! I'll call the police!

I rush down the stairs, calling Bella, and I glance into the main living room as I fly by on the way to my room. The living room is empty and there is no one in my suite as head for my room. When I burst in the door, Jasper is there, spinning around and looking at me in surprise as I come to an abrupt halt.

"Where's Bella?" I shout at him.

He looks at me in confusion, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders in one movement.

"Where IS she?" I yell, glaring at his baffled expression.

"Edward, I don't know! She was here a minute ago…I went to the bathroom and when I came back she was gone. I thought she went up to her room."

"No! She didn't come up! James is here somewhere! I've got to find her!"

Bella's laptop is still on my desk, but it's off. Her purse is still there on the chair where she left it. Jasper glances at my bed.

"Your keys…weren't they there?" he asks as he points to the bed.

"The car! She must have gone back to the car! Go find Emmett!"

I am already out the door, running full bore to the parking lot.

_Shit! The lights in the parking lot aren't on yet!_

I can just see the front end of my car past the end of Crowley's van as I race down the hill. It looks like the dome light must be on inside the car. The door must be open.

_Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay._

As I get close I have a better angle to see inside the car.

_A guy with dark hair? What? No…it's him! I can tell by how he moves._

_He's there. With her. Forcing her into the car. Oh, shit!_

_I have to go around…come from behind…_

_I can see that he's struggling with her. Struggling with my feisty girl. _

_He's going to fucking regret this!_

I come up behind him fast, before he realizes I'm there. I reach in, grabbing handfuls of his shirt and jolt him backwards out of the car.

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER!

**BPOV**

_Edward! Oh my God, Edward!_

James is suddenly ripped from the car as I hear Edward's loud, feral snarl. It is the single most menacing thing I have ever heard and chills run from the crown of my head to my feet.

But my arms are suddenly freed, and I can pull the gag from my mouth. Edward slams James against the side of the car, making it rock with the violent force.

"Edward! He's got a knife!" I yell and he jumps back just in time, as James narrowly misses him with a backward swipe of his knife-wielding hand. And because Edward has dodged the knife and jumped backward, James has the chance to turn back around and face him.

"Bella! Are you alright?" Edward yells. He doesn't take his eyes off the monster brandishing the switchblade in front of him, but I can hear the worry in his voice.

"I'm fine! Be careful, Edward!"

I can't look away. I'm afraid to look away.

_Be careful. Be careful, baby. Oh, please be careful!_

"Isn't this sweet," James sneers, "just the three of us…we can get a little ménage a trois going. What do you say, Edward? Shall we share?" He cocks his head to the side.

"You're a fucking psycho, James." Edward growls viciously, his lip curling up, baring his teeth. He looks dangerous; positively lethal.

I turn in the car seat, climbing halfway out, reaching and grabbing James by the wrist; the one that holds the knife. It's enough of a distraction for him to turn toward me and yank his hand from my grip, scraping me, but allowing Edward the opportunity to grab him once more and pull him away from me and the car and thrust him hard against Tyler's van.

"Get in the car, Bella! Lock the doors!" Edward shouts at me as he jumps back from James' swinging arm, avoiding the knife once again.

I hesitate, watching helplessly, wanting to do something to help.

"Do it now!" Edward yells angrily, glancing at me as James lunges toward him. "And hit the horn!"

_Fuck! The horn!_

I slam the door, locking it and reach over to press the horn. As it sounds I crawl to my knees, not taking my eyes off the two of them, watching as James advances on Edward, who is retreating, moving warily toward the back of the car.

_The back of the car! _

_Yes!_

I lean over farther to the driver's side, reaching down…and I pop the trunk.

**EPOV**

I can see Bella moving in the car out of the corner of my eye and the horn quits blaring for a moment as I wait for the madman in front of me to lunge again. I hear the trunk unlatch and see it lift in my periphery.

_What the hell? Why did she do that?_

And then it hits me like a bolt of lightning as the horn begins blaring once again...

_My girl is so damn smart!_

I back up quickly, rounding the trunk as James cocks his head again, coming warily toward me.

I reach down in the opened trunk.

And wrap my hand around…

A Fucking. Baseball. Bat.

James is up Shit Creek.

Before he realizes what's happening, I straighten and take a hard, fast swing at his upper body. The gutteral sound that escapes my lips drowns out his cry as I connect. He folds and staggers; a look of shock on his face. I take one more swing, this time at the hand that is holding the knife. The weapon goes flying as he falls to the ground in pain, clutching at his hand, moaning and writhing in agony.

And I really want to just take the bat and bash him in the head over and over again, as hard as is humanly possible. But instead I fling the bat away with a roar, finally hearing voices, shouts and yells and running footsteps nearing and a siren in the distance.

I sink to the ground in post-adrenaline-rush exhaustion. Overwhelming relief washes through me, but the tension and stress of what has just happened leaves my body depleted. My heart is pounding, I'm shaking, and I can't seem to catch my breath.

I hear the car door open and Bella stumbling out on the passenger side, calling to me. I can hear that she is choking back tears.

"Edward? Oh my God, Edward, are you okay?"

I look up, dazed but nodding and I see her tear-stained face as she makes her way around the car. My eyes glance from her face down to her shirt and I feel my heart rate accelerating as I hear myself gasping for breath. There are blood stains smeared on the front of her shirt, more blood soaking into her sleeve and covering and dripping from her right hand. She stumbles into my arms, sobbing.

_Oh, no, love! No! NO!_

I must be hyperventilating now; I vaguely hear voices around us as my peripheral vision dims and I clasp Bella to me. My arms are shaking as I hold her close, rocking her. Looking down at her pale, tear-stained face, I watch as her eyes flutter closed and her body goes limp in my arms.

I hear two sirens now, one close and another one in the distance. There are voices all around us, but those sounds fade as I hear another sound; an ungodly, inhuman sound. And just before everything goes black, I realize that eerie wail is coming from me.

* * *

**A/N: I warned you. Repeat the mantra: "**_**Bannerday believes in a Happily Ever After." **_


	65. Post Traumatic Stalker Disorder

**The Transfer**

A/N: We are nearing the end, my friends. Less than ten to go.

I'm not her, don't have her bank account or own her characters. I just love to play with the personalities that go with the names of those lovely characters. And I don't mean to infringe.

What exactly happened at that showdown with James, the psycho-stalker? It'll be much clearer as you read.

* * *

**Chapter 65: Post Traumatic Stalker Disorder**

"Alright, people, step back! Let the paramedics do their work! Head back to the dorms unless you're going to give a statement!"

**EPOV**

…_voices…_

"Oh gosh, he's so sweaty, Emmett! What's wrong?"

"Alice, he had an adrenaline rush. When that happened his body went into overdrive. He was out of his mind, thinking that nut job was abducting her…or worse! And then the knife fight… Jesus Christ…I can't even imagine, you know? …if that were Rose? Thank God for that baseball bat."

…_a knife…_

"Did you see Crowley's van, Emmett? Big old dent! You think Edward did that?"

"Probably, Jasper, they say you can have almost superhuman strength when it happens."

"Emmett…you really think he's okay? That sound he made before he passed out was heart wrenching! And he was shaking so badly! What if he's in pain?"

_Alice…crying?_

"Alice, trust me. Think how he felt! He was already on overload as it was from the adrenaline rush. And then he had a panic attack the minute he saw her with all that blood. The hyperventilating made him pass out and that can cause the muscle twitches. He'll come around in a minute.

"Edward? Hey, come on, Baby Bro, wake up!"

_Emmett…_

…"Jasper, take my sweatshirt, check with the police and see if it's okay to try and clean up the blood inside the car. I'm going to go see what the paramedics are telling Rose about Bella."

"Unnhh…"

"Oh! He's coming around! Edward! Wake up, Edward! Please!"

_Alice…so damn bossy._

I feel her small, cool hand patting my cheek. I struggle to open my eyes and blink and look up into my twin's tear-stained face, hovering between me and the night sky. For some reason I'm lying flat on my back. Alice suddenly bends over and quickly hugs me. Before I can lift an arm to pat her she is sitting back up, wiping at her eyes as she looks down at me. She shifts her body and moves away a bit, pulling my outstretched legs up over her lap.

"Just lie here and stay calm, sweetie. They said we've got to elevate your legs. I'm so glad you're back."

_Back? What is she talking about? Back from where?_

"What happened?" I groan, frowning, feeling befuddled.

"You don't remember? Oh Edward, James was here! He had a knife. You were fighting him off with one of the baseball bats… I thought he was going to stab you, but you're okay."

I can feel a flash of panic rising as I recall images of Bella stumbling toward me, bleeding, her limp body falling into my arms crying and her eyes fluttering closed in her abnormally pale face.

_Oh, God…No! _

_I can't go through this again._

"Bella? Is she…?" _I can't say it._

"She's fine, Edward!" Alice reassures me quickly, her voice catching as she speaks. "Well, she's _going_ to be okay; the paramedics are here." She looks above me, across the lot.

_She's okay? Oh, thank God… She's okay! _

I exhale, hot tears springing to my eyes and I swipe them away with my thumb and forefinger.

"What happened to her?" I ask. My voice sounds rough. "I thought…I thought she…"

"No! Oh no, Edward! James slit her wrist with the knife…" Alice adds as she wipes at her eyes too, knowing that I'd thought the absolute worst had happened to Bella. "She bled a lot, but she just passed out...just like you did! I swear you and Bella are two peas in a pod, scaring me like this! But, oh my God, that mournful cry you made, right before you blacked out…!" She chokes back a little sob as she grasps my hand and holds it tightly because she knows where my thoughts had gone in that moment.

Emotion wells up within me as the panic ebbs and is replaced with a deep sense of relief that Bella is okay. My body feels utterly exhausted.

"What happened to James?" I finally think to ask.

"He's in police custody." She nods in the direction of several cop cars, where Emmett is talking with Officer Peters from the campus police department and several other uniformed policemen that I don't recognize.

At the sound of approaching footsteps I turn my head and see a paramedic nearing us.

"How are you doing?" he asks as he kneels down.

"I think I'm okay." Though I feel out of sorts, I know that I am physically okay; drained, but okay.

"How is _she_ doing?" I ask him, anxiously looking toward the ambulance where Bella has been placed on a gurney as two other paramedics hover over her.

"She fainted, probably from the stress, not loss of blood. She has a single knife wound just above the inside of her wrist on her right arm. There are a lot of blood vessels there but they've got the bleeding under control. She's headed to the hospital for surgery. She also has a split lip which will probably require a stitch or two."

"But she'll be all right?" I ask, because I just can't really believe it and I want to make sure.

He nods. "She'll be okay. And I want to make sure _you're_ okay and didn't injure your head when you blacked out." He checks my heart rate and then I feel his hands on the sides and back of my head as he feels for a contusion. He checks my vision and asks me a few other questions as he looks me over.

When he's satisfied that I'm physically all right, he warns me that I may have some after effects of the adrenaline rush or symptoms of post-traumatic stress, like feelings of anxiety or recurring thoughts or flashbacks and problems sleeping. He adds that it's also common to feel run down, irritable and angry and I might have difficulties concentrating.

Alice explains to him that our father is a doctor and he is familiar with all of this.

_I'm familiar with all of this._

_I've been down this ugly road before. _

The paramedic finishes with me and I'm allowed to sit up. He returns to the ambulance where I watch as Bella is loaded into the back on the gurney. She is sedated and bandaged. The door is pulled shut by one of the EMTs and the engine starts up. As it heads out of the lot the siren blares and it speeds off into the night.

I look across the lot and see Rose and Jasper, apparently returning from a trip up to the dorm. Rose has retrieved Bella's purse from my room and Jasper appears to be carrying some clothing. When they join us Jasper hands me my keys, which he found inside my car. He's also holding two sweatshirts.

"Uh, you want to give me the sweatshirt you're wearing, Edward?" he asks a little uncomfortably. "I brought you a clean one."

I wonder what he's talking about until I glance down at the front of my sweatshirt and see the bloodstains.

_Bella's blood. _

A wave of emotion crashes through me, debilitating me.

Jasper begins speaking again quickly, sensing that I am on the verge of losing it.

"I, uh, I brought you the Mariners sweatshirt Bella gave you. I thought you might want to wear it to the hospital…I think we're about ready to go; Emmett's driving."

I look up at him and he nods encouragingly as Alice begins to unzip and help me remove my blood-stained sweatshirt so I can pull the Mariners sweatshirt on over my head.

"Thanks," I mutter up to them both as Jasper takes the bloody sweatshirt and balls it up. He passes by my car; scooping another balled-up sweatshirt off the ground…the one Emmett had on earlier…and takes both to the dumpster.

Emmett comes back over to where we are all huddled and Jasper tosses him the other sweatshirt that he has been holding. I realize Emmett has just been wearing a t-shirt this whole time and I wonder why his sweatshirt had to be thrown out too.

"Officer Peters is going to meet us over at the hospital," Emmett says while pulling on his sweatshirt. "We're lucky he was on duty tonight, since he's already familiar with the case. He'll need to get your statement and Bella's when she comes out of surgery.

"Come on, Edward, you can't sit on your ass in the parking lot all night!" He forces a little grin as he looks down at me and extends his hand to pull me up. "So, let's go, gang; let's move this party over to the waiting room at UDub Med Center!"

_Emmett…he just can't help but be himself._

We head to his car. Alice is on the phone, speaking with our parents from the sounds of it. Emmett's hand is on my shoulder as we walk. Quietly he speaks to me.

"You doing okay, Eddie?"

_He hasn't called me that in years._

I sigh.

_Fuck…is he serious?_

"Yeah, I'm good Em…I was tempted to club another human being to death just now, my girlfriend was held at knifepoint by a sick-o predator right before my eyes, she wound up stabbed and bleeding in my arms and when she passed out I flipped out, thinking she was somehow dying. So, yeah, I'm doing well."

I glance over to see him roll his eyes. He is working hard at stifling a grin in response to me.

"That's my bro! Always looking on the bright side."

It's my turn to roll my eyes.

We're at his car, everyone climbing in after he unlocks it with the remote. I realize Rose has climbed in back, which she never does, and Emmett has led me to the front passenger side to ride shotgun. As I reach for the door handle Emmett leans his hand against the door, staying my movement for a moment as the other doors all slam shut. I look up at his face and he is carefully looking at me; his expression is serious for once; not a dimple in sight.

"Edward, you got to her in time. You're a hero. You took care of the psycho and now he's looking at some serious jail time. This thing with him is done. And Bella will be okay. She'll mend. Try to stay focused on those things."

I nod uncertainly as he opens the door for me and I climb into the Hummer. I am not at all convinced about being a hero.

_I provoked this with a phone call._

"I called Mom and Dad…" Alice announces as I get settled, interrupting my thoughts. "I wanted to…you know…to let them know what's going on. I told them you were alright and that you'd call them later tonight or tomorrow. Dad said they have an excellent Hand and Wrist Surgery Center here. There's all kinds of nerves, tendons, and blood vessels in the wrist, so Bella's in the right place; they're specialists. And Dad knows someone on the staff there and is going to give him a call and make sure Bella is well cared for."

"Thanks, Alice," I murmur, still feeling dazed at the frenzy that has gone on around me and the fact that I feel incapable of thinking very clearly.

I just want to see Bella for myself; make sure she's really all right.

On the ride over to the medical center there are questions and a sharing of information.

James had managed to get a job at Pizza Palace and used that to his advantage. Mike Newton had allowed him in; James had convinced him he had a delivery for Angela. That had been blown to hell when Angela and Ben returned from a dinner out shortly after the police and ambulance had arrived. We couldn't really feel too angry at Mike, though. James looked completely different with the short, dark hair and he had also been wearing glasses and a cap at the time. Besides, deliveries from Pizza Palace are fairly commonplace in the dorms. You don't imagine the pizza guy is a screwed-up stalker.

I tell them about what I had seen when I ran down to the parking lot; how I approached James from behind and pulled him off of Bella, who was already in the car, and slammed him up against the side of the Volvo. He would have had the chance to stab me, if Bella hadn't yelled that he had a knife. When she grabbed his arm he looked away for just a split second, giving me the opportunity to grab him once more and hurl him against Tyler's van. I realize suddenly that she had probably gotten cut then, when she grabbed his arm and he pushed her away.

_She was trying to help me…_

_Fuck._

They had all heard the blaring of the car horn. As they ran down to the lot they saw the trunk open and they watched me back toward it and grab the baseball bat. And of course they saw me belt him with the bat twice, before heaving it aside in frustration and anger.

They are amazed at Bella's quick thinking in popping the trunk for me. And they are surprised that I recognized what she was conveying to me in that move. Alice makes a comment about us being on the same wavelength and then we all get very quiet when Rose comments that Bella must already have been cut and bleeding by that time.

I wonder out loud why Bella hadn't thought to simply set off the car alarm with the remote, but Jasper says the keys had been on the floor, under the seat, so she must have dropped them before she could use the alarm. I ask Jasper how he even knew to look for my keys under there and there is another brief, strained silence in the car. Emmett explains quietly that he'd sent Jasper to try to clean up whatever blood he could, once the police were done with photos they might have needed. I suddenly feel sick to my stomach, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees and putting my head in my hands. I rake my fingers roughly through my hair.

_I did this to her._

At the hospital Rose pulls me toward a row of chairs and sits down with me. Bella's purse is in her lap. We take out Bella's wallet to find her insurance card and driver's license for identification. Inside her wallet is a photo of the two of us the night of our first real date. It's a photo Alice took with her phone and sent to my mom, who in turn printed up copies for us. I carry a matching one in my wallet.

_Me in my jacket and tie, Bella in that amazing red dress and those wicked, strappy, black shoes. _

I glance up to see Rose smiling at me.

"You both looked so hot that night; like you were going to a formal. Bella was so excited, Edward…and you were speechless, if I remember correctly."

Despite the lump in my throat, I manage to softly tell her, "I can't imagine a better first date, nor a lovelier girl to have taken on that date with me."

Rose pats my hand and smiles as she gets up, handing me Bella's purse to hold while she and Emmett take the insurance card and Bella's license to the registration desk.

I hold Bella's purse protectively. I glance down at it, nestled on my lap, thinking how I'd much prefer _her_ nestled on my lap and I happen to see her little canister of pepper spray tucked inside. I am immediately transported back to the odd and wonderful circumstances of our very first kiss in the shower after she sprayed me with pepper spray, thinking I was an attacker.

Her pepper spray failed her tonight. She hadn't thought to take it with her.

Officer Peters shows up a short while later to get my statement. He wants to hear from me what I saw when I got down to the lot and what happened at that point, before Emmett and Jasper came barreling down the hill with Rose and Alice.

Statements from Mike and Angela have already been taken, regarding how James got into the dorm in the first place. Officers have also alternately spoken with Emmett, Jasper and Rose, to find out what they witnessed when they got down to the parking lot.

I tell him my entire experience from the moment I saw the spray paint drip on the wall, knowing James was an immediate threat to Bella, to the point where she landed in my arms, crying and bleeding and I blacked out.

Peters asks numerous questions throughout my explanation, clarifying for himself the rapid series of events until he seems satisfied that he has everything he needs from me.

I ask him if I will be charged with anything, but he assures me that I obviously acted in self-defense and in the defense of another against the perpetrator of the crime, a known stalker at this point, who was armed with a deadly weapon.

And then I ask the million dollar question.

"What will happen to James?"

"James will be going to jail, Edward. He'll be charged with a felony among other things. And with the information you and Bella gave me last week, the case against him will be solid. Besides the obvious assault with a deadly weapon and stalking, he's also committed lesser crimes, such as defacing University property and theft."

"Theft?" I ask. "What did James steal?"

"Well, it doesn't appear that he was actually working at the time that he took the Pizza Palace light attached to the roof of the car." Peters shakes his head. "There may be additional charges we aren't even aware of yet. We have to get Bella's statement; she's the missing piece of the puzzle. But I've got to say, the picture looks bad for James. He's not going anywhere for a long time."

I finally feel somewhat more relieved. James will no longer be a threat to Bella. Like Emmett pointed out to me, this thing with him is done.

"I'll let you get back to your family and friends," Peters says, thanking me. "Let your sister know that I'll need to talk to her in a bit."

I nod to him and head back over to my anxious, pixie-faced sister, sitting curled up next to a calming Jasper in the waiting room. His fingers are rubbing circles into her back as she leans against him.

"Peters wants to talk to you shortly," I let Alice know, indicating him over my shoulder.

She sits up a little straighter in her seat, readying herself to relive what she saw happening to her roommate, who has become her best friend, and to her twin.

"I think I should probably try to call Bella's dad," I tell her. "Even if the police have already contacted him, it would be best if I spoke to him as well, since I was there."

"Do you think you're up to that?" Alice's eyes search mine. "I could speak with him, if you'd like…you know, as her roommate?"

"No, it's okay. But thanks. I think I'll step outside to call him...get some fresh air at the same time. If you hear anything, come get me, okay?"

"Of course, Edward." She's still looking at me intently, like she's trying to look inside me, but I avert my eyes under her gaze. She clears her throat and finally adds, "I'm going to send Jazz in search of coffee. He'll get you one too, okay?"

"Sounds good, Alice, thanks," I say as I collect Bella's phone from the front pocket of her purse. Rose returns with Emmett from giving Bella's information to the front desk. The two of them sit down next to Alice and have their eyes on me as I head for the main doors.

I scroll through Bella's contacts to get the number for her home in Forks, punching the numbers into my phone and pressing 'send'. Her dad answers on the third ring.

"Chief Swan," his gruff voice declares.

"Chief Swan….this is Edward…Edward Cullen…Bella's…boyfriend…"

His voice cuts in. "I laid carpet with you the day before yesterday, son. I remember who you are. And don't forget, you're allowed to call me Charlie." He pauses for a moment before he continues. "You're calling about the assault on Bella, Edward?"

"Someone already contacted you?" I breathe a sigh of relief because I don't have the terrible responsibility of breaking the news to him.

"Yes. I spoke with the Chief of Police there yesterday and let him know that I wanted to be contacted immediately if this thing escalated. Turns out I attended Police Academy with the guy, so I got a call a short while ago from one of the cops on duty. I got the short version of what happened; he didn't know too much yet. I was just about to try calling the hospital. Are _you_ all right?"

"Yes, sir. I wasn't injured; I just feel sort of stunned."

"That's completely understandable. Where are you now? Are you at the hospital?" he asks."

"Yes, we're waiting to hear something; Bella's in surgery right now. Charlie…I'm so sorry she got hurt," I tell him, though it's hard to get the words out. "I didn't even know she'd been hurt until after it was over."

_I'd told him I'd keep an eye out for her. I've let him down as well…_

"Edward, we both know it could have been much worse. I'm thankful you were there, although you put yourself in danger, trying to help her. You could have been injured as well. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

I launch into the story once again as Jasper strolls out the main doors and hands me a coffee. I nod a thanks to him but continue speaking into the phone. Charlie doesn't say much as he listens. He asks a question or two, but doesn't react in surprise to any of it…he actually seems calm, but then again, he is a cop and he must occasionally deal with violence.

"Well, Edward," Charlie exhales, and I can finally hear the upset in his tired voice, "I'd appreciate it if you'd keep me posted if you get an update on her condition. I just got off a double shift and I really don't trust myself to drive tonight; it'd be the middle of the night by the time I got there anyway and she'll be asleep. I'll leave early tomorrow morning and head for the hospital. I'll try to be there by nine. Bella probably won't be very alert, but if you do talk with her, let her know I'm coming."

I look up as Emmett comes out the main doors of the hospital. He is also on his phone. He gives me a little nod, and I shoot him a little two-fingered wave, but he stands off to the other side, leaving me to my conversation while he is involved in his.

"Sure, Charlie, I'll call when I hear anything and hopefully they'll let me see her when she gets out of surgery."

"All right. And Edward?" he pauses.

"Yes, sir?"

"Bella looks fragile and helpless with that pale skin of hers and all that blushing she does, but she's really a tough little thing. She'll be okay; she always bounces back."

I nod, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger and I realize he can't hear my nodding. "I hope so."

"Call me when you hear something, Edward and then get some rest yourself."

"I will, Charlie. And thanks. Goodbye."

"Goodnight, son."

I end the call, relieved it's over but feeling guilty because of what I didn't tell him.

_I am the cause of his daughter's injury._

As I pocket my phone I can hear Emmett, still speaking into his phone a short distance away. His voice is low but he says "Holy shit…" and sounds surprised as he looks up at me. He continues listening, his eyes glued to mine. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," he says after a moment. He waves me over to him rather frantically. He is silent, listening to the voice on the other end, but his eyes are wide. He looks surprised. He holds a finger up for me to wait because he can see I'm getting impatient with him. "How many?" he asks and after a moment he simply exhales a very quiet, stunned, "Jesus!"

After a bit he finally finds his voice again.

"Thanks, Laurent, I really appreciate the call. I'll let the cops know; they're still here. You'd better be prepared, if you know what I mean. Later, man."

"Holy fuck," Emmett says to me as he ends the call. "You're gonna shit when you hear this."

"What?"

"That was Laurent, James' roommate. Seems Laurent was out of his recreational drug of choice and so he went poking into James' room, 'cause he knows James keeps a little hidden stash. He remembered James saying something about tucking the stuff into a boot in his closet. You'll never guess what he found…"

"What? Just spit the story out, Emmett!"

"Laurent found _you_ and _Bella_…mostly Bella…in upwards of forty photos taped to the inside of James' closet door."

I look at him blankly for a second.

_What is he saying?_

"Wait…What?"

"He's got a fucking _shrine_ to Bella, Edward. Photos taped to the inside of his closet door! Laurent said there's at least forty photos of her and you're in some of them. They were taken on four different occasions, judging by the different clothes she's wearing in the photos. Looks like he took about a dozen each time."

"You're shitting me," I exhale, feeling as if I've been punched in the gut.

"No, Edward, I'm not."

"You mean by her classrooms and stuff? He took photos of her walking around campus?"

"Yeah….but…there's more. Some of the pictures are of her, with you, when she was sick in bed last week."

_What?_

"I don't get what you're saying."

"What I'm sayin', is that here are pictures of her, _lying in her bed_, with you lying next to her, reading and listening to music!"

I freeze, quite literally, as I feel the chill shoot up my spine like a spike.

James' words come rocketing back into my mind from the phone call earlier in the day:

"_What the fuck is she going to do with you, you pussy? If you're going to fuck a girl you've got to actually take off your clothes and put your book down. You can't give her what she needs!"_

I had been confused when he'd said it, but hadn't really thought about it. But now… _Fuck! _James had just officially become the Mayor of Stalkerville. Not only had he watched her and taken photos, he'd watched _us…_at night…from _outside _her bedroom window_…_ _on the second fucking story of the building!_

Bella had been sick last week and I had stayed with her as she slept in the evening and into the night. For a long while I had just lain there reading with my earbuds in, listening to music so I wouldn't disturb her as she slept. I'd never heard or seen anyone. But James had been there; _watching_ us!

This is too fucking disturbing for words.

Emmett and I look at each other and we both hustle back into the hospital, hunting down Officer Peters because now we can add voyeurism to James' lengthening list of crimes.

Back inside the Med Center, Emmett spots Officer Peters down the hall. He's talking with a doctor in scrubs. As we approach them the doctor turns in our direction and asks if we are here for Isabella Swan. We answer 'yes' simultaneously and he introduces himself as Doctor Banner, the surgeon who performed the surgery on Bella's wrist. Emmett hovers slightly behind me, making it clear that I am the one whom the doctor should address.

"Isabella is in a recovery room and will be moved upstairs to another hospital room shortly. The surgery went very well. The stab wound was straight and clean; the knife must have been incredibly sharp. It's a much harder surgery when the wound is jagged, so we have one little thing to be grateful for. Anyway, just wanted to let you know she's recovering and should be moved shortly. You can check at the nurse's station to find out which room and I'll check on her there later myself. We're going to keep her overnight, but she should be released by tomorrow afternoon. "

"Thank you, Doctor Banner," I tell him, realizing that I've been standing here nodding at everything he has said. I turn and look anxiously at Emmett.

"You go ahead." He gives me a shove. "I'll let Peters know about Laurent's phone call."

"Thanks, Em," I mutter as I turn and quickly head for the nurse's station.

_I'm finally going to get to see my girl._

After what seems like forever I am finally allowed into the room where Bella has been brought for the night. My heart lurches within my chest when I see her. She is sleeping, her hair fanned out on the pillow framing her face, and she looks so small in her hospital bed. Her color is better than when I last saw her, though her lip is puffy and there are two small stitches where her lip had been split. Her right arm is wrapped with thick bandages above the wrist. There had been so much blood and she had been so pale… I take a deep breath, trying to clear that image from my mind.

As I near the bed I can hear her soft breathing. It's a lovely sound; not quite as wonderful as her voice or her laugh, of course, but it will do just fine for the moment. I want to pull her into my arms and hold her, but I don't want to hurt her or disturb her and so I lean over and kiss the top of her head, breathing in the warm, familiar scent of her hair and I am suddenly overcome.

I feel hot tears pooling in my eyes and then they are running down my face as I sink into a chair at her bedside. I avoid touching her as I lean forward, my head in my hands, resting against the bed as I weep.

"Bella…my beautiful Bella… I'm so sorry, love…I'm so, so sorry."

I don't want to think of things that happened, nor things that might have happened, but the images come unbidden into my mind and there's no stopping them.

"Oh, Bella! I was so stupid! This is all my fault. When I think of what might have happened to you… What he could have done to you…"

I am so caught up in my agonizing thoughts that I don't even realize that Bella has stirred until I feel fingertips in my hair, stroking my head lightly at the same time that I hear her soft voice.

"Edward…?"

I'm up out of my seat in a flash, leaning over her. "I'm here, love." I take her hand, the uninjured one that had been stroking my hair, and I hold it tightly as I brush tears from my face with the sleeve of my other arm.

"Mmmmm." She turns her face toward me, but her eyes are still closed, fighting to open.

"Shhh, love, everything's all right now."

Groggily she opens her eyes, and then she glances past me, around the room as her eyes appear to focus gradually.

"What…? Where are we?"

"We're in the hospital, love, you're hurt."

"What happened?" her eyes float back to mine as the little furrow between her brows deepens.

"James attacked you when you went to my car. He had a knife." I see her eyes flicker with understanding before they close again and she squeezes my hand.

"You found me in time…"

_I could have been too late…_

"The blood…it was too much…" Her eyes open as she fights sleep and she blinks up at me once more.

"I know, love; he cut you. You're wrist is bandaged up now."

"It was the blood, Edward… the smell…made me faint…didn't realize I had been cut… thought it was just a scrape…I tried to fight him off. I was so stupid, Edward. I shouldn't have gone by myself..."

"Shhh. It's okay love…it's not your fault." I lean down over her and hug her tightly to me because I want everything to just be okay.

"I love you," she murmurs softly into my neck. I can feel her hand on my shoulder, holding me in place weakly.

"You're everything to me," I tell her as I turn and kiss her temple. We hold each other close for a moment.

"I have to call my dad," she finally says in a small voice.

"I already did. He's coming here first thing in the morning."

She smiles up at me. "Thank you. You're the perfect boyfriend; I'm sure that wasn't easy to do."

"It wasn't a problem."

_And I'm far from perfect._

A noise at the door behind me interrupts us.

"Is she awake?" It's Officer Peters and I know he needs to talk to Bella if she is able.

"Yeah, she's a little sleepy, but pretty coherent."

I turn my head back to Bella. "It's Officer Peters. If you can talk he wants to get your statement."

She nods at me. "Will you come back…after?" She glances past me toward Peters.

"Yeah, I'll go tell the others how you're doing. They're all here, probably wondering about you. You know how nosy they are."

She smiles at me as I head out the door.

When I get back to the waiting room I am instantly accosted by all four of them, greedy for an update. I let them know how she's doing and as soon as Officer Peters finally leaves, the group makes their way to her room to see for themselves. I'm concerned that things will get too noisy and that she will be overwhelmed, but when I watch them talking with her, hugging her, wiping at a stray few tears, it hits me: they have fallen in love with this girl too. She is _mine_, but she has become one of them as well; she is one of us.

A nurse comes to check on Bella and give her more pain medication and a few minutes later Doctor Banner stops by to see how she's doing. He's satisfied there doesn't seem to be any problem, adding that she just needs some rest so her body can do its work to begin repairs from the inside.

We realize that's our cue, so Alice, Rose, Emmett and Jasper each give her a hug goodnight. I wait until they've all left the room to give her my hug and I tell her once more how much I love her, giving her a chaste little kiss at the corner of her mouth, not wanting to injure her already puffy lip.

"I'll come by in the morning," I tell her. "I can at least keep you company until your dad gets here."

"Okay," she says sleepily as the pain medication begins to take effect.

As I get to the door I hear her voice call my name quietly and I turn and look at her once more.

"Thank you," she says as her eyes flutter closed.

Somehow I don't think sleep will come easily for me tonight.

It's well after midnight when Emmett parks the Hummer and we all make our way up to the dorm. I'd called Charlie on the ride back from the hospital and relayed some of my brief visit with Bella as well as what Dr. Banner had said.

Rose invites Alice for a slumber party in her room and I think that's a little odd until I realize that Alice will feel funny sleeping in her room without Bella, especially knowing the spray paint is still on the door and wall just outside. Emmett lets her know he'll check to see if it can be repainted tomorrow and then he walks the two of them over to Rose's room.

Inside my room I flop down on my bed immediately. I'm too worn out to change out of my clothes; I can barely toe off my shoes. Exhaustion hits me hard, but I know my mind will keep going for a while. Jasper offers me Tylenol PM to help me sleep, but I don't like the way it makes me feel overly groggy in the morning, so I decline.

A short while later Jasper turns off the light and crawls into his bed, telling me goodnight. My eyes are closed and of course I am running through the events of the evening in my mind, but I mumble a goodnight back to him.

Somehow I eventually drift off and fall asleep.

x

x

_Driving…my parents' car…the old car. Pulling up to a house…a familiar house…but not ours. Somewhere else. Another place. Someone else's house._

_Getting out and walking. A front door. Raising my hand to knock... the door swings open._

_Voices in another room…yelling…always yelling. A man…he's angry again. A woman's voice…her speech is slurred. She's been drinking…again. A crash from the room with the yelling voices. Something fragile thrown against a wall and now it's broken. I ignore them and their yelling voices and turn to a hallway…walking…but the hallway gets longer and longer. I begin to run. _

_I'm running and it's hard to breathe._

_Finally I get to the door. Reaching for the doorknob. It won't turn…it's locked. _

_No._

_Trying the knob again…it has to open…and it's suddenly no longer locked. It swings open. The room is familiar. I know this room. A bedroom…a girl's bedroom. Pale icy-blue walls…off-white carpet…posters on the wall…a desk…schoolbooks piled neatly…photos. I'm in those photos…some of them. With…her._

_I'm struggling to breathe._

_The bed…beneath the window…the pretty girl lying there…I can't see her blue eyes. They are closed…she must be sleeping…curled up on her side. I want to see her smile. I can make her smile. But she's been crying…again. Telltale tracks down her cheeks._

_No._

_Moving into the room…toward the bed. Sitting down carefully… I don't want to wake the sleeping girl. She looks so pale. Shadows beneath her eyes. Long, straight, strawberry blond hair fans out over the pillow. Next to the bed…on the small table…an uncapped bottle… a pill bottle… it's empty._

_No…no._

_Looking back at the sleeping girl. Her hair has changed… dark brown hair now…with red highlights in the sun. I've seen it. Her hair smells of ripe summer fruit…and soft flowers. Her lovely chocolate brown eyes are closed…she's sleeping and she's so beautiful…and pale. Her skin is luminous…except beneath her eyes…pale purple shadows above the tracks of her tears…_

_I want her to wake up. It's so hard to breathe._

"_Hey, Cutie…" _

_No… not 'Cutie'…'Love'…It's my love…the one I love._

"_Love?"_

_She doesn't stir. I want her to wake up. I want to see her smile. I make her smile. She makes me smile. _

"_Love? Wake up."_

_Reaching for her cheek…so smooth…so cold. She's so still. _

_I can't breathe._

"_Love, wake up." My voice is louder now. "Wake up, my love."_

_Pulling her into my arms…her body is limp and cold…too cold...and she won't wake up._

"No!"

_This is wrong. _

_It's wrong…not like this…not her!_

_My mouth is open and I am screaming but there is no sound…I'm horrified and I'm shaking but my scream is silent and she won't wake up._

_She will never wake up. _

_x_

_x_

"No! No! NO!"

I sit bolt upright, scared shitless and shouting, my heart thundering in my chest. I'm in my bed, in the dorm. I'm not at that house. Tanya's house. Tanya's room.

_Holy fuck! A dream… just a dream… THAT dream. That same fucking dream…but this time Tanya was Bella. _

"Edward?"

I exhale shakily. I'm still disoriented as I come back to reality. My pounding heart slowly calms but my gut is a tight, churning knot.

"Fuck..."

"You alright, Edward?" It's Jasper's voice from across the dark room where he is lying in his bed.

"Huh? Oh, shit, sorry. It was just a dream…a…a nightmare. Jesus Christ…"

I lie back down, horrible images flitting through my mind.

"What were you dreaming?" Jasper's voice sounds wide awake and is tinged with concern.

I shake my head though he can't see that. "I don't even know…just weird, crazy shit."

_I don't want to think about it. I don't want to relive that shit. _

"Sorry I woke you up," I apologize.

"No…it's okay. You were mumbling…I realized you were dreaming. Are you sure you're okay, Edward?"

"Yeah, yeah…I'm fine. It was just…really…weird. I felt like I couldn't breathe." I shake my head as I begin to get up out of bed. "I've gotta take a piss," I tell him. I don't really need to use the bathroom; it's just an excuse. I just need a moment to collect my wits.

Today, well it's nearly three a.m. now, so technically _yesterday_ was _the day_. October fifth. Three years ago to the day Tanya had killed herself.

And somehow, after seeing the date on the calendar the night before, and then going through the shit with James and seeing Bella in the hospital bed, all of those subconscious thoughts had become one in my mind, resulting in a hideous nightmare.

For the first time since Tanya's suicide, I hadn't actually been dwelling on it this fall. It really kind of slipped my mind as the date rolled around. I felt relieved and yet guilty because I knew I'd moved on. It was time. I'd let that go and embraced what life had brought me.

_Isabella Swan._

I don't remember ever feeling the way Bella has made me feel. It's such a substantial, vibrant feeling and I carry it with me all day long. Every single day.

And that made me feel a twinge of guilt because my feelings for Tanya never came close to this. Maybe I didn't know to appreciate things like I do now. Now I know how fleeting things can be.

I hadn't been the one to find Tanya when she'd overdosed. That just happened in my dream…over and over again; something my brain had concocted just to fuck with me when I was sleeping, because I had already been completely fucked up while I was awake. I'd had the dream often in the early days after her death, less as time went by, and now I really couldn't even remember when the last time was that I'd had the dream… until tonight.

I'd gotten up that day, three years ago, like any other morning. Emmett had started at the University of Washington that year and was already living in Seattle, so it was just Alice and I at home. I had driven us to school in my parents' old car. But then my dad had showed up during my second class of the day and pulled me out of school. He'd actually come to my classroom. I remember walking with him to his car and wondering what the hell was going on, because he wasn't pulling Alice out of school.

He wouldn't really say anything until we'd gotten into the car. He'd looked at me with such pained, ancient eyes as he gently explained that my girlfriend had taken her life the night before and her mother had found her in the morning, with an empty pill bottle on the night stand next to her. The paramedics had been called, but it had been too late. She was already gone.

I remember my inability to process much of what he was saying though I watched his face as he continued speaking. I remember him hugging me awkwardly as I sat there, unable to move as my mind fought to wrap around his foreign words.

In my relatively short life I'd never personally known anyone who had died, and yet now I'd had a girlfriend who had committed suicide. I'd retreated to my room almost immediately. It became my pit of despair in the days and weeks and months that followed. I remember my mom and dad both talking to me in soothing voices, but I don't remember their words; I don't think I heard their words.

I'd slept and cried for the next few days and couldn't manage much of anything else. I couldn't eat. I looked at photos of her, souvenirs of things we'd done together in our short span of time, and wondered how I'd missed the defeat and hopelessness that had led her to this kind of a solution; wondering why she hadn't talked to me and feeling ashamed that I hadn't known to be there for her.

I took it personally. It was my failure and the guilt had overwhelmed me.

I'd missed that week of school and my attendance was spotty for a long while after that. And I missed the rest of that school year of life, going through the motions of what should have been a memorable last year of high school. I withdrew from the fun. I withdrew from my friends. I withdrew from everything.

I had a different kind of memorable senior year.

And after that I didn't allow myself to let anyone in. I shut down with most of the friends I'd had and I avoided anything social. I was the guy whose girlfriend had killed herself. My social life turned into counseling appointments that tried to pull me out of the pit of sadness and guilt I'd dug for myself.

I didn't want to get close to anyone. I just couldn't do it.

Until Bella.

I hadn't wanted to let her in…but somehow she just got under my skin immediately; and became more and more a part of me with each day…until I couldn't get enough of her. She fit into my life like the missing puzzle piece, making the picture whole and complete and a thing of beauty.

_And I could have lost her on the same fucking date, October fifth, to a crazy motherfucker with a knife. And it was my fault because I'd driven him to do this. Jesus…If I hadn't gotten to her in time…_

I look at myself in the mirror and turn on the hot water tap, letting it run warm and then splashing it on my face, washing away the remnants of the bizarre dream that had turned Tanya's death into Bella's death and had left me reeling after the events of the evening.

When I walk back to the room the lava lamp is on and I see Jasper sitting up in his bed, waiting for me in the pale, eerie light.

"I can see you're _not_ okay, Edward. If you want to talk, I'm here to listen, man. You had an incredibly rough night. It's completely understandable. Bella went through a lot, but so did you. I can feel how you're struggling. Sometimes it's good to talk about it."

I sit down on my bed and look at him. For all of the silliness that is Jasper Hale, he is also my best friend. There are times when Jasper puts aside his eccentricities and shows what he really has to offer: solid friendship, understanding and amazing empathy. I'd told him about Tanya during our first year as roommates. He had reacted the way a true friend would: he had listened, had understood how I had felt and he hadn't tried to offer any consolation, because really, it was a horrible thing and it couldn't be undone.

I take a deep breath and decide to explain some things I'd never told him.

"Um…after Tanya's death…I had nightmares. A lot of them. I regularly dreamed that I was the one who found her, which I wasn't, but my mind seemed to like putting me through that hell. It was always the same basic dream: I'd go to her house, to her room, where she would be sleeping. I would try, in my dream, to wake her up and then it would slowly dawn on me that she was…gone…that she wasn't going to ever wake up.

But…this time… it was her…at first…but then she became Bella and she wouldn't wake up. She was so cold… Shit, I felt like I'd really lost her. It was terrible. It felt so real. I felt like a hole had been punched in my chest."

I look up at the grim expression on his face.

"Jeez, Edward, that's definitely fucked up…no wonder you woke up yelling. But you know Bella's safe now," Jasper said, in an effort to reassure me. "She's going to be okay. She'll be home tomorrow and you guys can start putting this behind you."

I nod. I know that. As long as I can get past the fact that I brought this on her.

* * *

**A/N: Oh, Angstward...go easy on yourself. **

**I'm wondering if it was what you expected; if you were surprised by anything. Thanks for taking the time to review or post a message. xoxo -bannerday**


	66. This Is Not the End, Part 1

**The Transfer**

A/N: Well, this one didn't happen the way I thought it was going to, but in the end, I think it was kind of necessary so as not to interrupt the flow. This is the first day post-attack, and Bella and Edward are still reeling. I felt it was too serious and heavy of a situation to gloss over it and move abruptly on.

I'm not Steph M. This is not Twilight. If I were, and if it were, I'd be laughing all the way to the bank. Instead, I'll avoid infringing and work on my last, last chapter.

* * *

**C: 66: This Is Not the End, Part 1**

**BPOV**

It took me a moment to decide where I was when I first awoke Monday morning. I definitely wasn't in my bed in the dorm, nor at home in Forks. I wasn't even curled up next to a warm sleeping boy on a chaise longue in Port Angeles. No, I was in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm and a big thick bandage wrapped around my wrist. My lip was swollen and sore and felt oddly prickly. When I touched it I realized there were stitches in it. As I adjusted the bed to prop myself up a little, memories of last night flashed through my mind.

_James. _

_A switchblade and a gag. _

_Edward, my guardian angel, snarling and protecting me…protecting us…fending James off with a baseball bat._

_Blood…a lot of it… the scent of it, metallic, salty and rusty, making me dizzy._

_Edward…on the ground…Had he gotten hurt?_

_No. Wait… _

_He had been here, with me in this room last night. With Alice and the others._

_And Officer Peters…asking about the attack._

_And nurses; several of them…and a doctor… Doctor… Doctor Banner._

_Holy crap, I'm so out of it…it must be the medication._

I heard a sudden slight noise and realized I must have dozed off again until the rustling sound woke me just now. I turned my head to look over at the doorway of the room and there stood Edward, leaning against the doorframe, holding a shopping bag and watching me warily. I could see he hadn't slept well; there were dark, purple shadows beneath his eyes but he was safe and sound and whole and still achingly handsome to me.

"Hi," I said, my voice sounding raspy from sleep. "You came back."

His eyes widened with a little flicker of surprise as he walked into the room.

"Of course I came back. How could I stay away from someone so lovely?" He smiled, but it was a sad little smile.

"Yeah, I know; I must look really attractive right about now." I reached up and lightly touched my puffy lip.

His lips twisted slightly before forming a small smile as he neared the bed, setting the shopping bag down in a nearby chair. I pressed the button at the side of the bed to adjust the back and prop myself up a little more.

"You're always beautiful, love, trust me," he said gently.

I rolled my eyes at him and he smiled briefly once more.

"Okay, don't trust me, but it's true. How are you feeling this morning?" he asked in a more serious tone.

"I've definitely been better. My lip is numb but I can feel how swollen it is and my wrist is sore, but the pain medication they've given me seems to be helping. I'm a bit bruised as well," I said, showing him my good wrist, which had some dark blotches where James had held me in a vise grip.

Edward looked pained as he leaned down over me, hugging me gently and kissing the top of my head. He held me for a moment and I heard him exhale heavily.

"I do bruise easily, Edward," I said in an attempt to lessen his concern. I could see how this all bothered him and I knew, if the tables were turned, I would feel just as saddened looking at an injured Edward.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get there sooner," he murmured. I could hear how tortured his voice sounded.

"Oh my gosh, Edward, you have nothing to apologize for! If I hadn't gone down to the car by myself none of this would have happened! Or if I'd had my pepper spray, maybe I could have stopped him sooner."

Edward looked doubtful. I reached for his hand and pulled him to sit down next to me on the hospital bed, scooting over a bit to make room. He took a seat and placed his hand on my hip, causing me to wince.

"What?" he asked in alarm.

"More bruising…from where he shoved me up against the car. He had me pinned and my hip bones are bruised."

Edward pulled up the edge of the sheet and blanket, lifting the hem of my hospital gown and took a quick peek at my hipbone.

He raised sympathetic eyes back to mine.

"Bella…whathappened…exactly? You were kind of sleepy last night and I never got the chance to ask. Why did you go back to my car?"

"I'd forgotten my flash drive in the car and I couldn't print up my paper without it. I saw your keys lying on your bed and I figured I'd just go get it quickly. I wasn't thinking about having to be on the lookout for a stalker, you know? And the thing is…I even saw him…he waved at me as he headed to his car. I figured he was just the pizza guy, returning from a delivery. I had no idea it was James."

Edward closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"So then what happened? How did he attack?" he pressed.

I had to think about it for a moment.

"Your keys…I had dropped them between the seat and the console, after putting the flash drive in my pocket and I was trying to reach down and find them. He grabbed me from behind and pulled me out of the car. He was holding my arms and my wrists so tightly I couldn't turn around."

Edward glanced down at my unbandaged, uninjured, but rather bruised wrist and gently covered it with his hand as I continued.

"The next thing I knew, he shoved me against the side of your car and reached around and covered my mouth so I couldn't scream. He held my jaw so tightly that I couldn't even bite him."

Edward's eyebrows shot up. "You were going to _bite _him?"

"I was trying to think of self-defense moves, but I couldn't do a thing; he was too strong for me and his position behind me didn't give me any options. Once he started speaking, taunting me, I realized it was James. He shoved a gag in my mouth so I couldn't scream. I tried to fight it, but he punched my mouth and now I have this lovely fat lip."

"It won't last long," Edward murmured, looking at my mouth with a frown. "But Bella, he had a knife…he could have…you could have been…"

"I didn't know he had a knife; he didn't have it out at first. But then he threatened me with it. He told me to settle down because he'd hate to have to hurt me. He said he'd just wanted to talk to me and I'd been a total bitch to him. Then he asked if I wanted to finally talk to him and all I could do was nod my head. I thought maybe I could buy some time…and…try to think what to do."

"What did he say then?"

_Oh, shit! _

I looked down, away from Edward's dark, probing, green-blue eyes. They were the color of a storm-tossed sea. I could feel myself getting upset as I finally really thought about James' actions and what his intent had been. I knew the effect it would have on Edward.

"Bella?" Edward's voice was soft but I could hear the underlying anger building. It was obvious he guessed at what was coming. "What did James say? What did he do to you? Tell me!"

I could feel the pricking sensation of impending tears.

"He said he didn't just want to talk," I barely whispered the words, "he wanted …to…um..."

Edward's fingers were under my chin, tilting my face up to look at him. He looked so crushed when he saw my tears pooling and of course that just made them begin to fall. He moved forward instantly, folding his arms around me and pulling me into his chest.

"Oh, Bella…!" he exhaled heavily as he held me tightly.

"He was behind me, pressing himself up against me…I felt him…It was awful." I barely choked the words out.

I heard a low strangled groan as Edward began to rock me gently to calm me.

"Edward…" I said through my tears, "I was so afraid I was going to pass out smelling the blood from my cut lip…and then I wouldn't be able to stop him. All I could think was that he was going to do it in _your_ car… He was doing this to _both_ of us…" My words dissolved into more tears as Edward held me; rocking me, stroking my hair and soothing me with quiet words and soft kisses.

"Oh, Bella, my love, I'm so sorry…so, so sorry." There was such anguish in his voice.

My tears finally subsided and when I looked up into Edward's face I saw that his own eyes were red-rimmed. He shook his head, blinking his eyes a few times, clearing them and taking a deep breath. He reached up and cupped my face between his hands.

"I was so afraid for you, love; I was so scared that I wasn't going to find you or get to you in time," he admitted. "I saw him forcing you into the car…When I got there and grabbed him I wanted to beat the shit out of him for everything he's done to you."

"I thought he was going to stab you, Edward!" I rasped, knowing my voice would crack if I spoke aloud.

Edward kissed my forehead softly and looked down at my bandaged arm. "I thought you were okay when you were locked inside the car. How did he cut you?"

I took a deep, calming breath before I was able to speak again.

"When I grabbed his arm he turned and kind of pushed me. He pulled his hand back toward him and I remember being scraped, but I didn't realize it was this bad. He never actually stabbed at me or cut me intentionally; he used the knife more as a threat."

"But you don't know that he wouldn't have," Edward said, closing his eyes, but likely seeing images in his mind.

"I know. Things could have gotten worse; so much worse." I shuddered and Edward folded me into his arms once again.

"Shhh…it's over. It's done. He's done; he's not going to be able to harm you again. James is going to jail on so many charges: assault with a deadly weapon, attempted rape, stalking, voyeurism, theft, who knows what else…" Edward paused and sat back a little, looking down at me again. "I just realized…you don't even know about the pictures!"

"What pictures?"

"James took photos of you. Laurent found them; around forty of them. They were taped to the inside of James' closet door. Pictures of you, probably from last week, headed to classes on three different occasions. Laurent said he could tell by the different clothes you had on in the photos."

"Oh, God…that's just creepy…I never even saw him!"

"Bella…he also took pictures of _us_ when you were sick last week. Somehow he managed to take photos of us lying on your bed."

My mouth dropped open in shock.

_What?_

It was a moment before I found my voice. "What?"

Edward nodded and grasped my hand in his as he continued. "You were under the covers, sleeping, and I was lying on top of the blankets reading and listening to music. I'd stayed in case you needed something and because you were so cold. He took photos through your window."

"Oh my God! He was on the roof watching us?"

I was in absolute shock. The revelation was so unbelievably frightening it was hard to absorb.

"Holy shit! Edward…he could have taken pictures of us…doing…other stuff! Or…Sweet Jesus…he could have broken in through the window right then and there!"

Edward nodded once again, his eyes wide. Obviously he had also already been thinking the same thing I was.

"I know, I've been thinking about that. Trust me; I've thought about so many other ways things could have played out. At least you being sick and unable to go to classes kept you away from him somewhat last week. And I'm glad that I stayed with you the rest of the week and that we were gone for the weekend." Edward reached a hand up and ran the backs of his knuckles down the side of my cheek. "And it was just those photos…nothing more…intimate. But James has committed a lot of crimes and they'll keep him tied up in the justice system for quite a while."

I pulled away from Edward and flopped back onto the bed, feeling suddenly so overwhelmed and exhausted.

"This is all so crazy," I said, looking up at Edward's tired face. He looked like I felt.

Edward nodded. "_James_ is so crazy."

We were both quiet for a few moments. I laced the fingers of my good hand through his and he began lightly rubbing my knuckles with his thumb. I glanced then at the chair near the bed; at the shopping bag sitting on the chair.

"What's in the bag?" I asked, wanting to think and talk about something other than screwed-up James for a bit.

Edward glanced over. "I figured you'd need something to change into when they release you later today, so I brought you some clothes. The clothes you had on last night will probably have to be thrown out."

I frowned at him in confusion.

"The blood…" he quietly said, looking down at our hands and tightening his hold on my hand briefly.

_Oh… _

_Oh, no!_

"Those were my favorite jeans! One more reason to hate James." I looked at Edward, hoping to get a little smile from him because I was tired of the turmoil; it was exhausting.

I was rewarded with a brief little lopsided grin; it was faint, but it was there.

"We'll add one more crime to James' lengthening list," he said, making me smile.

He picked up the bag and brought it to my lap.

"I want you to know that this is the result of a huge debate," he said. "Alice was of the opinion that you'd feel best if you had your nice velour sweatpants and matching hoodie with a pretty t-shirt underneath, so you could leave the hospital and this experience feeling attractive and pulled-together and ready to move on. My thought was that you'd just want to be comfortable and would want your baggy sweatpants and a big sweatshirt; something you could relax in and maybe even sleep in because you'll probably be tired later."

"So who won the debate?" I asked, raising a brow. I knew how hard it was to argue with Alice, especially when it came to wardrobe, so I was doubtful.

"The boyfriend won," he told me, pulling out my favorite ancient, faded, black, baggy sweats and a blue sweatshirt that I didn't recognize right away. Then it dawned on me it was one of his when I saw how big it was.

"One of your sweatshirts?" I asked, raising an eyebrow once again.

"I figured it would be big enough to fit over your bandage, or that you could even keep your hand inside the sleeve if you wanted. I don't know. I just thought you'd rather be comfy than cute—I mean you're cute anyway…but I thought, knowing you…you might not want to…oh, I don't know. Did I do the wrong thing?" His brow was all wrinkled with his sudden uncertainty and he began scratching at the back of his neck.

"No, you did exactly right!" I smiled at him. "I'm glad the boyfriend won the debate. The roommate is awfully sweet, but this is exactly what I want to wear and you're right, if I want to sleep in this later…and I will…I can." I lifted Edward's sweatshirt to my nose. "The only thing that would be better is if your sweatshirt actually smelled like you." I grinned hopefully at him.

Edward smirked, finally, and I was so happy to see the familiar curl of his lips; so relieved that he was there somewhere, under all the angst of the past half-day. Without a word he unzipped the sweatshirt he had on and took it off, glancing over his shoulder toward the door before pulling his t-shirt off over his head as well. I sighed wistfully when I saw that lovely, pale, masculine body; though it was for the briefest of moments before he pulled the blue sweatshirt on over his head.

"You know there's something wrong with you, don't you?" he asked, smiling at me a little more as he shook his head. I grinned as he leaned toward me and kissed my nose.

"It's been diagnosed as Severe Cullenitis," I explained, "and apparently it can't be overcome; there's no known cure."

"Yeah, you're sick alright. How long do you think this sweatshirt has to marinate on my manliness?"

I grinned at him. "As long as possible for maximum manly marination. I'll take it back when you have to leave."

A nurse bustled in with a cheerful "Good morning!" Edward moved the bag, sweatpants, his clothes and himself aside to make room. The nurse checked my IV and took my temperature, announcing that it was normal. She returned a few minutes later carrying a breakfast tray and set it down on the other side of the bed on the swing-arm table.

It was a little tricky at first, trying to eat left-handed, but at least I didn't have to use a knife to cut anything; scrambled eggs, mixed fruit and buttered toast were all easily manageable.

Edward sat and watched me quietly, seriously, until I'd finished and pushed the tray table back over to the side.

"What?" I asked. "What are you thinking?"

He shook his head with a sigh. "Nothing." He smiled, but it didn't seem like it quite reached his eyes.

After I'd eaten, Edward picked the shopping bag up once more and took out the rest of my things: my purse, my hairbrush, a hair tie, my toothbrush and toothpaste, a short-sleeved t-shirt, socks, a bra and my panties.

"You went rifling through my underwear drawer?" I asked, slightly embarrassed.

His lips pursed up into a surprised little smile. "It wasn't as exciting as it should have been. Maybe I'll do it again under better circumstances someday."

I blushed but I was grateful to him. "Thank you for bringing everything. Thank Alice, too, for trying to make me cute. I just don't feel like going to the effort. I'm glad you realized how I'd feel."

Edward picked up the clothes that I had worn last night and began stuffing them into the now-empty shopping bag.

"Wait," I said, halting his actions. "I need to get the flash drive from the pocket of those jeans. Assignments for all of my classes are on that thing."

He took the pants back out and fished around in the pocket, first on one side and then the other, finally finding the little device. I could see the blood stains on the jeans as they hung in his hand. He was right; they were unsalvageable.

"I'll print your paper up and turn it in for you. What's the file name and which class is it for?" He had turned back to look at me as he tucked the flash drive into his pocket.

"Oh you don't have to do that, Edward. I could probably get an extension on the assignment."

"Bella, I don't mind; I'd like to do it for you…I want to feel…I don't know…_useful_."

I looked into his tired, pleading eyes, realizing how adrift he felt in all this.

"Okay…thank you, Edward…I appreciate it. Here, I'll write it all down for you." I reached for my purse and jotted the information down on a piece of paper. "The class doesn't start until eleven, but you can turn it in at the end, and let the professor know what happened."

Edward nodded as he pocketed the slip of paper in his jeans with the flash drive and glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It's almost nine; your dad should be here soon."

I picked up my brush and started trying to brush my hair with my left hand. I just wasn't sure how I was going to put a hair tie in using only one hand. I sat there fingering the little band.

"Need help?" Edward suddenly asked.

"I can't do this," I said, holding up the little hair tie. "It's going to be impossible to do some things one-handed."

"I can try," Edward said, moving to stand behind me, next to the bed. He took the brush from my hand and began brushing my hair back and pulling it eventually into his other hand. It felt strange and yet very comforting to have him taking care of such a simple yet personal thing. It was so soothing.

"About this high?" he asked after a few minutes. I reached back with my left hand.

"Perfect. You really pay attention to detail."

"I pay attention to you, love; you've captured my interest" he said in a low voice. "I'm not going to guarantee that this will be perfect, though; I've never done this before. You've seen just how well-kempt my own hair always looks." I could feel him gathering the hair, pulling it through the band twisting the band and pulling the hair through the band once again.

"There. How's that?"

"I don't think she could have done it any better herself," a familiar gruff voice said.

My eyes shot to the doorway and I smiled. "Hi, Daddy." I wondered how long he'd been standing there, watching us; watching Edward help me fix my hair.

"Hey Bells," my dad said in a slightly husky voice as he glanced at my bandaged wrist. He strode into the room and to my great surprise and in an unusual display of affection, bent down and gave me a big hug and a kiss on the forehead, straightening up and looking rather awkward afterward.

_Wow! That was showy for Charlie Swan._

He turned to Edward then and greeted him, extending his hand. I watched as Edward did the same and they shook hands. I was shocked a second time a moment later, when my father actually put his other arm around Edward in a manly handshake-and-simultaneous-semi-hug sort of thing.

_And that was over-the-top-showy for Charlie Swan._

"Edward, I can't thank you enough. I think you know that." My dad said, grasping Edward's shoulder briefly before letting him go completely and looking awkward all over again.

Edward looked uncomfortable too but he nodded and murmured a vague reply. He reached down and set the hairbrush on my lap. I glanced down and quickly pulled the t-shirt that was lying on the bed over to cover up the panties and bra that were also on display there. When I glanced back up I realized that my actions had been too slow, and my dad was now turning a slight shade of pink and looking anywhere but at me.

_So, yes, Dad…Edward brought me underwear…_

_Thank God it was fairly utilitarian underwear and not a sexy thong and strapless, padded push-up bra. Or a corset…which I didn't own anyway, but which would have given my dad a coronary…_

My dad pulled the chair up to the bed and sat down heavily, ready to hear the whole story.

Edward made a haphazard attempt at leaving, but I asked him to stay a bit. I wanted a little back-up and help telling my dad about the whole ordeal, since there were parts I didn't remember very clearly. I was relieved when Edward pulled a second chair over and sat back down near the foot of the bed.

It was apparent that Edward had filled my dad in somewhat on the phone the night before, but I began the story at the beginning, answering my dad's questions as I went. He asked specifically about my pepper spray and why I hadn't used it. I was mortified to have to tell him that I hadn't even thought to take it with me. But I also told him that I had never even seen James approach and my hands were held so tightly I couldn't have grabbed for it anyway.

I glanced at Edward and noticed that his body language seemed almost remorseful as he listened once again to what I had gone through before he had gotten to me. He was leaning forwards, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped between his knees. His head hung down, but I could see that his eyes were closed as he listened and probably re-imagined everything I had experienced. The white knuckles on his tightly-clasped hands were the most telling. I was relieved when my dad asked a question directed at him and he suddenly looked up and returned to the here and now.

"I'm sorry?" Edward asked in confusion as he looked at my dad.

My dad's eyes narrowed as he took in Edward's slumped posture. "You doing okay, Edward? You look pretty beat."

"Yeah, I'm okay," Edward responded, making an effort to sit up straighter and raking his fingers through his hair. "I didn't sleep well." He waved his hand in my direction. "I just…I wish that were me instead of her."

My dad's eyes softened as he glanced at me before looking back over at him. "That's understandable; you're protective of her. I've got to admit I'm glad for that. You ought to try to get some sleep this afternoon if you can, though; or maybe take something to help you get to sleep tonight."

Edward nodded and before long we were all drawn into conversation about the previous night once more.

Doctor Banner came in a while later to check on my progress. He shook hands with my dad and greeted Edward once again, having met him the previous night. He explained the injury to my dad and the prognosis for a fairly quick recovery, since there was no actual damage to tendons or ligaments and only the slightest nick to a nerve which might result in some tingling sensations in a finger, but over time that would dissipate as the nerve slowly regenerated that small area. The damage had been to tissue and an artery and everything had been repaired fairly easily and neatly. He would give me prescriptions for antibiotics to fight off infection, as well as some pain relievers which would taper off after the next few days. I would wear a brace that would keep the hand and joint secure and immobile for a little while so there would be no undue stress on internal or external sutures.

Dr. Banner also mentioned that I might want to set up some appointments to talk with a professional trained in helping victims of sexual harassment and assault. Edward reminded me that Officer Peters' wife worked as a counselor for SARIS, the Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Information Service on campus.

"You might think about going too, Edward," Dr. Banner said. "It might be good for you to talk to someone as well because of your involvement. These things are hard to deal with, not just for the victim, but for people close to the victim…and since you were there…it's worth thinking about."

Edward nodded in agreement.

Dr. Banner continued speaking, saying that the IV would be removed and that I would be released in the early afternoon since everything looked good. He was due in for surgery later but would stop back to check the wound and rewrap it, sign the release orders and leave prescriptions for my medications.

A short while later Edward stood to leave, saying that he wanted to get my paper turned in on time and he would speak to the professor for me.

"I'll text you when I get back, Edward. Thank you for bringing me my stuff."

"I guess I'll probably see you later this afternoon or evening, Bella," Edward said as he tentatively shuffled to my side of the bed, glancing at my dad before he leaned down and placed a quick, chaste kiss on my cheek.

I grabbed a quick hold of his sweatshirt with my good hand before he stood upright and he glanced at me questioningly.

"Sweatshirt," I murmured, "for my Cullenitis." I smiled at his expression of embarrassment.

"Give me a second," he said, rolling his eyes at me before picking up his own zip-up sweatshirt and t-shirt and disappearing into the small adjoining bathroom.

He returned a minute later, once again wearing the clothes he had arrived in and holding the blue sweatshirt he had "marinated" for me in his Edwardness. As he handed me the sweatshirt both of our eyes traveled sheepishly over to my father's surprised look.

He just held up both of his hands and shook his head. "I'm not going to ask. I don't need to know."

I giggled at the relieved look on Edward's face and he smirked back at me.

"I'll see you later, Bella. Goodbye, Charlie." He held his hand out and shook my dad's hand.

"Goodbye, Edward, and again…thank you." Edward nodded a bit uncomfortably and left the room, taking the shopping bag with my ruined clothes to dispose of them.

It was quiet in the room once Edward had left until my dad finally broke the silence with a sigh.

"I think that boy is in love with you, Bells. Looks like you mean an awful lot to him."

I was surprised at his words; my dad and I didn't have these kinds of conversations.

"I think so, too," I confided, feeling a little embarrassed and awkward.

"How do you feel about him?" His eyes were penetrating.

I blushed and looked away. "I'm pretty crazy about him, too," I finally admitted.

"Thought so. He paused for a moment before adding,. "He seems like a good young man."

"He is."

He was quiet a moment; I could see that he was gathering his thoughts.

"You know, no one can predict what a mentally unstable person is going to do or when. You can try to be prepared, but sometimes bad things happen and it's out of your control. You know you shouldn't have gone back to the car in the dark by yourself, but even if you hadn't done that, this guy was waiting for his moment. These things usually escalate; they never just get better or go away on their own. I hope Edward isn't beating himself up over this attack; blaming himself that you got hurt before he got there. He needs to focus on the fact that he got there in time and helped you."

I really didn't know what was going through Edward's mind as he processed this. But we would have time over the next few days to talk about this more, and hopefully talk to a counselor to help us deal with it all. My dad had always been pretty perceptive and I thought about what he had just said. I hoped Edward wasn't being hard on himself for no reason.

And then, maybe because we were stuck together in this small room for a while, and there was no sports program on the TV, or homework to be completed, no meal to be prepared, nor service revolver to be cleaned, I found myself talking to my dad for the first time in ages. Because it wasn't something we did together very well. And I realized my dad might not be the best talker, but he was an excellent listener and so I talked. I talked about a lot of things, but in particular about Edward and about his past and why he was so hard on himself.

We left the hospital in the afternoon. I was freshly bandaged and wearing a brace/splint type thing, grateful for the big, baggy, sexy-Edward-scented sweatshirt that fit over it and didn't call attention to my injury. We drove to the dorm, where my dad parked the car and I pointed out the scene of the crime to my cop-to-the-core father.

"Um, Bells…forgot to mention it earlier…you'll need to call Renee. I called her last night and let her know what had happened."

"You told Mom?" I was appalled.

"Had to. She's the other parent. She's worried. I told her I'd have you give her a call this afternoon or evening. She's afraid to call because she might wake you if you're sleeping. So…at some point, okay?"

I nodded. It was unavoidable, I supposed.

When we got inside the dorm we stopped by Emmett's room so I could introduce my dad to him. I explained Emmett's relationship to Edward and Alice and his role in the whole situation with James. Rose was there as well and for once the two of them appeared to have been studying, _actually studying,_ when we showed up…to my great relief. Emmett and Rose were both friendly but serious, and seemed so mature to me suddenly, never saying a single inappropriate thing. My father thanked them and we left.

"I bet he gives Edward a hard time about every little thing, but in a good-natured way. And he looks like the type that would have played his fair share of pranks. She was quite the bombshell but I bet she wears the pants in that relationship; she probably keeps him in line."

I giggled. "You are so good at what you do, Mr. Cop-on-the-Watch."

We stopped in front of Edward's door and I knocked. "This room is Edward's," I explained.

Jasper answered the door, wearing normal clothes, which couldn't always be counted upon but I was glad the kilt hadn't made it out of the closet today. I introduced him to my dad, telling him he was Edward's roommate, Rose's brother and also Alice's boyfriend. The two of them shook hands.

"Sorry, little girlie, Edward isn't here," Jasper said, turning back to me. "He turned your paper in for you earlier, then tried unsuccessfully to take a nap after lunch, but gave up. He finally left to go to the store but I'm not sure when he'll be back, but it's good to have _you _back, safe and mostly sound."

"Thanks, Jasper. I'll text Edward that I'm back but if you see him, mention it, okay?"

"Sure thing, little lady."

We left and headed up the stairs for my own room.

"He's seems like kind of a strange one," my dad said in a low voice. "Comes off a little eccentric, but he seemed right in tune with what you would have wanted to know. He answered all your questions without you even having to ask them."

"That's Jasper for you. I think he's been trained by the best. Wait until you meet Alice."

We reached my room and I knocked, just in case Alice was changing. She answered the door and her face lit up into a brilliant smile.

"My roomie! You're back!"

Alice wrapped her slender arms around my neck, being careful not to jostle my arm or bump my face.

"How are you feeling? Are you okay? Does it hurt very badly?"

There was actually little chance of getting in a word edgewise as she continued.

"Last night was so awful, Bella. I slept at Rose's because I was sad and missed you." She kissed me on the cheek and then reached over my shoulder toward my dad.

"And you must be none other than Chief Charlie! I'd recognize you anywhere. Your daughter is your spitting image, though with much longer hair and she manages to keep her mustache in check, but she definitely has your eyes, sir. I'm Alice, the best roommate Bella has ever had."

She was shaking my dazed father's hand, pulling him into the room at the same time. She reached behind him and shut the door. There would be no escape for him now.

"It's nice to meet you," my overwhelmed father finally managed as Alice pulled out my desk chair and steered me into it and then pulled out her chair, and indicated that my dad should sit down.

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you, sir. Any parent of Bella's is a friend of mine. You have such a lovely daughter and I'm just so glad we wound up being roommates. Can I get you something to drink? Would you like a water or a soda?"

"Uh, no thank you, Alice; I'm fine." He blinked at me for help.

"So, this is our room, Dad. It's mostly Alice's design ideas."

"Very nice," he said, scanning the room.

"You girls sleep up there?" he asked in surprise, as he pointed to our beds.

We both nodded, smiling.

"Is that safe? Nobody falls out of bed?" He turned and looked directly at me, of course.

"Well, Bella fell once, when we first built it, but Edward happened to be here and he caught her and in the end that turned out to be a good thing for all concerned." Alice's eyes twinkled merrily as she looked at me and then back at him.

"Uh-huh," he mumbled. "And what's that for?" He was pointing beneath the beds.

"That's a sitting area. It's our swanky fort," I explained.

Alice huffed good-naturedly. "Just because my ninny-of-a-brother called it that doesn't mean you have to tell that to your dad." Alice turned toward him. "It's a lounge area. We can sit and read, study or listen to music. Or just visit with friends and hang out. It's very relaxing."

"Your lounge is very nice," my dad offered. "Makes the room seem more like an apartment than just a bedroom."

"Exactly!" Alice nodded happily, pleased at my dad's understanding. She looked up at me brightly.

"Well, I told Jasper I'd join him to go over to the library. He has a presentation in one of his classes later this week and I'm going to help him do a little background research." She turned toward my dad. "It was wonderful to meet you, Chief Charlie! I hope you stay awhile. You should try out the lounge; it's really quite comfortable!"

Thank you, Alice," he replied, "I just might do that. It was nice to meet you," he said, standing up to shake her hand goodbye.

Alice gathered her things and headed out the door, waving a fluttery little wave at my dad and then she was gone.

My dad sat back down in the desk chair.

He looked up at me for a moment.

Then he took a deep breath.

And finally spoke.

"Nothing could have prepared me for Alice. She certainly is a bubbly little sprite. I'm exhausted and all I did was sit here."

I laughed. "I think she was a little nervous. She's usually not quite that exuberant."

He smiled wryly. "It's easy to see why you'd be friends. It would be awfully hard to not like a bubbly little thing like Alice."

My dad didn't stay very long in my dorm room. Instead he wanted to head over to the on-campus police department and hopefully talk with Officer Peters or anyone else on the case.

Once he left, I debated about calling my mom, and finally decided I was just not up to that yet, instead opting to lie down and take a nap. I took another pain pill; I was slightly overdue for my dose and my wrist was beginning to throb. I had to lie down and elevate it. Climbing up to my bed was not very easy to do, using one hand, but it wasn't impossible and I was secretly pleased that I managed it without any help. Getting back down wouldn't be nearly as difficult.

I lay down, looking up briefly at the window above my bed and imagined James-the-Stalker, my would-be rapist, standing out there, taking pictures of Edward and me lying in my bed. It gave me the creeps. I needed to put up some curtains as soon as possible.

I drifted off to sleep shortly afterward with the afternoon sun shining in the window.

Nearly two hours later I woke up to my cell phone ringing. It was my dad, wondering if I wanted him to pick up some fast food so we could just eat an early dinner in my dorm room. A burger and fries sounded good to me until I realized that opening my mouth that widely would bother the stitches on my still-puffy lip. And so I chose a large order of fries and a chocolate shake. Eating in my room was preferable to having the entire dining hall staring at me and my Frankenstein lip.

When I ended the call with my dad I saw that Edward had texted me and I flipped my phone open to read it.

_I just got back and I'm beat._

_I've got to crash for a while_

_before dinner. Maybe later?_

My reply was short; he had looked so completely worn out this morning:

_Sweet dreams._

My dad called back to say he was at the parking lot and I called Emmett and asked him to let my dad in the dorm. I carefully climbed back down from my bed and met him at the door. He was toting bags of fast food and a cardboard beverage holder.

We dined in the swanky fort. Over his cheeseburgers, my fries and our chocolate milkshakes he told me about his meeting with Officer Peters. The photos were confiscated from James' home and thankfully, none of them are indecent.

"The other thing the police found in James' room," my dad adds, "was a plastic bag from a local drugstore. Inside the bag was an empty package of dark brown hair dye, a tag from a pair of low-magnification reading glasses, and a receipt with the date and time showing they were both purchased on Saturday afternoon."

"Oh my gosh. James had this planned the day before the attack."

"Looks like it, Bells; it certainly wasn't spur-of-the-moment."

We finished our dinner and visited for a while. Alice came and went once again; checking on me before heading off to dinner with Jasper. My dad seemed satisfied that I would be capable of taking care of myself and that I have a good support system in my dorm if I need help. There was really little else that he could do for me now and I was hoping to attend classes and get back to some normalcy tomorrow.

Early in the evening I walked my dad back down to the main door of the dorm once more. He reminded me that he is a phone call away and can return if needed. Then he reminded me that my mother is a phone call away as well and I groaned. He was right, though, I knew…it was time I called her and we really talked. I waved to him as he headed back to his truck and then back home to Forks.

I passed by Edward's room and wondered if he was still sleeping and whether he had gotten up and eaten dinner, but I realized I couldn't put my mother off any longer and I went back upstairs to lie down in the swanky fort and call her.

She was in hysterics, of course. I had to tell her I was doing okay at least thirty times before she would calm down. And then I had to go through the entire story about James and give her background information about the whole stalker issue. And then I had to explain Edward. And the lack of Jacob.

I hadn't told her about the biggest change in my life. The best change in my life.

All these weeks had gone by and my mom and I had had relatively little contact: the sporadic innocuous e-mail that only touched on the basics of health and school and whether I'd made any friends. There was also her belated birthday card to me followed by a check remembered a week later.

She was upset that she hadn't been told of everything sooner, and yet, if she would listen to herself, she would realize there is a reason I have avoided it. It is so much easier to just send her the occasional innocuous e-mail and go about my life without all the drama and commotion that is Renee Dwyer.

When we finally ended our call it was after nine o'clock and I was exhausted. My mother has a knack for doing that to me. It also had a lot to do with the previous night and the pain medication I am taking. I dragged myself into the bathroom for my evening ritual and then returned, climbing up into my bed carefully and sliding under the covers.

I checked my phone but there has been no call or text from Edward. I haven't seen him since this morning and I only received the one text in the late afternoon. But I know it is probably not cause for worry. I slept last night, took a nap today and yet I am now exhausted and can barely keep my eyes open. I reason with myself that Edward, who _didn't_ sleep last night, and _attempted _to take a nap today, is probably equally as exhausted, if not more so, he has therefore probably already fallen asleep for the night.

But still…I miss him.

* * *

**A/N: It's coming. I promise.**


	67. This Is Not the End, Part 2

** The Transfer **

A/N: And I still couldn't get all the way to where I wanted to get for the ending. But these characters don't let me tell the story my way. They have their own pace and I have to abide by that.

All these chapters later and I'm still not Steph and this still isn't Twi.

Let's see what's going on with Edward, now, m'kay?

* * *

**Chapter 67: This Is Not the End, Part 2 **

**EPOV**

I left the hospital late Monday morning, after taking Bella a change of clothes. It had been a fight with Alice to get the things that I thought Bella would be most comfortable wearing. But when Bella had had her period and then been sick the previous week, I'd seen her wear comfortable, loose sweats, so I felt like I knew what I was doing. She would want comfort, not cute. Alice's heart was in the right place, but I knew my girl.

_My poor girl._

Seeing Bella in the hospital again this morning had left me feeling depressed and at blame all over again. I kept looking at her thinking about how I had probably been the catalyst for her injuries. She had dark bruises where James had grabbed her arms and held her wrists. Her hip bones, where he had shoved her hard against the car, were blotched with more purple bruises. The bandage on her cut wrist reminded me of the damage within, which made that hand virtually unusable for the time being. It was awfully hard looking at her face and seeing the angry-looking split on her lip sutured up with mocking black threads.

I wondered how I could ever make this all up to her. I wanted to do what I could to help her, but at the same time, it just depressed me because I had to think about why I was doing these things. Like printing her damn paper up and turning it in. If she hadn't been so intent on getting it done immediately, she wouldn't have gone back to the car in the first place. But, fuck me, the whole reason she did it was to free up her evening, so she could spend more time _with me._

The absolute worst was when her father had come to the hospital. I'd heard his husky tone of voice, seen the slight glassy sheen of tears held in check as he looked at his injured little girl. Even though she was twenty-one years old, I know he still thought of her as his baby. And his baby had been harmed. He had hugged her and then turned to me, shaking my hand, putting his arm around me briefly and…he fucking _thanked me._

I wanted to flee the room.

Or at the very least, I wanted to drop to my knees, confess my sins and ask both him and his daughter for absolution.

I seriously thought about leaving, in fact I made an attempt, but Bella asked me to stay. I knew she would have to relive the whole episode with James for her dad and I knew she wanted moral support. And so I stayed. And listened to the nightmare all over again. But at least he had some words of wisdom and comfort for her

It was finally time for me to leave if I wanted to get her paper turned in for her. Which I did. I could at least do that much. I had the little flash drive and the information about what to print up and where to take it and I headed to my car in the medical center parking lot.

I opened the car door and felt a punch to the gut as I looked at what Emmett had thought to do, either late last night or early this morning. I had forgotten all about it in the time I'd spent in the hospital with Bella.

Emmett had taken care of the situation with Bella's blood in my car. I guess he must have felt that I didn't need to see it or be reminded of it and so he had put two of his old t-shirts over the seatbacks on the driver's and passenger's sides. The headrests fit neatly through the neck of the shirts and the shirts themselves covered whatever smudges and spots had been left behind as Bella moved within the Volvo. She had been unaware that she was bleeding as she focused on me and James squaring off. Emmett had even covered the seats with thick towels, tucked through to the back and beneath the seat.

I'll be honest. Before I'd climbed in earlier this morning, I'd looked underneath the towels and shirts. Of course I did. I hadn't seen the interior of the car the night before, after the attack, and how could I not be curious? And now I would always know what was under there, although my imagination would probably have filled in the blanks just fine anyway.

Still, it had been a jolt again just now, seeing the towels and t-shirts. I settled into the driver's side and I took a moment to pound my fist angrily and repeatedly against the passenger seat back, because this whole thing was just so fucking unfair. This shouldn't have happened to Bella.

I got my aggression out, for now, and started the car, heading back to the dorm so I could print her paper and get rid of her blood stained clothing.

I really needed to go buy car seat covers today. I didn't want to have Bella in my car with the makeshift covers, thinking about why they were there. If I bought actual car seat covers, maybe we could pretend, or at least forget, over time.

_Fat fucking chance._

Back at the dorm parking lot I climbed out of the car with the shopping bag and was about to fling the whole damned thing right into the dumpster, but instead I paused. I pulled out her jeans and looked at them carefully. She'd mentioned they were her favorites. And then I thought to look more closely at her pale blue shirt once again, too. It wasn't that I was being morbid; I had my reasons. They were both completely unsalvageable; the blood would never wash out completely. As I passed by the dumpster I tossed the bag of ruined clothing in and proceeded to hike up to the dorm.

I found Bella's essay on her flash drive and printed it up in my room. It was a paper on Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" for her Studies in Shakespeare class with Professor Mason. The class was easy to find and the professor was very understanding and sympathetic about Bella's situation when I explained it to him.

By the time I got back to my room it was already lunchtime and Alice was hanging out with Jasper. I wasn't particularly hungry; I'd grabbed a doughnut and a cup of coffee before heading to the hospital earlier and it was still sitting in my gut like a lead lump. But Alice dragged me along, despite my lack of appetite.

Rose and Emmett were coming out of Rose's dorm and Emmett hollered for us to wait up. He told us that a guy from Housing and Operations was headed over to repaint the wall and door of Alice's and Bella's room. The artwork James had left behind would be gone shortly. I hoped the guy would be done before Bella got back from the hospital. She didn't need to be faced with that shit.

We headed down to the dining hall together then. I filled them in on Bella, since I'd been over at the hospital to see her. All four of them had additional questions and as I responded to their barrage I was beginning to regret going with them. I felt the beginnings of a dull headache.

And that was before I got into the dining hall and the five of us were bombarded with questions from everybody and their brother. Everyone wanted to know what exactly had happened last night in the parking lot. They all asked the same inane questions. I knew they were all concerned for Bella and glad to hear that she was doing pretty well this morning, but I just wanted to be left alone.

They told me how lucky Bella was that I got to her and what a hero I was. They asked repeatedly how I was doing. It got to the point where I felt like slamming my lunch tray against the wall and shouting that I was fanfuckingtastic.

How the hell did they think I felt after my girlfriend had been attacked?

But I held my tongue.

Eventually the hubbub died down and they left us alone. Maybe my demeanor gave me away because even Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper stopped discussing the situation and finally no one was saying much of anything, just looking uncomfortably at each other. I sat and picked at my food and felt them all watching me.

_Fuck that shit._

I couldn't take it anymore and told them I was going to go lie down. I sure as hell wasn't in any shape to attend classes.

_Fuck that shit, too._

But the minute I flopped down onto my bed all I could do was visualize everything that had happened; everything I'd seen and done and everything I now knew had happened before I'd gotten to her. It made me sick. I'm sure my lack of sound sleep contributed to me feeling sick, but I got the feeling that I wouldn't be doing much sleeping right now.

And so I moved on to Plan B.

Escape.

Just as Jasper quietly came back into the room, I was headed out the door, stuffing my wallet and keys into my pockets.

"Where are you off to?" he asked. He was surprised, I guess, to see that I wasn't lying down and napping.

"I'm going to run a few errands. I'm going to go buy some car seat covers and go to a bookstore and probably a few other places."

"You want some company? I'm more than willing to blow off my afternoon class. It doesn't take much to twist my arm. Please…I'm begging you; I hate my Monday/Wednesday two o'clock; it gives me indigestion after lunch."

I smiled briefly at his goofy but sincere, hopeful face.

"Nah, I'm good; but thanks, Jasper. You should just take an antacid and go be scholarly."

"You sure?" he asked once more.

I nodded. "I kind of feel like being by myself for a bit, you know?"

He nodded but was looking at me thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed a bit.

"I'll catch you later," I told him as I moved past him out into the hall.

Just as I got to my car, my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I took it out and looked at the screen. '_Carlisle.'_

_Shit. My parents._

They'd called last night after Alice had spoken with them but I'd let it go to voicemail. My dad had even texted me last night. And he didn't do texts, so I knew how desperate they were to talk. This morning they'd called again. Twice. One call from my dad and one from my mom. They had resorted to tag-teaming me. They were grasping at communication straws.

I opened the phone at the same time that I opened my car door with my other hand, sat down on the towel/t-shirt combination and sighed, slumping back against the seat.

"Hi, Dad." I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose

"Edward. Hello. Hang on one second." I heard his muffled voice as he covered the phone and said something in the background before the phone went to speaker.

"Edward? Hi it's Mom, too. We've been trying to reach you. Are you all right?"

"Hi, Mom. Yeah, I'm okay."

"We've been so worried! How's Bella doing? Have you seen her today?"

"Yeah, I saw her. Her surgery went well. She's been through a lot, though, you know? She's supposed to be released from the hospital this afternoon. Her dad is there with her now and he'll bring her back to the dorm later."

"How did this all happen, Edward?" my dad asked. "Alice called us last night after the attack and we spoke to Emmett this morning but it's still a little unclear."

_Fuck._

_I'd never even told them about the stalking. It had all spiraled out of control so fast. _

I flipped the lever at the side of the car seat, letting the seat recline and I just lay there, with the phone to my ear, dragging my other hand through my hair. I had to go through the whole story once more, this time with background information.

They were shocked at everything that had happened, of course. And they were concerned for both Bella and me, naturally. But I could feel myself on edge and waiting anxiously for the call to end so I wouldn't have to think it all and see it all in my mind again.

"Oh my gosh. Poor Bella. She certainly didn't need all that," my mom said when I'd finished.

_Understatement, Mom. She didn't need that. I didn't need that. I'm certain the only person that needed that was fucked-up-deranged-lunatic-James._

I sighed. "No, she didn't need that."

"And you…I can't believe you were in a fight with an armed attacker, Edward! You must have been so frightened!"

I rolled my eyes.

"It happened so quickly, Mom. I didn't really focus on that. I just wanted Bella to be safe."

"She's lucky you found her when you did," my dad said.

_Fuck._

_She would have been luckier if I'd kept my fucking mouth shut and hadn't placed a call to an unhinged mental case._

"Yeah. Listen, I've got some things I need to do; I should get going."

"Edward," my dad interrupted, "before you go…you've both been through a traumatic experience. If you need anything…anything at all, don't hesitate to call us. I can prescribe something if you're feeling anxious or not sleeping. And I think it would be wise for you both to maybe talk to someone about this. You would probably both benefit from some counseling and I'm sure they have those kinds of services right there on campus. I can check into things from here, if you'd like."

"Thanks, Dad, but I can do that. I'll keep it in mind."

_Bella would probably benefit from a support group for victims of attackers. I, on the other hand, needed to find a support group for significant others who instigated an attack on their loved ones._

"Well, you take care, son. Let us know if we can help."

"All right. Thanks again, Dad."

"We love you, Edward."

"I know, Mom. Love you, too."

We said our goodbyes and I shut my phone and just lay there for a few minutes, sprawled back in the reclined seat.

But I finally got my ass in gear and drove out of the parking lot, headed downtown.

As the afternoon wore on, I accomplished what I had wanted to do, but by the time I made it back to the dorm, I was dead on my feet. It was all I could do to crawl back to my room so I could lie down. Jasper wasn't there, but he'd left me a note that Bella had stopped by. I knew Bella's dad was probably still here with her. I couldn't face him again. I decided to just text her and let her know that I was going to sleep for a while before dinner.

But I didn't wake up until well after one a.m.

I had slept for nearly eight hours but I didn't feel rested. I'd had weird dreams again. Not like the nightmare from the previous night; these seemed like disjointed flashbacks.

I checked my phone and saw that Bella had texted me hours ago, after I'd let her know I was going to lie down.

_' ;) Sweet dreams.'_

Yeah…that didn't happen for me. And I'd never responded. And now I felt like an absolute shit for a whole new reason.

I was awake for the rest of the night, hanging out in the dorm living room, reading, writing and listening to music until morning came.

**Tuesday**

Tuesday morning Alice came down to our room and knocked to see if Jasper was ready to go to breakfast.

"Are you hungry, Edward? Want to join us?" Alice asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. I hadn't eaten much the day before and I still didn't seem to have too much of an appetite, but what the hell else was I going to do with myself?

"I guess I'll come along. Where's Bella?" I hadn't wanted to call her, in case she was sleeping. I figured if I was having problems sleeping, she might be too. I'd rather wait until I heard from her, so I didn't disturb her.

"She's still in bed," Alice said. "She was planning to go to class today, but I think she's having second thoughts. I think she's leery of being stared at, with the stitches on her lip and I think her pain medication wipes her out, which is probably a good thing. She should probably rest a little more, anyway; give herself one more day."

I nodded, wondering if she'd slept. Alice's eyes narrowed as she looked at me.

"Edward, I told her you'd bring her something to eat before you left for class."

"Sure." _That was the least I could do for her._

After breakfast I made a quick stop by my room to pick up something I'd meant to bring to Bella the day before. And then I headed upstairs carrying a yogurt, some fresh sliced fruit, an orange juice and a coffee.

The wall and door outside their room looked as good as new. The paint color matched exactly and the guy from Housing and Ops must have painted the entire wall, because there was no demarcation where the old paint left off and the new paint began.

Alice had given me her room key so I could let myself into Bella's room in case she was still sleeping. And even if she wasn't asleep, she wouldn't have to try to climb down from her bed to let me in.

She wasn't sleeping but she was still lying in her bed.

"Hi," she softly said with a little smile when she saw me enter.

"Hi. I brought you some breakfast."

She struggled to sit up, avoiding using her right hand. I thought she looked like such a sweet and lovely rumpled mess. Except for her lip. There was nothing lovely about what James had done to her.

_Christ! This didn't have to happen!_

"Hang on, I'll climb down." She began to scoot down to the end of the bed using just her one hand to help move herself.

"No, just stay where you are. I have to get to class anyway. I'll just hand this up to you."

She looked a little indecisive, but then she scooted back up to where she had been and I handed up the little cardboard tote that held her drinks and food.

"Oh, wait…here," I said, reaching into my back pocket and pulling out the plastic spoon, fork, straw and a few napkins. I handed them up to her.

"What's in the bag?" she asked, pointing at the plastic bag that was dangling from my wrist.

"Something for you. I meant to bring it to you yesterday, but I fell asleep and didn't wake up until one o'clock this morning. Sorry about that. I never called you back." I passed the bag up to her.

"I wondered what had happened to you yesterday, but I thought you maybe just slept through." She looked down at the bag in her hands in confusion. "What is it?"

"Open it."

She did, peeking inside. And then she looked up at me, completely baffled.

"What the heck? Edward! You bought me jeans?"

"Um, yeah, and…"

"…and a t-shirt?" she asked as she pulled the two items out of the bag. "Why?"

"To replace the other ones. The jeans are the same brand and size, but not exactly the same style. I think the pockets are different and maybe the color is a little darker? And the t-shirt is a different brand, but I liked the color; it's still light blue, just a little paler."

Her face was incredulous.

"But why? You didn't need to do that."

I rolled my eyes.

_Yes, I did need to do that; she just didn't know how badly I needed to do that._

"You said those other ones were your favorites. I just…I just wanted to replace them for you."

"Edward! How much was this? Let me pay you back."

"No! I wanted to buy them." I was not going to take her money.

"Edward, that's silly. They were just clothes. I could have replaced them myself."

"Bella, just…just don't worry about it, all right?" She didn't understand, but how could I expect her to? I just didn't want to argue with her about it.

"Look," I finally said, "I've got to get to class. Please accept them. I thought you would like them."

"I do! I really like them…I just…I didn't expect you to go out and buy me new pants and a shirt. That was really thoughtful. I can't believe you even hunted down the same brand." She glanced back down at the two pieces in her hands. She smiled down at me and then she reached her arm over the edge of the bed toward me. I lifted my hand and threaded my fingers through hers.

"I'm sorry. Thank you," she murmured. I squeezed her hand in mine and shrugged.

"It's okay. I hope they both fit. I just wanted to do something nice for you." I loosened my grip on her hand. "I've got to go," I told her.

"Will I see you at lunchtime?" she asked, frowning a little.

I ran my hand through my hair, thinking about the day ahead of me. "Probably. Text me later."

She nodded and the frown appeared to deepen a little.

"Okay, Edward. Thank you for the clothes. And for the breakfast. I'll see you at lunch."

"Sure, Bella, I'll see you later."

**BPOV**

Something was wrong.

Edward was not my Edward. He seemed hollow and flat and I wasn't sure why. If it was the whole episode with the attack…well, I was faring better than him, and I had been the one attacked, although Edward _had _been in a fight with an armed assailant. But still, something seemed…off…and I just didn't get it. Even given the situation, it just didn't seem like he was acting the way I would have expected him to act.

Edward was always so protective and he had protected me; he had put himself between James and me. Why did I get the feeling that he felt he'd failed? He hadn't. And if he was worried about me, well, I knew I could get past this and move on. I knew a lot of women that were attacked felt that they had somehow brought the attack on themselves. I didn't feel that way at all. I could be rational about this and I knew that James just wasn't normal; his thought processes were not grounded in reality. I'd known that the day he sat behind me in my class and shared his views on what was going on. What he saw happening between us and what I knew was reality, were on opposite ends of the sanity spectrum.

I picked at the food Edward had brought me, sipping the orange juice through a straw and waiting for the coffee to cool so I could do the same. It still felt too weird to drink where my lip was stitched.

The jeans and t-shirt Edward had bought were lying on my bed. I reached for them. That was a totally sweet gesture for him to have checked the brand and size and to have tried to find the same thing. But it was totally unnecessary. I wished I hadn't said anything about my jeans yesterday morning. Edward had been so tired yesterday; the last thing he needed to do was go out hunting for clothing replacements for me.

I wondered if the disruptions to his normal sleep habits were part of his problem.

And then it hit me. Dr. Banner had mentioned that I might feel out of sorts after such a traumatic event. He talked about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and mentioned that sleep could be a problem and that I might have flashbacks and dreams that were upsetting. He'd mentioned that Edward might feel that way as well. He'd been involved in the same traumatic event.

_Was Edward dealing with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress?_

I hadn't had problems sleeping, but then again, I'd been taking pain medication and that basically wiped me out and helped me to fall asleep and stay asleep. I hadn't really felt anxious either; I knew James was in police custody and I knew that the crazy things he had done were over.

Growing up as the daughter of a cop, you hear all sorts of things people are capable of, so after a while, nothing is a surprise. I'd always been one to take things in stride, too, so maybe I should have been having a harder time dealing with this, but it just didn't feel that way to me. I was relieved that it had happened in a sense, because now it was over. I didn't have to wait on pins and needles wondering what weird thing was going to happen next.

And it had been so abrupt when James had attacked; I hadn't had too much time to dwell on it before Edward was suddenly there, fighting him off. I'd been worried for him until I remembered the bat in the trunk. I thought once that was in Edward's hands, it would be over. And it was. I know I had scared the wits out of Edward when I'd fallen into his arms and fainted afterward, but it was mostly from the smell of the blood and the relief that it was all over.

By the time Alice came back from her morning class I had decided that it was time for me to attempt a shower. I felt pretty disgusting, not having taken a shower since Sunday morning, and though they'd cleaned me up somewhat in the hospital, I felt disgusting. Alice helped me put a few plastic bags over my hand, so the bandages wouldn't get all wet, securing them with rubber bands. She even accompanied me to the bathroom, waiting outside the shower area in case I needed help and just chatting with me as I cleaned up. Turned out I couldn't wrap a towel around my head one-handed to save my life. Thank goodness for my roomie with her helping hands.

I decided to tell her my concerns about Edward. She said she'd been a worried about him as well; he seemed rather brittle to her. Jasper had told her he'd had a nightmare the night after the attack as well and hadn't slept well after that, and then last night he'd been up most of the night after having slept the whole evening.

We both agreed that I needed to talk with him. And more importantly, I needed to get him to talk.

But when I saw him at lunch, when I finally ventured out of my room and actually went to the dining hall with the gang, Edward wasn't very forthcoming. He just attributed his mood to not sleeping well. When I asked about his sleeping problem, he just said that he'd been so keyed up Sunday night that he couldn't sleep and then that just piled up until he was tired enough to sleep away Monday evening until the wee hours. He assured me he'd get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight and maybe even take some Tylenol PM which Jasper had offered him. He was actually rather irritable about the whole thing and snapped that his sleeping or not-sleeping was a lot less important than my healing.

I was doubtful. And he'd never been irritable with me about anything before. I didn't take it personally however, because I figured he'd be more himself tomorrow, Wednesday, if he took something to help him sleep tonight.

After lunch, Edward and I headed back to the dorm. He had a project he had to start work on and I was once again behind in my classes. If I got any decent grades this quarter it would be a miracle. Thank goodness I still had a ways to go before midterms, so I could hopefully catch up and not watch my grades go downhill for the first time in my life.

As we parted ways in the dorm, Edward leaned in for a quick kiss to the top of my head, giving me a brief one-armed squeeze at the same time. As I walked upstairs I realized that Edward had not been himself physically lately. He was usually very physically demonstrative with me; keeping an arm around me, curling his hand around the nape of my neck, or twining his fingers into my hair. Now he seemed almost reluctant to hold my hand—although he had one less to choose from, and I knew he couldn't kiss me on the lips, but still, I felt like I was really missing some bodily contact from him. I wondered if he was treating me carefully because he thought I was too bruised. Really, I didn't feel that bad physically.

I just missed his physicality.

And I missed it even more at dinnertime when he didn't return.

He had texted me late in the afternoon that he was going to the library to work on his project, meeting with the other students who were in his group. They had planned to work on through dinner, getting something to eat in the student center. His text advised me to just go ahead to dinner with Alice.

By nine o'clock Tuesday evening I still hadn't heard from Edward. I glanced at my new jeans and t-shirt, draped across the back of my desk chair. They were nice clothes, but I wanted him, not a replacement outfit.

I went to bed by ten o'clock, feeling tired, a little upset and rather lonesome.

**Wednesday**

By Wednesday morning I was fairly certain Edward was avoiding me and I didn't know why.

I went downstairs with Alice to round everyone up for breakfast and he very nearly didn't come with us. Had Alice not been there to cajole and plead, he very probably wouldn't have come along. He wasn't rude to me. He just wasn't really _with_ me. He walked next to me but there was no arm looped around my shoulder or waist, no hand holding mine; his hands were shoved into his pockets.

When we went through the food line I slid my tray along the counter, collecting my toast and eggs, an orange juice and a coffee. Once I had my breakfast, Edward carried the tray to the table and set it down, taking his place next to me. I felt the heat from his body next to mine, smelled his familiar Edward man-soap scent, and heard the quiet, slight sounds he made inhaling and exhaling, picking at his food and drinking his coffee. He was physically present, and yet he was completely absent.

_What had I done? Was he angry with me? Had he been upset with me and I'd just been so medicated that I'd never even noticed? _

I glanced across the table at Alice to see her looking at me sympathetically. Jasper was watching Edward, drumming his fingertips lightly on the table top. When I glanced at Emmett his eyes flickered toward Edward and then he caught my eye again as he surreptitiously stuck his tongue out in Edward's direction for my entertainment. He flashed hopeful dimples at me afterward but I had a hard time returning his smile. Rose watched him out of the corner of her eye and then shook her head before looking across at me and rolling her eyes.

"Emmett, look!" Rose suddenly said, "They've put out fresh waffles. I want one more, how about you?"

"Nah, Rose, I'm good," Emmett responded and then winced, reaching down under the table as though his shin had suddenly been kicked. He looked up at her. "Now that I think about it, yeah, maybe I'll get another one," he said as he stood.

"I'll come with you," Rose said, getting up and looking meaningfully at Alice.

Alice spun toward Jasper. "Fresh waffles, Jazzy! Let's go make his and hers waffles!"

Jasper had already begun to stand before the words left Alice's mouth.

Edward and I were suddenly left alone next to each other at the table.

"Well, that was smoothly orchestrated," I mumbled.

Edward looked up and seemed surprised to find that we were alone. I took a breath and leaned toward him.

"Edward, you've been so quiet. I miss you. What's wrong?"

His eyes widened as he looked at me.

"Nothing, love. I'm fine, just tired, I guess."

"Look, Edward, if you're not sleeping you can take something for that. It seems like it's more than just not sleeping. Is it me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No! Gosh, no! You didn't do anything wrong. Why would you even say that?"

"Because you won't talk to me and you've been so distant. What else am I supposed to think?"

He ran his fingers roughly through his hair. My fingers were itching to do the same but I didn't want to take the chance that he'd pull away from me like he didn't want me to touch him. That would hurt too much.

"I just don't feel like talking, Bella. I just don't have anything to say."

I took a deep breath, looking down at my tray. My appetite had vanished. I really wasn't sure how to deal with whatever was going on with Edward but I couldn't sit here and suffer in silence anymore. And if he wouldn't talk to me, what more could I do?

"Well, Edward, I can't do this. If you feel like talking, come and find me; I'm willing to listen. I want to listen if you're willing to talk. But right now I have to get to class."

With that I stood up shakily and picked up my tray. I was certain that he would follow me and apologize and make an effort to talk to me finally.

But he didn't.

By the time I got back to my room to grab my things for class I was nearly in tears. Just as I was about to leave the room Alice came in and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

"Bella, I don't know what Edward's problem is, but we'll figure things out. He's not himself but I'm sure he'll come around; he can be so stubborn sometimes."

Alice wound up walking with me to class. A light rain had begun and we walked together under our umbrellas. I told her how he'd been so distant since the James incident. I felt like I was improving, moving on and ready to just get past it all, and yet Edward seemed to really be having a hard time dealing with everything.

I told her about the clothes that he'd bought me.

"Wow," Alice murmured, "almost like he's trying to erase what happened…but then he's not dealing with things that happened if that's the case. It seems kind of angsty to me." She looked at me then, a little frown clouding her fine features.

I nodded, "Yeah, that's how it feels to me, too. I mean, it's a nice gesture, but I'm not completely convinced it was just to replace ruined clothing; it's like he feels responsible somehow and I'm not sure why he would feel that way—I'm the one who left the dorm alone, without thinking of my own safety."

I met Alice later for lunch. Edward was missing in action, but that was no great surprise at this point.

To distract me, at least for a little while after lunch, Alice took me with her to the store where we bought a little curtain rod and a set of curtains that matched the bedding we had bought at the beginning of the school year, when she and I had first moved in together. The curtains were more than a month overdue, but they would keep us from feeling creeped out at night, thinking about James lurking out on the roof. Emmett was happy to hang the curtains for us as soon as we got back.

Later that afternoon I was standing by my desk, looking out the opposite window at the rain, when I saw Edward returning to the dorm. He was walking with his head down, lost in thought. He seemed totally oblivious to the rain that was still coming down and was completely drenched. I wanted to go to him, but I had decided that it was up to him to come to me…if and when that would ever happen.

But it didn't happen Wednesday.

That night I picked up the jeans and t-shirt Edward had bought me; they had still been lying on the back of my desk chair. I folded them up and put them back into the plastic bag they had come in, and tucked the bag up on the upper shelf in my closet, unsure if I wanted to wear them.

As I pushed the bag back, my fingers came into contact with some fabric and I wondered what clothing item I had left up on the shelf. When I dragged it down I realized it was Edward's pale green shirt; the one that he had worn at Esme's birthday party dinner. He had popped all of the little buttons off the cuffs when he had pulled the shirt off in a hurry late that night. One of the cuffs had also ripped in the process. I had gathered up the buttons later that night, deciding to sew them back on and try to fix the cuff for him.

Well, I had never had the time to do that since I'd been sick last week and then we'd been gone this past weekend to Forks and Port Angeles. But what else was I going to be doing with all my free time now?

I dug a little sewing kit out of my drawer and sat down with the shirt and the buttons. And as I sewed the buttons on, I realized I could smell Edward in the fabric of the shirt that lay on my lap. It was his man-soap scent and his cologne or aftershave. The scent was very light, having faded in the past week and a half, but it was strong enough that once I had finished my repairs, and had performed my bedtime rituals, I pulled off my own clothing and pulled Edward's shirt on over my head, so I could sleep wrapped in his scent.

**EPOV**

I felt like such a fucking hypocrite.

So many people had made comments about me "saving" Bella. Even my own parents.

I would very likely scream like a banshee and then rip the head off of the next person that voiced those thoughts.

I couldn't face them. Any of them. I didn't even think I could face her anymore.

None of them knew that I had brought James' lunacy down on her.

Breakfast on Wednesday had been miserable. I hadn't planned on going but Alice was of a different opinion and I couldn't very well cause a scene in front of everyone. So I went. I was so acutely aware of Bella sitting right next to me in the dining hall. I sensed her hesitation and edginess but I couldn't open up to her. I had let this go on too long; I'd made my bed and now I had to lie in it.

When she got up and left, after trying to get me to open up, I just felt more secure in the knowledge that I was a true shit.

Emmett had poked his nose in my room later that morning, ostensibly as my Resident Advisor and brother, to let me know that if I didn't pull my head out of my ass I would likely ruin my relationship with Bella.

I kept my head firmly planted in my ass and flipped him off for good measure.

I didn't need to hear it from him. I already knew it. I just couldn't stop the ball that was already rolling.

I was sick of Emmett, Jasper, Rose and Alice looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something…do something…anything.

And I just felt absolutely incapacitated because what had happened, and what had _very nearly happened_. Those thoughts just horrified me the more I thought about it.

I'd bought a journal on Monday when I'd gone shopping for Bella's new jeans. It had been a while since I'd written in a journal. It had always been a rather therapeutic activity for me in the past but one I hadn't needed in a while. It had been a good way for me to think on paper after Tanya's death. Something one of my therapists had recommended to help me deal with my thoughts on her death and my perceived role in that.

And I had lied to Bella when I told her I had a group project to work on at the library Tuesday afternoon and evening. I'd never lied to her before. I had indeed gone to the library, but there was no group with whom I was meeting. I just found a quiet spot in the library and began to write my thoughts down. It was as though the dam had burst and the river had flooded its banks. I couldn't stop writing.

I went to my classes on Wednesday and had no idea what the fuck was discussed because my mind had been elsewhere the entire time, just like the previous day. When I returned to my room, late in the afternoon, I put on some dry clothes, realizing that I had walked all the way back in the rain. Once dressed I grabbed my journal and headed down to my car. I had no plans to go anywhere; I just wanted to be alone. I plugged in my iPod, listening to the sounds of the rain as it fell, a backdrop to the songs I had put together on the playlist I'd made for Bella.

And I wrote.

Early Wednesday evening I was once again completely exhausted and wrung out, having been up since one a.m. I hit Jasper up for some Tylenol PM and slept soundly for over ten hours.

**Thursday**

By Thursday I had become a phantom. I'd succeeded in avoiding the dorm for the majority of the day. And when I had to return to my room, I just left again as quickly as I could. It didn't even matter where I went or that it was raining; I just had to get away.

When I walked into my room that evening, Jasper barely acknowledged me. I could tell he was pissed at me. I knew they all were.

"Your lovely and lonely little girlfriend came by earlier, _while you were out_," he finally spit out, emphasizing the last bit. "She left you something on your bed."

I turned to see what he was referring to and stared in surprise at the object on my bed.

Jasper cleared his throat and continued speaking.

"I told her I hadn't seen you and didn't know when I would. I also told her you hadn't responded to any calls or texts any of us had sent you recently, so she shouldn't worry that it was just her you were shunning. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go spend some quality time with my girlfriend. Whom I love dearly. And her roommate. Who has spent most of the day being upset about your sorry ass."

With that, Jasper stood and exited the room, never once looking at me.

_Fuck._

I turned back toward my bed and sat down slowly, picking up the light green shirt that was folded neatly and lying on my pillow. I was confused at first, wondering what it was doing here and why Bella had had it in the first place. It was a shirt that I had left at home; I hadn't brought it to school.

And then I remembered the last time I had worn it.

It had been my mother's birthday and we'd dressed up a little for the dinner at my parents' house. Bella had stood there in the pale moonlight in my bedroom late that night, removing all of her clothing, bit by bit, while I stood and watched, immobile and disbelieving. When I finally did begin moving, it was with such reckless speed that I'd yanked the shirt off over my head, only to find it stuck at my wrists, because I'd forgotten to unbutton the cuffs. I'd heard the sound of fabric ripping and buttons bouncing and rolling onto the floor as I tore it off my arms.

That was the first night Bella and I had lain together naked in my bed.

I looked at the cuffs and saw that the buttons had all been sewed back on. I tried to find the rip and instead found small stitches where Bella had mended the tear. I suddenly felt a tightening in my throat and I dropped my head down into my hands where I was holding the shirt that Bella had fixed. I buried my face in it and stifled a sound that was somewhere between a sob and a gasp because it smelled of her. She must have worn it.

It smelled of her and I missed her and I didn't know what the fuck was wrong with me.

When I crawled into bed a short while later, I stuffed the shirt almost entirely beneath the pillow, with just enough of it exposed so that I could breathe in Bella's scent.

**Friday**

On Friday morning Emmett barged into my room while I was still in bed, telling me that I had to come clean with whatever the hell was going on or this would all just blow up in my face and Bella would be gone.

"You have been so devoted to that girl…and suddenly…_nothing_? What the hell is that, Edward? She doesn't deserve this emo shit you're pulling!"

"Emmett's right, Edward…"

_Fuck. Alice too? What the hell?_

"…Bella is all distraught and teary and she just wants to know what's wrong. She thinks you're mad at her. Why won't you talk to her?"

"You can't begin to put this all behind you if you don't at least talk to her," Jasper's voice floated from the doorway.

_Fucking-A! Even Jasper?_

I lifted my head and looked toward the doorway in time to see Rose shutting the door behind her.

_Rose, too? You've got to be shitting me._

"What is this, some kind of an intervention?" I growled as I sat up shoving the comforter and sheet to the side.

"Look, Bro, somebody's got to kick your ass into gear. What you're doing to Bella is way worse than what James did to her."

_Oh geez…We're really doing this now?_

"You have no idea how right you are! What I did to Bella _IS_ way worse than what James did to her! You hit the fucking nail on the fucking head, Em!"

I sat on the bed wondering if there was any way in hell that I could barrel past them all and make it out the door before Emmett and Jasper both tackled me into submission.

_Nope. Not a possibility. _

_Maybe the window? Highly unlikely. And potentially painful._

I looked around at their faces. They had all gone completely quiet and were just looking at me in stunned silence. Alice took a few steps closer and sat down cautiously on the bed next to me. She looked like she thought I might bolt. Jasper took a seat on his bed across from us and a second later, Emmett shoved him over, making room for himself. Rose stayed planted at the door, arms crossed over her chest, like some blond Amazon bouncer.

_Oh holy hell._

"What?" I nearly shouted at them.

"Edward, what happened? What did you do? Why do you feel like what happened to Bella is your fault?" Alice asked softly.

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed as they waited for me to answer.

"You have no idea," I muttered as I bent over, sinking my head into my hands and grasping tightly at my hair. I was on the verge of ripping it out.

"So tell us," Alice gently urged, "then we'll have an idea."

"Shit, Alice," I grumbled.

But she was right, and so after I gathered my thoughts for a moment and I began.…

"The night of the attack, when Bella finally made it out of the car after I belted James and she collapsed in my arms, all pale and covered in blood...I thought…"

"We know," Alice quickly interjected but I had to continue. I closed my eyes.

"I thought she was dying. I was so hyped with adrenaline and my heart was hammering in my chest and I wasn't thinking clearly and all I saw was her eyes looking up at me as they fluttered closed and her body went slack. Holding her…fuck, it was like all those awful dreams I had ever had after Tanya's suicide."

Alice looked up at Emmett knowingly. They'd both been there during that shit. Emmett glanced at Jasper.

"He told me," Jasper murmured to Emmett.

I glanced up at Rose. She had abandoned her post at the door, probably figuring I was no longer a flight risk since I'd begun talking. She moved closer, pulling out the desk chair and sitting down near Emmett. She knew about Tanya, but she didn't know about the nightmares.

"I, uh, I used to have nightmares that I was the one who found Tanya after she died." I explained to her, waving my hand as I filled in that information for her. She didn't say anything, just nodded sympathetically, waiting for me to continue.

"It was the exact same date, did you know?" I turned back toward Alice. She was always the one who was in tune with me. Because of the twin thing, probably.

"What?" she asked, frowning in confusion for a moment. And then I saw the flash of recognition on her face. "Oh, my God! Sunday was October fifth, wasn't it? Oh, holy crap, Edward! I never even thought of it!"

She turned to the others, filling them in. "Tanya died on October fifth. Three years ago. This past Sunday—the day of the attack on Bella—it was also October fifth."

Their eyes widened in disbelief. I felt Alice's arm snake through mine and pull me closer to her. I sighed.

"Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to think you've lost the girl you love; that she's dying or dead in your arms? Or how colossally fucked up it is to think you've lost someone you care about…twice…on the same goddamned date?"

"That _is _seriously fucked up. You couldn't write that shit," Jasper muttered, nodding.

"But you can't hold yourself responsible, Bro. This thing that happened with Bella on Sunday...you didn't have anything to do with it."

"I had _EVERYTHING_ to do with what happened to her!" I roared at him as I stood abruptly. "I_ BROUGHT_ it on her!"

I leaned down and shouted my confession in Emmett's shocked face.

"I _CALLED_ him, Emmett! I fucking _called_ that fucked-up, deranged, piece-of-shit motherfucker! And he attacked her because of it!"

I looked at their faces. They were all dumbstruck and I was on a fucking roll.

"I saw his number when you showed me the card he'd left for Bella. I memorized it and input it into my phone. And on Sunday, when Bella and I were coming back from Port Angeles you called. You told me that he'd been near the dorm again the day before, that Alice had seen and spoken to him, telling him off. Well, I called him.

"I. Called. James." I stabbed a finger at my chest with each word to emphasize my point and then I flopped back down on my bed. The silence in the room was deafening.

"Shit," Emmett finally exhaled.

"Yeah, shit is right. I brought all that shit down on Bella with one press of the 'send' button."

"What did you tell him?" Emmett asked.

I rolled my eyes.

"I told him to leave her the fuck alone. I told him to quit stalking my girlfriend. I would have quit there, but he laughed at me and egged me on and I lost it. He called me a pussy and told me I couldn't give her what she needs. Like he even knows the first thing about her or would even know what she needs! I called him 'delusional.' I told him she's happy and in love with me. And then…"

_Fuck_…

I hung my head in my hands and took a deep breath.

"What?" Emmett asked, waiting for me to continue.

_This was going to sound just lovely._

"Well, Bella and I were just coming back from a…uh…nice…weekend getaway, you know? So I told him that when she's…um…with me…you know…and we're…you know…it's my name and not his…that I'm hearing from her."

_Yeah, that was just about as delicately as I could put that shit._

I glanced up at Alice and Rose to see just how disgusted the girls were. But they were both just looking at me with raised eyebrows. Then Rose just shrugged with a little smile.

"So? You let him know you have a good sexual relationship. There's no crime in that."

_Okay…I didn't expect that reaction. _

_Nor did I expect the rampant blush that I felt heating my face. Good God._

"Anyway, then I called him 'crazy' and told him we'd gone to the police. I told him the other people in the dorm were watching for him; that they knew what he looked like. And then I told him to leave her alone if he knew what was good for him."

Emmett clasped his hands together between his legs. Then he unclasped his hands and ran one through his hair before scratching the back of his neck thoughtfully.

"Well, shit, Edward, having it out with James on the phone might not have been the brightest thing you've ever done, but I probably would have reacted the same way if he were after Rosie. You were trying to tell him off and warn him off. That's not so terrible."

"He was already going there, Edward," Jasper added. "I mean, shit, he was on the damn roof taking photos. You have to know this was escalating even without your call."

"And I pretty much told him the exact same thing the day before," Alice agreed. "Um, except for the awesome sex aspect, of course. Bella and I are _not_ having awesome sex."

And then Alice giggled slightly. And Rose snorted. And Jasper beamed at me. And Emmett's dimples flared and his eyes gleamed but he held the guffawing in check.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I would never in a million years live that little tidbit down. What the hell was wrong with me?_

Emmett cleared his throat. "Edward, as your…"

I held up my hand to put a stop to it. "Don't fucking say it, Emmett! Please, just this once!"

"Okay, as someone who is a little older and wiser…"

Rose rolled her eyes but smiled as Emmett continued.

"…you need to just talk to your girl. Bella is smart, understanding, and for some ridiculous reason she loves your ass. Just tell her exactly what you told us…"

"Although you should leave out the screaming-of-your-name aspect," Jasper clarified.

_Fuck!_

"Jesus, I never said anything about 'screaming my name!'" I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"No, you didn't," Alice agreed, looking pointedly at the others. "And what you did say will never cross our lips. It's for you to tell however you see fit. But the important thing is you _do_ need to talk to her. You've wasted time feeling awful and left her to wonder if she's done wrong."

"You're right," I mumbled in agreement.

"I think our intervention here is done," Jasper drawled. "Why don't you go shower and get changed, Edward, and head up to talk to the lovely Miss Swan? Pour your heart out, beg her forgiveness and then kiss and make up. And meanwhile we'll all sit here and think good thoughts and keep our fingers crossed and talk about you behind your back."

I rolled my eyes and sighed as I stood up and grabbed a pair of jeans, some boxerbriefs and a t-shirt and headed to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later I was resolutely headed up to see Bella.

And five minutes after that I was back in my room. Facing all of them. Feeling ill.

"She wouldn't talk to me. She's too pissed," I admitted dejectedly.

The expectant smiles that Emmett, Jasper and Alice wore all turned into frowns and the three of them slumped in their seats.

Rose, however, sat up straighter and leaned forward with a twinkle in her eye.

"Well now, this is where you're going to have to put your romantic thinking cap on and get creative, Lover Boy. You're going to have to woo your girl and then throw yourself on her mercy. She'll come around; Bella strikes me as being merciful."

"That and she'll just plain miss your sexual voodoo," Jasper added with a thoughtful nod.

_Oh, for the love of God!_

* * *

**A/N: I'd love to know what you think. **


	68. Moving Forward

**The Transfer**

A/N: Okay, so let's get to business.

I'm B.D. I'm not S.M. But how fun if I were B.D.S.M! This isn't Twilight and I'm not trying to infringe. I'm just fiddling with fun characters.

Let's see what our boy is made of…..

* * *

**Chapter 68: Moving Forward**

**BPOV**

When my alarm woke me on Friday morning it felt like any other morning for all of about three seconds. And then the empty, hollow feeling began creeping in as I remembered that I really hadn't seen Edward since Wednesday at breakfast. I didn't think that observing him from my window on Wednesday afternoon counted. I had watched him as he returned to the dorm in the rain, hunched over and lost in thought and seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was drenched.

Wednesday night I'd slept in his button down shirt that I'd fixed for him but by the next morning, his scent was gone from the fabric.

On Thursday I didn't see him at all.

He had become as elusive as the scent in his shirt.

I folded the shirt up and took it down to his room Thursday in the early evening in one more attempt at seeing him, maybe talking to him, hopefully trying to understand what was happening between us.

Jasper had answered my knock on the door with a small, sad smile and a shake of his head before I even had a chance to ask. When my lips began to tremble he pulled me into the room and into a gentle, concerned hug and politely ignored the wet spot I made on his shirt with my tears as he spoke.

"I honestly don't know what to tell you, little girly. I don't know where he is or when he'll be back and I certainly don't know what's going on in his head. I know you've probably already heard this from Alice but he's not answering any of our phone calls or texts. He's avoiding all of us, not just you, Bella. I haven't seen him all day but I know he's around somewhere; he stopped by here while I was out." Jasper leaned back and indicated over his shoulder with his thumb toward Edward's desk. "His books and his backpack disappeared and then reappeared. I just haven't seen Jerkus Maximus in the flesh today."

I nodded at his words and wiped at my eyes. Then I remembered the shirt I had brought along. I moved back and Jasper dropped his encircling arm as I held the shirt out in front of me.

"Um, I've had this shirt of his since the weekend in Port Angeles and I meant to do some sewing repairs on it. I, uh, I finally did…last night…so I thought I should…um…return it to him. So, can I just put this on his bed or desk? Somewhere where he'll see it?"

Jasper nodded. "Of course, though I'm not quite sure why you'd want to do something nice for him at the moment."

I just shrugged noncommittally and laid the shirt down on Edward's bed, smoothing it out a bit as I did so.

"Thanks, Jasper." I said as I turned to go.

"Sure," he replied with little shrug. "And Bella…?" I turned back to look at him. "I'm willing to wrestle him to the ground when I do see him and bitch-slap him for you, if you'd so desire."

I smiled. "Thanks, Jasper. It's easy to see why Alice loves you so much. I'm not quite there at the bitch-slap point yet but we might be getting close soon."

"Just say the word, little lady," he smiled encouragingly.

I thanked him once again and headed back upstairs to my room.

About two hours later, Jasper came up to our room with the news that Edward had finally returned and had seen the shirt I'd left on his bed. Jasper admitted that he'd given him a mild tongue-lashing to go with it.

Alice, Jasper and I sat in the swanky fort then, watching Alice's TV. But I don't think the three of us were really paying attention to what we were watching. I think we were all secretly hoping Edward would show up at the door or call me. Or text me. And I think we were all secretly disappointed that Edward _didn't_ show up at the door, or call, or text.

After an hour or so of hopeful, then hopeless waiting, I decided to call it quits for the evening. Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, my eyes fell to the silver necklace I still wore around my neck and I paused in my actions.

_Was I still supposed to wear it? Was I supposed to take it off? Was I still Edward's girlfriend? What were we and how did we get this way?_

I splashed some cold water on my face in an attempt to keep the tears that were threatening at bay.

When I returned to the room, Alice was telling Jasper goodnight. I climbed up into my bed and settled in for a long night of sleeplessness, despair and confusion. Even Alice was upset at this point and she didn't have any inside scoop or words of roomie-wisdom.

And so when the alarm went off on Friday morning and I remembered the current depressing situation, I wasn't even sure I wanted to get out of bed. I really felt like just pulling the covers over my head and wallowing in self-pity and defeat. But I knew I had to get up; I had a class at eleven and I seriously couldn't miss any more classes for any reason whatsoever if I still wanted to pass my classes with decent grades. I glanced across at Alice's bed. She was already up and gone and her bed was made, neat as a pin.

I dragged my tired and grumpy self out of bed and was just climbing down the risers when there was a tentative knock on the door. My foot suddenly slipped on the ladder-like rung of the riser and I managed to bump my chin hard on the frame before grabbing on with my recuperating but still sore arm. I wanted to scream in frustration. Tears pricked at my eyes from the pain of the sharp jolt and subsequent arm-twist as I made it the rest of the way down safely. There was another knock at the door.

I opened it and there stood a freshly-showered, damp-haired Edward, looking at me warily as he gripped the door frame with the long fingers of one hand.

"Hey, Bella…we need to talk."

I couldn't believe it. For a moment I couldn't say a word.

_You're kidding me right?_

_Of course we need to talk! That should have been happening starting somewhere around Tuesday and it suddenly just occurred to you?_

I think it was my mood of the moment and his poorly-chosen words that worked against me.

My chin and arm were both still throbbing. I knew my eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and puffy from an abundance of tears during the night. There was a good chance my face was blotchy as well. I had tossed and turned most of the night, so my hair must have resembled a haystack. I still had sutures in my Frankenstein lip and I think I was wearing my most God-awful, ratty sweatpants and baggy, bleach-stained tank top sleep attire. And I needed a shower…yesterday.

I knew I looked like hell. I sure as hell felt like hell. And for the past nearly five days, after being attacked by James and having Edward slowly but surely disappear on me, I felt like I'd been put through hell.

And so I gave him hell.

"_Now_, Edward? You're finally ready to talk to me _now_? I've been trying for days to find out what's wrong but you wouldn't talk! You've just snubbed me!" My voice had begun rising in volume and pitch. "But right _now_ suddenly feels like the right moment? Why? Because _you're_ finally ready to talk?"

He just stood there immobile and stunned into silence; eyes wide and mouth agape.

"Well," I continued my rant, "We _do_ need to talk. I don't understand why you did to me what you've done to me this week. I'm really hurt, Edward! And I'm mad! And I can't do this right now!" I gestured between us. He had the good sense to remain quiet and let me finish fuming.

"I need to take a shower and get dressed and get something to eat before my class at eleven. I can't miss it and I can't be late. _Now_ is not a good time for me!"

I clenched my teeth and pressed my lips firmly together so they wouldn't tremble too much. I'd been doing a lot of that lately. I felt the heat of tears pooling in my eyes, but I managed to keep them contained.

Edward finally breathed a quiet, "Bella, I'm sorry…"

"Not _now_, Edward…._please_!"

Edward's mouth twisted into a pained expression as he ran the fingers of one hand through his hair. His eyes searched mine. Then he nodded resignedly, shoved both hands in his pockets and turned toward the stairs.

I shut my door.

And as I turned around, my eyes caught the vase of red roses that Edward had given me on Saturday night in Port Angeles. The flowers that he had laid on the chaise longue, where we were to make love, were still clinging to life. That seemed so long ago and yet it was just five days ago.

_Where had all the wonderfulness of that weekend gone?_

I sank down in the damn fine swanky fort and felt pretty damn badly about what I had just done to Edward.

_He'd wanted to talk and I'd refused him and turned him away._

"_We need to talk?" Aren't those words the death knell for a relationship? _

_Holy fuck! Did he come here to tell me it's over?_

_Oh God! _

_What if I had just blown the only chance I had to fix this?_

_I'm so stupid._

**EPOV**

I was such a fucking idiot. That was certain. What wasn't certain however was whether I would have the chance to make this right. Bella sounded so hurt…and angry. My guilt at hurting her had merely led me to hurt her even more. And now she was also angry with me. I had never seen her so upset. And once again, I was completely at fault.

Our relationship had become my own personal fiasco.

By the time I got back down to my room I was worried that I'd blown things with Bella irreparably.

When I reported in to the Intervention Gang in my room, Alice, Emmett and Jasper had looked pretty dejected; much the way I felt. Rose, however, had been the voice of reason, telling me I had to woo Bella back and beg her for mercy. She added that she thought Bella was the merciful sort. I just had to hope she was right.

Jasper voiced the opinion that Bella would miss my sexual voodoo, but that was understandable—he's always had unusual thought processes.

His statement just made me think of voodoo dolls and wonder fleetingly if Bella had any thoughts of sticking pins into some small effigy that resembled me. Because I seriously deserved that shit.

"So, what did she say, exactly?" Alice asked, nudging me from my despair.

"Yeah, her exact words," Rose agreed.

I sat down on my bed. Alice and Rose both scooted forward, listening intently. I gave a summary and they both nodded as they listened. Then Alice gave me her opinion.

"Well, the key word is '_now_'. She didn't want to talk _now._ That doesn't mean she won't want to talk later. You've made her wait all this time, Edward. Give her a little time to be angry. At least she knows now that you do want to talk. That's a step in the right direction. Before, she didn't even know if you wanted to talk to her at all anymore. Imagine how you would have felt."

I swallowed thickly and hung my head. I'd been so focused on my guilt and the fact that I'd caused her attack, that I never realized what I was doing to her with my actions; that I was just hurting her all over again.

Alice stood up. "Come on Rose, let's go check on Bella. She might need a girlfriend or two right now." Rose pushed up off the bed to join Alice.

Rose looked down at me. "You'd better get busy with your groveling plans, Edward. Maybe your brother and Resident Advisor here can give you some pointers. He's been known to grovel on occasion for some of the shit he's pulled." She smirked at Emmett, who had a slight pink tinge suddenly. "And Jasper has probably groveled once or twice himself." Jasper's curly blond hair bobbed with an introspective nod.

"We'll leave you to your homeboys," Rose said. "Come on, Al, let's go cuddle our bb."

The girls left and I looked across at Emmett and Jasper sitting next to each other on Jasper's bed watching me. They didn't look very optimistic.

"When I saw her, Bella was still wearing the necklace I gave her," I suddenly blurted out of the blue.

"That's a good sign," Emmett acknowledged. Jasper nodded enthusiastically.

"Well…?" I asked. "What have you two got in the way of go-to-groveling?"

"Flowers," they both said simultaneously.

I rolled my eyes. I had to do better than flowers. Still, it was a start. It had to start somewhere.

_Maybe flowers…but what kind…?_

**BPOV**

I had been sitting in the swanky fort for a little while, wiping furiously at tears, wondering why I'd turned Edward away just when he wanted to finally do something about this situation. I couldn't stop wondering if I should go after him and apologize or text him and ask him to come back. But if he had come up here to break up with me, I just didn't think I could go through with that right now, before having to go to a class. As it was, I was a mess. I certainly wasn't brave enough to go seek out my own doom.

The door opened up softly and Alice and Rose peeked in.

"Um, we're here for the Estrogen Festival," Rose said with a little smile as she shut the door.

"Yeah," Alice agreed, "Rumor has it you might be in need of some serious girlfriend time, so we're here to provide our services."

I wiped at my eyes. Then I laughed. Then the tears started flowing again as I hung my head in my hands in dismay.

"Oh, shit, girls…I don't know what I just did!" I shook my head disbelievingly. "I guess you talked to Edward, huh?"

They both nodded and came and sat down next to me, looping their arms around me.

"He finally wanted to talk to me and I just turned him away," I said through fresh tears. "Here I've wanted to know what he's been thinking; what's going on with him. And when he's finally ready to talk about it, I refuse to listen because I'm so hurt and angry! What's wrong with me?"

"You did okay, Bella," Alice assured me as she hopped up to get the tissue box before rejoining us. "He's made you wait and wonder. I think it's only fair to let him see how aggravating it can be. Let him wait and wonder a little too."

"I just…I don't know…I wasn't ready. And I was worried. I mean, look at me. I look like shit. I feel like shit. I've had a shitty few days wondering where his thoughts have gone." Tears started rolling down my cheeks as I spoke and I felt their arms tightening around me as I continued. "I mean, am I still even his girlfriend? Did we break up at some point over the last few days and I didn't know about it? This has been driving me crazy!"

Alice's fingers were stroking through my tangled hair as I blew my nose.

"No, Bella, he didn't break up with you; he's not breaking up with you. Edward loves you like crazy."

"Well, he sure has an odd way of showing it," I sniffed, wiping my eyes with a tissue.

"You know men are from Mars, right Bella?" Rose snorted. "Personally I think it's some type of genetic thing…they get a penis but the trade off is they're missing the communication gene.

"Edward should have talked to you but he chose not to. Now he's ready. Fine. But you have the right to have a say in this as well. You don't have to be at his beck and call. I agree with Alice. It's okay to make him squirm a little now. Let him feel how you felt. Make him wait a bit. You're not going to turn this into some petty game; Edward knows you're not like that. And when you do talk, let him know exactly how you felt; exactly how _he_ made you feel."

"I guess…I just hope he'll still want to talk. I don't want to lose him."

"Trust us, he wants to talk," Rose assured me. "That boy is nuts about you. He's so in love with you it's made him stupid. You won't lose him. His actions were just a little misguided."

"Yeah, Rose is right about the Mars/missing genetic material thing." Alice rolled her eyes. "But Edward does have some stuff he needs to get off his chest; he'll be back, Bella. Don't you worry!"

"So you two must know something about what's been going on with Edward these past few days?" I asked them hesitantly.

Alice cleared her throat and inspected her nails carefully. "There might have been a group effort earlier this morning," she said, avoiding my eyes.

"Oh, no!" I said, hanging my head in my hands once again. "Poor Edward! The four of you can be so ruthless!"

Rose snickered. "Well, we didn't have to use any traps or nets to bring him down, if that's what you're worried about. And he knows he needs to open up to you about a few things. So I think it was all good."

"And now," Alice added, "I think you should go hop in the shower, clean up and beautify and cutify yourself. Then get dressed and head off to class. When you get back, a girls' lunch out followed by a manicure and pedicure at the day spa afterwards might make you feel a little better. Plus, if the three of us leave the dorm it will give Edward some time to panic and think and figure out a plan of attack." Alice grinned across at Rose.

"I'm in for girls' lunch out and a mani-pedi!" Rose agreed enthusiastically. "What do you say, Bella? Are you in?"

I looked at them both. They both seemed so optimistic.

"I guess I'm in," I agreed, shrugging.

"Yay!" Alice exclaimed, clapping a little golf clap. "I'll call the day spa and make us appointments for mani-pedis for after lunch. You get back here after class as quickly as you can and we'll leave for lunch ASAP."

"Okay," I said, finally feeling a little more optimistic myself. "That beats moping around the dorm waiting for answers…it actually sounds kind of fun." I mustered a smile for the two of them.

"Well, it probably won't be as much fun as you had last weekend with naked Edward on your trip away, I'm guessing," Rose smirked as she stood and pulled Alice up.

"Ewww! Puh-leez! That's my brother you're talking about!" Alice exclaimed. She quickly jabbed her fingers into her ears and began chanting, "la, la, la, la, la, la, laaa," loudly as she made faces at Rose.

Rose just grabbed Alice and pushed her toward the door, pulling Alice's fingers from her ears as she did so.

"You know," she said to Alice on their way out of the room, "we're getting pretty good at this group counseling thing…the group of us…counseling others…about their problems with each other. Maybe we should go into business?"

The door shut and I smiled to myself and took a big breath.

_Okay, first things first. A shower and a shampoo._

I glanced down at my outstretched legs, pulling up the hem of my baggy sweatpants and inspecting what lay beneath.

_Holy crow! And a shave!_

As soon as my class ended, I hurried back to meet Alice and Rose in the room. When I'd climbed to the top of the stairs I saw a grocery bag hanging on our doorknob. An envelope was tucked between the handles, balancing against the door. Written across the front, in Edward's beautiful, flowing script, was my name. I withdrew the envelope and peeked in the bag and smiled immediately. And then I opened the card and read:

_My love,_

_You once told me that junk food cures all kinds of problems. According to you, Oreos specifically have been scientifically proven to be mood altering and I trust your knowledge implicitly. I hate that there are problems between us. And the current mood really needs altering. _

_I know this situation is all my own doing._

_You have given me ample opportunity to explain myself and instead I avoided you because of my own feelings of guilt. I've managed to hurt you so badly twice in less than a week. I hope that you will give me one more chance to talk. _

_I don't want to imagine not making this right._

_Yours always, _

_(I hope.)_

_Edward_

I rubbed my thumb gently across his signature before tucking the card back into the envelope and sticking it in my purse. I unhooked the handles of the grocery bag from the doorknob and opened the door.

Rose and Alice were sitting in the swanky fort, waiting for me. And waiting to pounce, judging by the looks on their faces. I set my books and the grocery bag down on my desk as the two of them stood. Alice hooked her arm through mine as we headed out the door.

"So, on the way down to the car, Bella, you can tell Rose and me about the significance of Oreos, m'kay?"

I did tell them about our history with Oreo cookies as we headed to the car. They were impressed Edward had remembered what I'd said about them.

"That's a very good move," Rose said, "he's drawing from your history together. That means things you've shared have been important to him, like they've been important to you."

Alice nodded in agreement.

They also made me read aloud the note Edward had left with the cookies. And though I didn't ask for their opinions, they both readily gave them, agreeing with one another that he'd made a good couple of steps in the right direction between the cookies and the card.

We wound up eating lunch at the same little bistro where Alice had taken me when we'd shopped for the Miss Fire Bomb dress two and a half weeks earlier. We chatted as we ate and I was grateful for the time away and for the opportunity to vent a little.

"He did this before, you know," I mused as I stirred a packet of sugar into my iced tea. Remember when I went to Forks after Jake got into the accident with his dad? Edward came to pick me up and bring me to Port Angeles and he saw Jake kiss me out in front of the hospital. He went all afternoon thinking that Jake and I had gotten back together. He wouldn't say anything about it until I forced the issue that evening."

Alice and Rose both nodded, with Rose adding, "Communication is key. Edward can't clam up when something major happens. As scary as the conversation might seem, more damage is done by not talking about things that need to be said."

I had to agree with her assessment.

Alice picked at her chopped salad for a moment before she looked up at me.

"Don't forget that night he suffered his vigilante attack and went to James' house. Remember how mad we all were that he did something so stupid? He didn't tell any of us where he was going or what he was doing. Sometimes he just goes off half-cocked and doesn't tell anyone what's going on inside of him." Alice paused. "You know, it's actually too bad he wasn't able to beat James to a bloody pulp with a baseball bat that night. None of the rest of this would have happened."

"Yeah," Rose agreed with a smirk, "and now Edward would be serving time in the county jail and Bella's biggest worry would be when the next conjugal visit would occur."

I rolled my eyes and blushed. "Thanks, both of you. Looking at things in a warped way helps put the current situation in a much better light."

"We're happy we can be of help," Alice giggled.

The post-lunch spa date with my girlfriends turned out to be just what I needed.

I was planning to get a French tip manicure and pedicure like I had gotten on the night of my first date with Edward. It would be pretty and neat, but not wild. Rose however thought I should go for something much bolder

"Seriously, Bella, go for power nails. Try a bright red. You'll feel just a little more in-charge every time you look at your hands and feet. You've got to have it out with Edward and this will help."

I remembered that Rose had chosen red last time. I wondered that Rose would ever _not _feel in-charge in her relationship with Emmett. And that thought made me think of my dad commenting on the very real possibility that Rose wore the pants in that relationship.

Alice said she'd get red if I did. She said it would be a sign of solidarity if the three of us went with red.

I decided to trust my girls. It was certainly easier than putting up a fight.

A little over an hour and a half later, I was feeling relaxed from a shoulder and neck massage, which Alice and Rose had demanded I get. With freshly waxed and shaped brows, which had been another demand on their part, and a spa manicure and pedicure, we left with our fire engine red nails.

If only the bandage above my wrist and the Frankenstein-esque sutures on my lip were a thing of the past. But at least I felt a little better. Better than I had in days.

When we returned to the dorm a light rain had begun once again. Beneath an umbrella that Alice had kept in her car, we walked back up the hill to the dorm. Alice and Rose pulled me around to the front of the building and we went in through the main entrance, rather than the back door that led to Edward's, Emmett's and Jasper's suite. Rose told me I was playing hard-to-get. Alice agreed it was the right thing to do. I went along with them; there was no point in fighting it. Two against one and all that.

We re-convened in the swanky fort where I busted out the Oreos and we each had a few. After a bit, Rose got a text saying that a girl from her dorm had a problem and since Rose was the girl's Resident Advisor, she had to leave. A short while after that Alice remarked that she wanted to go check the mail because she knew Esme had sent her something and we hadn't checked our mailbox in a few days.

And so I was left alone for a few minutes. I grabbed a book to read and curled back up in the cushions of the swanky fort, listening to the sounds of the light rain.

I hadn't been curled up there for very long at all when I heard a guitar playing somewhere outside of my room. It took a few moments before it really sank into my consciousness. I put my book to the side and stood up, going to the door. But when I opened it and looked out into the hall, there was no one there and the notes of the music were softer and seemed farther away.

_Weird. _

I went back into my room and heard the music a little more loudly.

_What the heck?_

Once again, I went to the door and peeked out. Nobody. And much quieter, muffled music once again.

_Oooo-kaaay. Just me losing my mind._

I shut the door. And heard the music more loudly once more. And as I approached the swanky fort I realized the music was even louder, it was coming from…

I looked up…

_It was coming from…the roof? _

I climbed up the risers of my bed, hearing the music become louder still. Once I was kneeling on my bed I peeked behind the curtains which Emmett had hung there for us earlier in the week.

_What the...? OhmyGod!_

_No._

_Freaking._

_Way._

I pushed the curtains back and I just stared in surprise at the sight before me.

Just outside my window, in the rain, stood the most heartbreakingly beautiful boy I've ever known. He was wearing rain splattered jeans, a gray v-neck t-shirt, just barely visible beneath a dark green hoodie, which made his eyes the most spectacular green I had ever seen them.

And he was playing his guitar.

For me.

_Oh my!_

Flanking Edward was his brace of buddies: his best friend and roommate on one side and his brother and Resident Advisor on the other. Jasper and Emmett were each holding over-sized golf umbrellas that covered themselves, Edward, and the guitar he was strumming.

Jasper stood beneath a huge black umbrella wearing a conspiratorial smile, a thick Irish fisherman's knit sweater with matching socks and his kilt. Besides the umbrella, he was holding a large basket in his other hand. The basket was covered with what appeared to be a red and white checkered tablecloth, though I couldn't see what lay beneath.

Emmett, to the other side of Edward, was proudly displaying his signature dimples, holding a royal blue and white umbrella and he was thankfully _not _wearing his assless chaps. He had chosen a more appropriate pair of jeans and a UDub sweatshirt. Sheltered in the crook of his arm was the most enormous bouquet of flowers I had ever seen.

Edward looked worried but Jasper and Emmett both looked fairly confident. Jasper leaned forward and looked past Edward over to Emmett with a grin, before he glanced back at me and winked.

Edward's eyes were locked on mine the entire time. He was beautiful if not confident. He looked nervous and panicky; wide eyes betraying his anxiety. I saw the tension in his body relax a little when I pushed the curtains farther apart. It appeared that he had been holding his breath, wondering how I would react. I came out of my stupor and finally slid my window open.

I was still at a loss for words.

Edward ran a quick hand through his hair before it found the neck of his guitar once again. He glanced down at the guitar momentarily before his eyes found mine.

"This is for you, Bella," he murmured.

_He had come to serenade me. _

He began to play and sing in that lovely, velvety voice of his. And as the music of the guitar and his voice began to wrap around me and caress me, I realized what he was playing. I tried to smile but my lip just quivered and I began to cry, wiping quickly at my eyes so that I could watch him through the blur of tears because I didn't want to miss his gesture of love.

Honey you are a rock  
Upon which I stand  
And I come here to talk  
I hope you understand

The _brown eyes_, yeah the spotlight, shines upon you  
And how could, anybody, deny you?

I came here with a load  
And it feels so much lighter now I met you  
And honey you should know  
That I could never go on without you  
_Brown eyes_

He was playing and singing his own preferred version of Green Eyes, by Coldplay, substituting the words "brown eyes." When he had held me in his arms and danced with me at his parents' house the night of Esme's party, he had explained to me that Chris Martin made a mistake every time he sang the words "green eyes" during the course of the song because he should have been singing about brown eyes.

Honey you are the sea  
Upon which I float  
And I came here to talk  
I think you should know

The _brown eyes_, you're the one that I wanted to find  
And anyone who tried to deny you, must be out of their mind

The song had become a favorite of ours. It was one that we sang loudly to each other in his car, with him singing "brown eyes" and me trying to drown him out as I sang "green eyes." But now this slow, quiet, heartfelt version with the substituted words, being sung by this sad and lovely boy, standing in the rain outside my rooftop window, was fast becoming my favorite version. I recognized it for what it was: a preamble to an apology and a declaration of love.

Because I came here with a load  
And it feels so much lighter since I met you  
Honey you should know  
That I could never go on without you  
_Brown eyes, brown eyes_

Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh

Honey you are a rock  
Upon which I stand…

As he finished the song and the drizzling rain began coming down a little harder, I popped the screen off the window to let them inside. I saw Edward's body sag in relief when I removed the screen. He must have been worrying that I would merely turn him away and not grant him access.

"Edward, that was just beautiful," I sniffed, wiping at my eyes once again. I glanced at Jasper and Emmett. They had gentle smiles on their faces as they looked at me and saw my reaction to Edward's efforts.

"You picked a terrible day to serenade a girl," I smiled shyly up at the three of them standing under the umbrellas, sheltered from the rain.

"Edward picked a terrible day to quit being a prick," Emmett offered. "If he'd gotten over it earlier in the week, he could have picked a better day."

"But at least he's finally done with his random acts of prickishness," Jasper volunteered.

"I wore the kilt for you, Bella," he pointed out, waggling his eyebrows and gyrating his hips a little.

I giggled. "I noticed, Jasper. Obviously this was an important occasion."

"Edward needed all the help he could get," he added.

"What Edward needed was a swift kick in the ass," Emmett chimed in knowingly, his dimples deepening.

I squelched my giggle. Edward was looking pained with the turn of conversation.

"Well, don't just stand out there in the rain," I told them. "You can come in."

"Nah," Jasper responded, "Emmett and I already have our escape hatch planned out. Edward's the only one climbing through the Bella Swan Portal today."

Edward looked at me warily. "If that's okay?" he asked hesitantly.

I saw how tightly he was gripping the neck of his guitar. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed and I realized he was holding his breath, waiting for my answer.I saw how nervous he was. He took a breath and continued speaking before I could respond.

"I know I can't just waltz in here after days of not saying anything and expect you to be ready to listen to me, just because I'm finally ready to talk…but I was hoping I could serenade my way in. This was my best effort, Bella. I don't want to lose you."

"How could I turn you away after…all…this?" I asked, gesturing toward the guitar, the flowers and the mystery basket.

"Oh, thank God," he murmured and then he began to unhook the strap of his guitar. "Um, can you take this?" he asked, handing me the guitar through the opened window. I nodded and took the guitar, reaching across and gently laying it on Alice's bed.

Jasper and Emmett stood there waiting as Edward pulled off his shoes and stepped inside, one sock-clad foot at a time, down onto my bed, tossing the shoes down to the floor below. He dropped to his knees once he was inside andJasper handed him the basket, which he also set over on Alice's bed. Then he reached out toward Emmett for the immense bouquet of flowers. Emmett stuck his nose amongst the blooms, inhaling deeply and then grinning broadly before passing the flowers to Edward's outstretched arms.

"You've raised the bar once again, Edward," he told him respectfully. "The next time I've screwed up with Rose, I'm coming directly to you. You're a total Master Groveler."

"Amen to that," Jasper agreed.

Edward's eyes nervously flickered over to mine before landing back on Emmett.

"Don't start celebrating yet," Edward replied, scowling a little. "All she agreed to was letting me in the window; there's still some extensive explaining and apologizing to be done."

Emmett nodded before turning to Jasper. "Come along, Princess Jasmine, we've worked our magic; time to cut out so Edward can plead his case and get on with the groveling."

Jasper looped his arm around Emmett's waist and laid his head down on Emmett's shoulder as they headed back across the rooftop in the rain. "Oh, Emmett, you big lug! Hasn't this been romantic?"

Edward turned and looked at me a little dubiously and shifted the flowers in his arms.

"If I hadn't needed the extra hands, I wouldn't have asked them. I just needed help and…well…they wanted to be helpful…if that's what you call _that._" He nodded in the direction they'd gone.

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "It was cute that they helped. How will they get back inside?" And then another question occurred to me. "How did you even get up there in the first place?"

"Well, first Emmett tried to get a ladder from his friend in Housing and Operations but that didn't work out. So we went with plan B." Edward scratched the back of his neck and looked back up at me. He seemed embarrassed.

"What was Plan B?" I asked.

"We went through Angela and Jessica's room. Uh, there's a small gathering over there right now: Alice, Rose, Angela, Jessica, Mike and Ben. They're all waiting to see how things went just now; they're waiting to see if all three of us return, or just Em and Jazz."

No sooner had he said that when we heard a loud, yet distant cheer of about six or maybe eight voices. It was like the sound you would hear when a Mariners game is on TV and a winning homerun is scored in the bottom of the ninth. You hear cheers go up from groups of people in different living quarters, gathered together and anxiously waiting to celebrate.

_They were cheering for Edward and me?_

Edward bit his lip and looked at me. "I, uh…I guess they made it back safely."

I smiled. "And now they all know I let you in."

He nodded sheepishly. "I guess it's good to have concerned friends, huh?"

"Yeah." I smiled at that thought. Besides Alice and Rose, other friends, including Angela and Jessica, had asked me what was wrong over the past few days. I knew they had noticed that Edward and I hadn't been together. I'd seen the questioning looks on people's faces in the dorm and dining hall when I'd appeared without Edward. He must have experienced the same.

"Um, can you take these?" Edward asked, indicating the flowers he held in his arms.

"Oh, of course!" I said, nodding. He passed the heavy bouquet to me. I was sitting cross-legged on my bed and the flowers took up my entire lap. "They're really beautiful, and they smell incredible...and there are…_so many_ of them!" I looked carefully at them as Edward replaced the window screen and slid the window shut. He pulled the curtains closed.

He turned back around to me and sat down, pulling his legs up to sit like I was sitting. Our knees were nearly touching…at least it seemed that way, because I couldn't actually see past the floral explosion in my arms. Edward ran his hand through his windblown, slightly damp hair before unzipping his hoodie and pulling it off, tossing it down to the floor below.

I watched his face as he finally settled and looked up at me. His eyes looked tired and sad and I realized he'd had a bad few days like I had. I just didn't know why he looked that way.

_What had he been going through?_

"So…" I said, nervously waiting for him to begin.

"So…" he responded before scrubbing his hands roughly over his face and then lacing his fingers together tightly in his lap and leaning his elbows on his legs.

**EPOV**

_Time to shit or bust, Cullen! Just spit it the fuck out and get on with it!_

"Bella…I called James." I swallowed as I watched her expression carefully. She just looked at me blankly.

"What? When? Today?"

"No, not today." I took a deep breath. "I called James on Sunday, when we were coming back from Port Angeles."

Her forehead was creasing into a little frown and she was shaking her head in a move that suggested she had absolutely no idea what I meant. I wanted to reach out and smooth the little v that appeared above her brows, but I kept my hands to myself. She probably wouldn't want me touching her after she heard what I had to say.

"Bella, what happened to you…with James…it was all my fault because I called him. I provoked him."

"I don't understand," she said, the frown deepening. "Why would you call James? How did you even get his number? What are you talking about, Edward?"

"The card James had left for you…with his phone number on it…I memorized the number and put it in my phone. I don't know why I did it. And I didn't do anything about it until Sunday afternoon. I called him when we were on our way back to school. Remember when we stopped for gas and Emmett called?"

She nodded but remained silent.

"Well, Emmett told me that James had been lurking around the dorm on Saturday when we were gone. I was talking to Emmett while you were going to get our drinks and go to the restroom. As I watched you, Bella, walking with a smile on your face, waving to me and blowing me a kiss…you just looked so sweet and happy. You and I had just spent the night and morning together, making love again and again…"

I watched as Bella's skin pinked up with a blush in reaction to my words and I couldn't help smiling slightly at her response because…yes… that had been pretty damn hot. But I quickly wiped the grin from my face as I continued.

"Watching you, so happy and innocent and unaware, and thinking about what we'd had together and then hearing about James…I just couldn't stand the reality of what he'd been doing to you, and knowing that he was still in the picture. Something in me snapped. I felt so possessive and protective of you and so furious with him. So while you were out of the car, I called him."

"Oh, my God, Edward. I had no idea." Her eyes were wide and she was shaking her head in surprise.

"Of course you didn't know. I didn't tell you. I didn't want to upset you." I shoved my hand into my hair roughly. "But because of my actions, I put you in danger. I provoked him, Bella. That wasn't what I intended to do, but it's what happened. I taunted him."

"What did you tell him?" she asked.

"I called to tell him to leave you alone; to quit stalking my girlfriend. But he just laughed, calling me a pussy, asking what the fuck I thought you were going to do with me and telling me if I was going to fuck a girl I had to take off my clothes and put my book down. What he said didn't really register at the time, but now I realize he was referring to when he'd been on the roof and had watched us lying here when you were sick."

Bella wrapped her arms around herself and glanced at the curtains. "God, that just creeps me out every time I think about it," she shuddered as she spoke.

I nodded and wanted to pull her into my arms, but I still had more to say and she probably wouldn't want anything to do with me when I told her everything.

"Yeah, I know," I replied instead. "These are probably a smart idea," I added, fingering the curtains that now hung over the offending window.

"Anyway, I yelled at him, telling him he was fucking delusional. He seemed convinced that you needed someone like…him." I could taste the disgust in my mouth. "He said I couldn't give you what you needed and that just pissed me off. I told him you were happy and in love with me. And then…_fuck_…"

I could feel my stomach tightening up into a knot as I thought about what I had to tell her next. I hung my head for a moment, gathering the will to be completely honest. I raked my hands roughly through my hair again as she waited patiently for me to continue.

"And then…Bella…I said something crude to him about you…because of the night and morning we had just had…"

Her eyes went wide as she looked at me, thinking about what I'd just said. "What?" she finally whispered.

_Shit!_

"I told him I must know what I'm doing because every single time you…come…" I could feel my face heating in embarrassment and shame at the same time that my stomach flipped over, "I told him when you came…it was _my_ name I was hearing you say; I told him you never mentioned him."

I paused and looked at her, waiting for her to tell me to get the hell out.

She just stared back at me, processing what I'd said, until finally…she laughed.

_She laughed? She laughed. She fucking laughed!_

"Wh…why are you laughing?" I asked in disbelief, feeling suddenly lost.

"Oh, Edward…that probably wasn't a good phone call for you to make. And you're ashamed about…_dishonoring _me…but the fact is…" She began blushing furiously. "…what you told him was true." She laughed again and I was worried I'd pushed her too far with my stupid behavior the past few days and she was no longer thinking rationally.

_Great. One more thing that was my fault._

"I would love to know what he actually thought when you said that. Knowing how delusional James is, he probably never even gave it a second thought. Oh my God! What a pissing contest!"

"This doesn't upset you?" I asked, totally confused. I was searching her face for anger but I just didn't see any there. And that made no sense to me.

"Well, no. Why would that upset me? You were trying to get him to leave me alone and you were pissed off at him. And I know you're possessive and territorial…but I'm your girlfriend, for heaven's sake…you had a right to feel that way with someone like him doing and saying the things he did. You want me to be angry with you Edward? You want me to be mad at you for this? James was crazy and this was escalating...that's how these things usually go. He wasn't just going to go away. This was coming to a head, one way or another. Something was going to happen and what wound up happening was bad, yes, but it could have been so much worse! How can you not see that? It was worse not telling me what was going on…I didn't know where we stood."

Her chocolate eyes were boring into mine and I was still so surprised that she wasn't angry. She only looked confused and frustrated.

"Imagine if it had happened on another day when you weren't there," she continued. "What if…what if _no one_ was there? He could have waited until another night and come in through the window. Or he could have watched and waited to run me down with his car. Who knows what the hell James would have been capable of?

"And I'm to blame, too. I was wrong to go out to the parking lot at night alone and without my pepper spray. I knew I had a stalker and I forgot to worry about it. So what happened to me is my fault too."

"But Bella, what I said drove him to attack you! I also told him that we'd gone to the police and that people in our dorm were watching for him. I told him they knew what he looked like and to leave you the fuck alone. It just taunted him into action. He disguised himself, cut his hair and dyed it and then he came to attack you that same night!"

"You didn't drive him to attack me! He already had some kind of crazy plan in place with the hair dye and glasses on Saturday!"

_What? What was she talking about?_

"Wait, what? Saturday?"

"Oh my God!" Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes went wide suddenly. "You don't know!" she said as she pulled her hand back away. "My dad went to the police on Monday afternoon. The police found a bag with a receipt for dye and glasses at his house. The date on the receipt was Saturday. He was planning on doing something the day before you talked to him on the phone. I never got the chance to tell you. You didn't drive him to attack me. That's what you've been feeling so guilty about? Oh, Edward, no!"

I was stunned at what she'd just said.

And then as she lifted the heavy bouquet of flowers off her lap and put them to the side I was even more stunned when she got to her knees and suddenly leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around me. It took me a moment to reciprocate. And when I finally got my mind and arms in gear and crushed her to me, I felt her body shaking and realized she was crying.

"Oh, Edward! This wasn't your fault. I had no idea this was what you'd been thinking!" She leaned back and looked at me, keeping one arm looped around my shoulder, her fingertips caressing the hair at the nape of my neck. Her other hand was wiping tears from her cheeks.

"I thought you were mad at me for being so stupid to have gone to your car alone that night. And then…the past few days…seeing you less and less and then not at all…I thought you were…I thought we were…I thought you wanted to break up with me."

"Oh, love, no! Not that. Never that!" I said forcefully as I cupped her face in my hand, looking at her eyes, glistening with unshed tears.

_How could she think that? How could she ever think that of me?_

"Bella, I'm so sorry, I fucked up so badly with you. I'm still convinced my call probably pushed James to act sooner, if nothing else. And then…this whole week, everybody has been acting like I'm a hero, and every time anyone has said anything, all I can think is what a fake I am. I'm not a hero…I provoked what happened to you and it could have been so much worse. Even your dad…at the hospital…I felt like such a shit talking to him. I had told him I'd watch out for you and then I led you like a lamb to the slaughter."

"No, Edward! Stop it! You can't think that way! My dad even reminded me that no one can predict what a mentally unstable person is going to do or when and that sometimes things are just beyond your control. James was waiting for his moment."

Bella's fingers threaded up into my hair, twisting in the locks, turning my face to hers as she looked at me.

_God how I had missed the sensation of her fingers tugging on my hair!_

Her eyes were pleading as she spoke. "Please don't beat yourself up over the attack. You can't go blaming yourself that I got hurt before you got there; you should instead be focusing on the fact that you _did_ get there and you _did_ help me. You were smart enough to figure out what was happening and you got to me in time and James is now in jail where he belongs and the whole thing is over. It's _over_.

"You can't blame yourself because then you just let James win. And that…that… fucker_…_doesn't deserve to win or ruin what we have. I love you. Don't let James win, Edward."

I nodded in response. Bella rarely swore. I didn't think I'd ever heard her refer to anyone as a "fucker" before. But she was absolutely right. She leaned towards me then and I thought for a moment she was about to kiss me but then she pulled away abruptly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worry lacing my voice because maybe she didn't want to kiss me anymore despite what she'd just said.

She looked embarrassed suddenly. "My, um…" Her voice trailed away as her fingertips fluttered toward her mouth. Her dark brown eyes looked back up at me. "I've kind of got this Frankenstein lip thing going. I'd kiss you but…" She grimaced.

I chuckled a little and then I just grinned at the girl I loved and shrugged as I swiped my hand across my jaw. "Well you've managed to put up with Scruffy the Wonder Jaw on occasion. I'm sure I could deal with your Frankenstein Lip."

She giggled. And then I pulled her face…her mouth…to mine. And it was like I'd come home.

* * *

**A/N: So…they're not done talking. And Edward still has some romantic gestures up his sleeve. Or pants leg. Who knows…? Tell me your thoughts. I love your thoughts. ****Best moment?**


	69. Facing the Future

**The Transfer**

A/N: I want to thank all of you for reading the 500,000 or so words that spilled out of my head and onto your screen. I hope you will enjoy the three things that will follow this final regular chapter.

-bannerday

I'm still not Steph. This still isn't Twi. No infringing here. Look elsewhere for that. Now, let's get back to groveling.

**Chapter 69: Facing the Future**

**EPOV**

When Bella and I finally kissed it started out as a chaste, closed-mouth, soft-lipped, gentle kiss. It deepened quickly enough though, as she opened her mouth to mine and we were suddenly both clutching each other tightly. And when we pulled apart and I leaned my forehead against hers, I could only sigh in relief because I knew she still wanted me. I pulled her into my lap and cradled her in my arms, unwilling to be apart any longer, even if only by inches.

"I love you so much, Bella. I'm so sorry for the past few days. I didn't mean to hurt you; I never want to hurt you, love."

She didn't say anything at first. Her hand found mine, lacing our fingers together and then she finally looked up at me and spoke.

"I love you too, Edward. I didn't realize what you were going through. I understand your feelings of guilt now; thinking that you were responsible for what happened to me. If I had been in your place, I would have felt just as terrible and at fault. I just wish I had known; I wish you had told me."

She paused for a moment, looking down at our joined hands, examining them.

"You've shut me out before, you know?" she said quietly, "Remember that first evening in Port Angeles after you saw Jake kiss me? We wasted that entire afternoon and evening. And if I hadn't forced you to talk I don't know how long you would have waited."

"I know," I whispered into her soft, fragrant hair. "I'm so sorry about then and now. It wasn't my intention to hurt you, love." I tightened my arms around her, relishing her warmth as I held her against me. I knew I had screwed up badly and I knew we weren't done talking about it; I certainly wasn't done apologizing for what I had done to her and to myself.

Her head lifted and she looked up at me; big soft brown eyes searching mine. I felt her hand gripping mine more tightly before she spoke.

"The first few days, when I was still on pain pills, I slept so much I didn't realize you were pulling away from me. And then when I did realize…and you would hardly talk to me when I tried to find out what was wrong…that really hurt me, Edward. You wouldn't share your thoughts and feelings with me and I just felt so shut out and lost. I didn't know what I'd done wrong.

"If you can't try to talk to me about the hard stuff, Edward…the easy stuff doesn't even matter. Being together is not always going to be easy but I'd like to think it's worth the effort…that _we're_ worth the effort…of dealing with whatever difficulties we face head on and doing that together. I want to be there for you, just like you want to be there for me."

I stroked my hand up and down her arm as I held her, struggling to express myself.

"You're right, love. I was just so…horrified…as the days went by and I kept re-thinking and re-living what had happened. I was certain that I had been the catalyst for it. I kept thinking how you could have been raped…or worse. He had a knife, for Christ's sake!"

I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to clear my mind of what I'd seen in my imagination and in my terrifying dreams the past few days and nights. I felt her small warm hand on my cheek and opened my eyes to look at the beauty in my arms.

"Bella, you're the most important thing in the world to me now; the most important thing ever. I couldn't handle what had very nearly happened to you, let alone the fact that I thought it was my fault. You don't know how it's tortured me."

I leaned into the soft warmth of her palm and clasped my arms around her, sighing..

"But if you'd talked to me, Edward, you would have found out that you _weren't_ the catalyst. You could have been focusing on the fact that you were there to stop James from attacking me. You were _there_, Edward. You got there before he had the chance to really hurt me. You fought him off. You protected me and I'll always be so thankful for that; so grateful to you. James is in jail now, where he belongs, _because _of what you did. You really were my guardian angel."

I thought about what she said as I breathed in her calming Bella-scent, letting it wash over me and through me as I held her body against my own. I had to look at the whole James ordeal in a completely different light than I had been for the past few days. I'd been so certain that I was the cause. But I'd been wrong. It was a complete misunderstanding on my part because I had shut down and shut up when I didn't have all the facts. Just like I had done to her when I saw Jake kissing her and I'd thought they had gotten back together.

Bella is the easiest person in the world for me to talk to. And I just…didn't.

_Because you're a moron! _

I had to let go of my guilt. I hadn't had all the facts but now I did. And I really had to quit pulling this kind of shit or I might lose this girl. She'd run screaming for the hills and that would be the death of me.

"I'm so glad I got there when I did," I finally murmured into her ear.

"Me too," she whispered against my neck, "…obviously." I felt her smile against my skin. And then I felt the slight tickle of her sutures as she planted a soft little kiss on my throat.

I swallowed, wondering how I could ever convey to her how sorry I was and how hard I would try to make sure nothing like this happened again.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you. I don't want to lose you because of some lack of communication on my part. I will do better by you, Bella," I promised her.

She leaned back and looked up as she nodded, looking at me with those deep, dark beautiful eyes. "It would be such a waste…of such a good thing," she agreed. "We've got to talk about the good _and_ the bad. The load is so much lighter when you share it, you know?"

I couldn't help but smile at her a little hopefully. "We're sharing the load right now."

Her face broke into a soft little smile. "Why, yes, we are." Her hand caressed my cheek again and I felt her thumb delicately trace across my lip as her eyes followed its path. "And it's not so bad, is it?" she asked as her eyes flickered back to mine, searching mine.

"No, it's not. It's very do-able. It's a relief actually, to finally tell you."

I looked at her dear, sweet, little face, wondering how I could possibly have thought avoiding her, avoiding this conversation and avoiding the truth, could be a good thing. The good thing was here in my arms, looking up at me with those deep, dark eyes filled with love. I leaned in and kissed her nose gently and she smiled. I looked down at her mouth, curled up at the corners. Her lip looked nearly healed beneath the stitches. I planted a careful kiss there and looked back up at her shining eyes. I couldn't help grinning.

"I love you, Isabella Frankenstein-Lip Swan."

She rolled her eyes and giggled. "I love you, too, Edward Pointless-Guilt-Trip Cullen."

I tipped my head back and laughed hard. She had me pegged.

After a moment she looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes.

"So you may be a poor communicator when it comes to the heavy duty stuff in a relationship but I've got to say, Edward, you really know how to sweep a girl off her feet and get in through her window."

I couldn't help chuckling at her words. I had really tried to do everything I could possibly think of to get back in her good graces. I had been scrambling all day since she turned me away from her door this morning.

"Showing up outside my rooftop window," she continued, "playing the guitar and singing 'Brown Eyes' to the tune of 'Green Eyes' to me, in the rain, I might add, with your boys as back-up, rivaled Lloyd Dobler's best effort in the movie 'Say Anything.'"

I chuckled, knowing which scene she meant and then I shrugged at her sweet smiling face.

"I didn't have Lloyd's boom box or trench coat but at least I had a guitar and my two little helpers to hold the umbrellas."

She leaned into my chest and sighed. "What you did was perfect. Better than Lloyd Dobler."

I smiled. And then I remembered something I was supposed to ask.

"By the way, since you did let me in the window, Jasper had wanted me to find out if the kilt was at all a contributing factor in breaching the Bella Swan Portal."

"What is _wrong_ with that boy?" she asked through a fit of giggles. It was a lovely sound and I'd sorely missed it.

"I don't fucking know. I just want you to know that the kilt wasn't my idea."

"But I'm guessing everything else was. Or did you get valuable, unsolicited help from Team Grovel?"

_She knew them all so well. And she knows me so well, too._

"Well it's important to have friends and family to offer their love, advice and ridicule to help point you in the right direction to deal with your problems and force you to see your shortcomings. Really, Emmett, Alice Jasper and Rose have been invaluable when it comes to all that. However, all this…" I swept my arm grandly across the space in front of us, indicating the window, my guitar and the basket on Alice's bed, and the massive bouquet of flowers, "…this was me thinking of you. I figured it would be better if it came from me and wasn't someone else's idea of groveling. The boys _did_ say I should get flowers, but I'd already figured that was a given."

"I'm very impressed." She smiled and leaned in to kiss my jaw. "You give really good grovel, baby."

"Good grovel was imperative. The situation called for it. I'd been a total ass to you, love."

She patted my hand comfortingly and inhaled deeply with a little smile licking at her lips.

"It smells like a florist's shop in here," she said as she reached over and picked up the bouquet, struggling a little with the weight of the thing.

"Um, that's actually a pretty accurate assessment and there's a reason for that," I said as I reached up and scratched the back of my neck.

There was a slight little pucker of confusion between her brows as she looked at the bouquet and then back to me.

"Okay…" She quirked an eyebrow at me. "So what's the story on the bouquet, Edward? I've, uh…I've never seen a bouquet quite like it. I don't mean to sound rude but it's kind of a, uh, hodgepodge. It looks like it's got one of every type of flower in the florist's shop. Well, except for these purple ones. There are a lot of those. And well, I know you like your flower symbolism, so…they must mean something, right?" She looked up at me expectantly.

_See? Right there…she knows me so well._

I nodded. "Oh, they mean something all right. I, uh…I probably went a little overboard, and the florist definitely thought there was something wrong with me at first. She kept trying to convince me that what I was creating would be ugly and it would be better to purchase one of their standard bouquets. But I explained to her that you weren't standard and that I had a specific message I wanted to convey."

"And that message was…?" She looked at the bouquet curiously once again.

**BPOV**

His hand raked through his hair before he began pointing out various flowers and explaining their symbolism.

"These purple ones are hyacinths. There are a dozen of them. Their symbolic meaning is something along the lines of '_I'm so incredibly sorry; I fucked up royally and I swear I'll never do it again_.'"

I giggled at his phrasing because I was pretty sure the florist hadn't said those exact words to him.

"Did the florist actually tell you that?"

"No, she was a sweet, little, blue-haired, elderly lady. She didn't actually mention the _'I fucked up royally' _aspect." He cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, there are a dozen of the hyacinths because that was my primary message to you. I know I screwed up big-time. But then I decided I didn't just want to tell you I was really sorry. I wanted to tell you what you mean to me. And so there's one of practically every other flower in the shop, because all the things they symbolize…you mean those things to me. You're _everything_ to me, Bella."

"Oh, Edward…" I was speechless and I felt teary as I looked back down at the enormous, odd-looking, hodgepodge bouquet and it suddenly became an incredibly beautiful thing when viewed with its intended sentiment.

_I'm his everything…and he's mine._

"I don't remember what all of them signify, but this one," he said, pointing to a daffodil, "says, '_you're the only one for me_' and this pink carnation means, '_you're unforgettable and I cherish every memory I have with you.'_ Oh, and this one," he suddenly said, tapping the bloom of another flower, "this little pink primrose means, '_I have no life without you, so for God's sake, don't discard me_.'"

He looked down at me and smiled that delicious lop-sided, quirky grin. "Again, I'm embellishing on the words the florist said. And I should probably have bought a truckload of pink primroses."

He smiled earnestly and I couldn't help laughing at the little-boy-look on his face, his floral plea, and the thought of him driving from the florist's shop to the dorm in a truck filled with pink primroses.

"And…let's see…" he continued, "You already know the red rose is for passionate love and the orange rose symbolizes enchantment and desire. This pink rose represents gratitude, appreciation and admiration. This other pink flower is an 'alstro-something-or-other' and it's for friendship and devotion. And then the little, white baby's breaths are for sincerity…just in case you think I'm joking or that I was merely into weird-looking bouquets."

I smiled at my lovely dork. Everything he'd said was so endearing. It was so easy to love him. And forgive him.

"What's the Bird-of-Paradise for?" I asked. It was rather bizarrely sticking straight out of the middle of the bouquet on its thick stalk.

"I think the florist said that one was for joyfulness," he said. "And this one…it's a chrysanthemum…for optimism. I thought we could use a little of that. Oh, and I almost forgot…this one is really, really important…this bright yellow, papery-looking one…I think she called it a 'ranunculus' or _'ridonkulous'_ or something like that." Edward smiled his lazy, crooked, incredibly charming grin as he explained the ranunculus. "The florist told me its meaning is, '_I am dazzled by your incredible charms_.'"

His eyes widened in surprise and his grin broadened when I plucked it from the bunch and handed it to him.

"Just so you know, Edward,…you're not the only one who is bedazzled," I told him, "especially after you did something this sweet and touching. No one has ever serenaded me before, Edward. I loved it. And certainly no one has ever given me an 'Everything Bouquet' before. So I think you're pretty damn dazzling too…and 'ridonkulous.'"

He grinned, nodding his head a little to the left and right, weighing what I'd said, allowing that I was right.

"So, any other flower meanings you can remember or care to tell?" I asked.

He looked back down at the bouquet, turning it and inspecting the flowers. "That's the last one I can remember at the moment; maybe some of the others will come to me. Whatever their meanings…you mean those things to me, love."

"And the florist thought you were a little odd because of all these flowers you chose?"

He nodded. "But when I finally explained to her what I was trying to say with the flowers and why, she understood." He smiled sheepishly at me before continuing. "She told me I was a sweet boy." His smile turned devilish. "Then she told me she had a granddaughter that would want me if you no longer did." His eyebrows arched as though he were waiting for my verdict.

I burst out laughing.

"Well, she can't have you." I pulled his face down to mine and planted a kiss on his soft lips. "I'm keeping you."

He made a happy little growling noise as he crushed me tightly to his chest and held me for a few moments.

"Does this mean you forgive me for being the Ass of the Century?" he asked hopefully.

I moved my arm to wrap around his shoulder again, taking pleasure in the big, solid warmth of his body. I threaded my fingers into the soft hair at the nape of his neck and he tipped his head back slightly, his eyes fluttering closed as he obviously enjoyed the sensation.

"Yes, I forgive you. And you've been downgraded to the Ass of the Decade."

He chuckled. "I'm so glad you're still my girl, Bella," he murmured giving me a quick, tight hug before releasing me.

"Me too," I agreed.

I glanced back down at the heavy bouquet, leaning in and breathing in the scent of the floral mix. "I should probably put these in water."

"Here, I'll get them," he said as he shifted me gently off his lap. "Give me a second… I'll climb down and you can pass them to me." He scooted to the end of the bed and climbed down the risers. I handed the bouquet to him and watched as he neared my desk where a vase stood holding my wilting red roses.

"Can we throw these old ones out?" he asked, turning to look up at me while indicating the deep red roses he'd given me in Port Angeles the night we'd first made love.

_Seriously? Was he crazy?_

I quickly scrambled down from the bed holding the lone ranunculus.

"Over my dead body!"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise at my sudden outburst.

"These are our Sex Roses! You can't treat them so callously! I'm saving these!" I set the ranunculus down and pulled the vase of drooping red roses out of his reach.

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, my mistake! Our 'Sex Roses,' huh?" he asked with a grin. "They're kind of wilted, though… And these need to go somewhere…" He gestured at the big, new bouquet.

I sighed and set the vase back down, moving to my closet and pulling out a shoebox. Then I took my scissors from my desk as I took the lid off the shoebox.

"Oh, love…! You really do keep them all?" Edward's incredulous voice asked from behind me. His arms encircled my waist and I felt his chin on my shoulder. I realized he was looking around at my face. I turned my head and looked into his bright green-blue eyes, just inches from mine, and saw the soft, surprised expression there.

"Yes. Well, not all of the orange rose petals, but all of the blooms." I looked down into the shoebox that held the dried blossoms from the orange roses he'd given me on our first date at The Pink Door. There were also orange petals from the floor of the pool house. They were all fading, but they were still important.

"I'll save these together; first-date-roses and first-night-of-lovemaking-roses." I picked up the wilted red roses and began cutting off the stems, keeping just the blossoms and putting them in the shoebox.

"And you'll keep all of these first-_and-last_-fight-everything-flowers too?" Edward asked as his eyes flickered toward the new bouquet on the desk before resting back on mine. He looked somewhat contrite once again.

"Mmhmm" I replied nodding, as I continued snipping with the scissors. I smiled inwardly at his subtle implication that he would try harder and we hopefully wouldn't go through an ordeal like this again.

I felt his lips on the sensitive skin just below my ear. After a moment, Edward's velvety voice spoke low and soft in my ear.

"You should probably just consider renting a storage unit, love, because there's going to be a lot of flowers as time goes by; too many for shoeboxes and I plan on giving you them for good reasons, not for groveling purposes."

I felt his lips move softly against my temple and I leaned into his body.

Edward took the vase to the restroom then, cleaning it out and bringing it back with fresh water. I was able to fit most of the bouquet into the vase. The Bird of Paradise wound up on its own in an empty wine bottle that I commandeered from Alice's desk.

Once the mess from the old bouquet and the new mega-bouquet had all been cleaned up, Edward asked if I was hungry.

I glanced at the clock on my desk, simultaneously feeling my stomach growl a little.

"Oh gosh, I completely lost track of time! We'd better get going or we'll miss dinner!"

He smirked. "Relax, love. We're not going to miss dinner. It's ready when we are." He pointed up toward Alice's bed, where the covered basket sat near the edge. He stepped back over to the risers, climbing up two rungs and reaching for the handle of the basket.

When he climbed back down he turned around to me and asked, "Could I interest you in a damn fine swanky fort picnic?"

_Oh!_

"Oh, Edward! Yes! A swanky fort picnic sounds…damn fine!" I couldn't help grinning goofily up at him. He looked so pleased with my reaction I had to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him on the cheek. It was so soft; all clean shaven for the first time this week and he smelled so good, too.

"It's probably not the best selection," he said, looking down at the basket, "but I couldn't really prepare anything; I had to go with what I was able to find in the market."

"Whatever you brought, it's going to be perfect," I reassured him.

We moved over to the swanky fort and I plugged in the little twinkle lights as Edward turned off the overhead light. We spread the red and white checkered cloth out on the floor in front of the cushions and sat down. I began excitedly unpacking what he had brought for us.

"Oh my goodness, wine in real wine glasses? No plastic cups? This is classy!" I giggled.

He grinned at me as I passed him the bottle of red wine and the corkscrew. "Yes, it's the finest cut crystal the supermarket had to offer," he said, rolling his eyes as he began to uncork the bottle. I held the wine glasses out as he poured, then handed him his glass once he'd put the wine bottle down. He held his glass aloft, obviously waiting to make some kind of a toast. I looked at him questioningly.

"To us?" I suggested as I raised my glass.

He nodded and then he added, "To moving forward and facing the future…together."

"Yeah," I softly agreed. "I like that."

He leaned forward and captured my lips in his in a soft kiss. "I do too," he quietly agreed when our lips finally parted. We clinked our glasses together and watched each other as we each took a sip. The wine was smooth and tasted of berries, nutmeg and cinnamon.

We continued unpacking the basket. Edward had bought crackers, a wedge of Brie cheese as well as slices of cheddar and Swiss, sliced smoked turkey and maple brown sugar ham, black and green olives, cut up raw vegetables with dip, grapes, and for dessert, chocolate truffles.

"You know," I said as I picked up the package of truffles, "I do have a package of Oreos we could have eaten for dessert. I forgot to mention it earlier but thank you; I liked what you had to say in the card and the cookies were a thoughtful thing to buy. I shared some with Alice and Rose this afternoon and the Oreos began altering my mood almost immediately."

"I was hoping they would at least take the edge off your mood," he said scratching at the back of his neck a little nervously. "It was sort of a self-preservation technique."

I laughed but then I apologized to him. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you when you first came up here this morning. I wasn't at my best but I was just so hurt and angry, plus I had just slammed my chin against the metal riser on the bed while climbing down."

He grimaced and ducked his body slightly to get a better angle to take a look at my chin but then he seemed convinced that it was fine.

"No need to apologize, love," he said looking back up into my eyes, "you were completely right to say what you did. It was presumptuous of me to just assume that you'd be ready to talk to me after the way I'd acted the past few days. I was a jerk to you.

I didn't even thank you for fixing my shirt and sewing the buttons back on." He shook his head disbelievingly. "Thank you for that. I was so surprised to see it on my bed last evening; I didn't know you had brought it back with us from Port Angeles. That was such a sweet, thoughtful thing for you to do and I…I should have thanked you last night…" He looked miserable again, suddenly.

"You're thanking me now, Edward. It's okay." I reached over and grabbed his hand, intertwining my fingers through his. "Really, it's okay. It wasn't that big of a deal. I'd even forgotten I had it, but I ran across it in my closet yesterday and thought I'd do the repairs and return it." I squeezed his hand once more. "Don't worry about it; we're moving forward."

He nodded and I went back to unpacking the basket.

"It smelled like you," his low voice softly murmured and I turned quickly to look at him.

"I wore it to bed the night before," I admitted softly, "…because it smelled faintly like _you_."

He leaned over and kissed me long and slow.

"We're pretty pathetic," he stated with a little smile and I could only nod in agreement.

I turned my attention back to the basket. Beneath the packages of food that I had removed was a plate, obviously taken from the dining hall, cloth napkins that matched the red and white checkered cloth, and a little knife for the Brie. And tucked into the corner of the basket…

"Oh my gosh! You brought our ambiance! Edward, you're so cute!"

I looked up to see him turn slightly pink at my words. I reached back into the basket and pulled out the little votive candle I had bought for him at the campus bookstore a few weeks ago. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter as he glanced overhead.

"I wasn't actually trying to be…'cute.' I figured I'd bring some ambiance so we could have a candlelight picnic. I forgot the swanky fort had twinkle lights."

"Well, you can never have too much ambiance," I suggested. He shrugged and smiled as he lit the little votive and set it down in the center of our picnic spread.

I picked the basket up to move it aside and I realized there must still be something inside, beneath the checkered napkin that lined the bottom of the basket. I lifted the napkin up and beneath it lay a dark brown, leather-bound book.

"What's this?" I asked as I lifted it from the basket and placed the basket to the side.

"Um, it's…reading material…for you. I think…" his voice trailed away and he suddenly seemed almost nervous and shy as I saw his ears pink up.

"What is it? What do you mean, 'it's reading material for me you_ think_?'" I asked as I began to flip it open. His hand quickly shot out and closed the book gently. When I looked up at him in surprise he looked embarrassed.

"Don't read it now." His hand shifted to his hair, his fingers dragging through the strands in his nervous gesture. "I just thought you'd maybe like to read it at some point. It's …it's a journal…sort of. I bought it on Monday and I've been writing in it the past few days and nights. I've used journals before to say things that…um…that either hadn't been said or could no longer be said in person. It seemed like a good idea under the circumstances."

I nodded at him, holding the book closed in my lap and running my hand over the smooth, rich, leather cover. It dawned on me that he was probably referring to things he had needed to say to Tanya after her death. Now Edward wanted to share his thoughts with me. I thought about what a personal thing that was to do. I wondered if I could do the same; pour my thoughts out onto a page and then just hand it over to someone; to him, to read my inner thoughts. I'd be an open book. But maybe it would be a good thing to do…to share myself like that with him like he was willing to do with me. There were probably times when he found me difficult to read, just like I obviously didn't know everything he was thinking.

"Thank you. I do want to read it. I'd like to know you even better than I think I do."

He smiled. "You know me pretty well, love."

I smiled back at him and put the journal to the side.

"Shall we?" I asked, indicating the spread of food before us.

"We shall," he agreed enthusiastically, opening the package of crackers as I did the same with the cheeses and meats. He placed crackers on the plate and then sliced up the cheese to fit the crackers. I added slices of the meats and then Edward topped them all off with a second cracker. He picked up one of the cracker-cheese-meat stacks and held it out in front of my mouth.

"Sandwich?" he inquired, grinning.

I grinned back at him as I leaned forward and bit the cracker in half. Edward popped the other half in his mouth. We both sighed and hummed as we chewed. We continued eating and feeding each other crackers, cheeses and meats, olives, grapes, vegetables and dip, and drinking our wine. I poured us each another glass of wine as we wound down. I was full and relaxing back against the cushions of the swanky fort but Edward was still foraging.

"Sorry, I'm kind of pigging out here," he said apologetically. "This is the first time in a few days I've really felt that hungry," he explained sheepishly as he tucked an olive into his mouth.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I agreed. And then I smiled. "You go right ahead and pig out though, baby, I'll ignore the oinking."

He tipped his head up and laughed, looking so beautiful now that he seemed happy and relieved. He shoved a cracker sandwich into his mouth, as he looped his arm around me and tucked me into his side, leaning back against the cushions with me in his arms.

"I feel so much better about everything; about _us_," I said as I looked up at him.

"Do you?" he asked hopefully. I nodded. He sighed as his grip on me tightened. "I'm so glad. I've really missed you, love. I've missed…this…and just when we finally…you know, got together…it was suddenly gone." He was looking at me a little sadly.

I turned toward him, cupping his cheek in my hand and running my thumb over his lip, watching as he pursed his lips and kissed my thumb as it made its rounds.

"I know, Edward. But that's all over now…"

He eyes widened and he suddenly looked confused and worried. His hand stilled the movement of my thumb on his lip and he took my hand in his.

"What do you mean? What's _over_?" he asked hesitantly.

'This whole ordeal. You're usually so physical, touching me, hugging me, putting your arm around me and…um…I've really missed that. I want you; all of you, Edward."

He seemed instantly relieved and he exhaled heavily, mumbling a quiet 'Oh, thank God.' He looked up at me with a broadening smile and raked his fingers through his hair, sweeping it back off his smooth, wide brow before he spoke.

"Bella, for a second…the way you had said 'it's all over now'…I thought you were referring to the sex; that we'd had that one night and morning and now that was it. Or that we were starting over and…Wait!…Do we_ need _to start over? I mean, if that's what you need…to…you know…to trust me…or something…" He seemed at a loss as he stumbled over his words.

I laughed as I quickly got to my knees and moved to straddle his thighs, sitting on his lap, facing him, placing my fingertips against his lips and shushing him. "Stop, Edward. We're moving forwards, we're not moving backwards." I rested my hands on his broad shoulders, rubbing the slightly tense muscles that lay beneath them. "Besides," I said as I scooted closer, running my fingers up into his hairline, "I now know just what kind of sexy you're capable of. How could I possibly stuff that genie back inside of the bottle?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

His surprised expression morphed into a wickedly sexy smirk with that delicious crooked grin of his…and his eyes…_Holy hell!_ They were green-blue luminescent pools of sex as he pursed his lips and then spoke in that liquid velvet voice.

"Are you now calling my zucchini a genie, love?"

_What?_

"Edward!" I blushed furiously and ducked my head down, burying my face in his chest as I listened to and felt his deep responding chuckle.

"Seriously, love, I'm not sure what bottle you were talking about stuffing my genie back into…unless a bottle is a euphemism for…"

"Edward! Stop!" I laughed as I thumped my hand against his chest. I reached out and grabbed up the remaining cluster of grapes. "Here, let me feed you these," I said as I began shoving grapes into his mouth to shut him up. He was laughing and chewing and trying not to choke. Finally he grabbed my hands to stop me and we both just sat there staring at each other with silly grins on our faces as he finally swallowed the grapes down.

"Okay, continue," he suddenly said, opening his mouth and eyeing the grapes in my hand, making a little nodding motion with his head. "You toss, I'll catch." He opened his mouth and waited for me to toss a grape in.

I had terrible aim. Whether I tried to toss them straight into his mouth or up into the air didn't matter; it was all bad. Edward finally snatched the grapes out of my hand and showed me how it was done, tossing the grapes into the air and catching them in his opened mouth expertly. And then he tried to toss them for me to catch in my mouth. It was an ability most guys would pride themselves on and which eluded me despite Edward's best efforts. The end result was a grape down the front of my shirt and Edward looking at me with a sexy smirk, volunteering to help me find it.

And with that, my sexy boy was back.

I rolled my eyes at him and leaned forward, pulling my shirt away from my body and peeking down inside for the errant grape. I was suddenly aware of a second set of fingertips on the neckline of my shirt and another pair of eyes; dark, stormy-sea colored ones, right near my own, peeking inside my shirtfront with me and then pinning me with their heated stare.

"Mmmm," Edward's low voice hummed. I felt his hot exhale against my skin as he spoke. "No grape there, love. Maybe we should take off your shirt so we can get a better look and find that runaway?" His fingertips lightly ran up along the edge of my neckline to my collarbone and then my neck and the line of my jaw.

_Oh yes, please!_

"You might be right," I murmured, feeling suddenly breathless as my fingers moved to the buttons on the placket of my blouse.

"No, love, I think that's my job, let me do that," he said in that low velvety voice, halting the movement of my hands. His long fingers brushed mine to the side as he began unbuttoning my shirt. I focused on the face of the beautiful boy in front of me.

His eyes were dark with lust as he looked at me and then he was glancing down in concentration, unbuttoning my shirt with expert fingers. His fingertips were feather-light as they moved down the placket, opening the buttons and stroking my heated skin gently, from my neck down to my navel.

I felt dizzy and overly warm as I breathed in his heady scent, listened to the sound of his breathing as it became a little shaky, much like mine, and I felt the delicious heat of his body so close to me. I closed my eyes as he parted my shirt, pulling it down over my shoulders and off my arms. I heard his breath hitch and I opened my eyes to look back at his flushed face.

"Christ Almighty" he muttered, licking his lips as he looked at my body, "…I'm glad I didn't know what you had on under there this whole time. I would have had a really difficult time sharing any thoughts…well, any decent thoughts," he grinned lazily, "…and they probably would have been incoherent, indecent thoughts at best."

I looked down at the low-cut, ivory push-up bra I had put on this morning, glad I had taken Alice's advice to 'beautify and cutify' myself. Edward shifted, holding me in place with one hand but tugging on the fabric of his jeans with the other, making adjustments in the groin area. His darkened, sexy eyes flickered back up to mine and his lips parted. I placed my hands flat on his stomach for a moment, before sliding them down and curling my fingers into the waistband of his jeans.

"Having problems?" I asked, smiling a little as I quirked a brow at him.

_Yes…I'd say there is a big problem going on in these jeans. Gah!_

His eyes fluttered closed and he inhaled slowly, nostrils flaring slightly, before he spoke in a low voice. "My pants are about to explode and you're making fun of me." I watched as he swallowed and saw the sexy bob of his Adam's apple in his throat and I leaned in to kiss it.

"I guess the picnic is over," I said softly as I leaned down and kissed the warm skin of his chest just above the V of his shirt and then back up his long throat to his jaw. He groaned and his arms pulled my hips tightly up against his own. I felt his erection pressing hard into me as his hips shifted upwards against me. My hand suddenly had a mind of its own as it wandered down along the front of his jeans to curve around his arousal and I felt Edward's hips shift upwards once again, pressing himself into my hand.

"I think the picnic is just starting," he breathed, finally pulling back to look at me, opening his nearly pitch-black eyes. One hand was gripping the curve of my hip, the other hand kneading the flesh of my behind. His hand shifted up to the back of my neck and I felt long fingers threading through my hair as he pulled my head down and kissed me deeply. His tongue was seeking and caressing mine as I made little whimpering noises into his mouth. I felt his hand clutching my hair, pulling it slightly but I didn't care.

When we came up for air I shifted back slightly and my hand grasped the hem of his t-shirt, pushing it up to remove it as he curled upwards, taut stomach muscles and happy trail beckoning to my hands. I pulled his shirt up off his body and over his head, tossing it aside with my own discarded shirt. It was barely out of my hand when Edward wrapped his arms around my back and pulled my torso tightly up against his as he sat completely upright, holding me close. I reveled in the sensation of the hard planes of his naked body pressing into and against the softer flesh of my own.

_Shit…he's like a rock!_

"You feel so good, love; so warm," he breathed, his low voice caressing my ear and his hands moving over the mostly-naked expanse of my back. His lips and teeth moved from my neck to the shell of my ear, kissing and biting lightly, making me shiver.

"Are you cold?" he asked in a low voice and I shook my head.

"No, I'm really…very…warm. I've missed you, Edward…I've missed this." I sighed contentedly.

His arms tightened around me once more for a moment and then his fingers were unfastening my bra and pulling it down as I freed my arms from the straps and he pulled it from between us. I absorbed the scent and feel of his warm skin and tickly chest hairs against my naked breasts, making my nipples tighten and pucker. His warm hands slid up over my ribs, finally cupping and stroking my bare breasts, his thumbs teasing until he finally bent his head, bringing his mouth down to the building ache, first on one side and then gradually moving to the other. I was vaguely aware of myself writhing on him; grinding myself against his groin as the sensation shot through my body from my breasts to my very core.

"Hold on tight, love" he murmured into my hair, wrapping one arm low around my hip, his other hand and feet propped against the floor as he lifted his hips, scooting us backwards onto the cushions of the swanky fort. As he settled back with me still straddling him I felt his feet shifting until I heard the thud of one shoe and then the other as he toed them off. He pulled me down and to the side of him as he leaned up and stretched to pull off his socks and then my shoes and socks as well.

It was all I could do to drag my fingers through his thick hair, flexing and pulling through his locks as I felt his nimble fingers on the waistband of my jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping. And then he was pushing them over my hips and behind and down my legs until I kicked them off, leaving me breathless in just my panties. I moved my hands to his waistband, struggling and finally succeeding in undoing his fly, button by button. And as I was unbuttoning, something became rather obvious rather quickly.

_Oh. My. Lord._

_Edward…going…commando! _

_It was…inspiring._

"No underwear! Christ Almighty, yourself, Edward! My mouth blurted, mimicking what he'd said earlier upon seeing my push-up-bra and cleavage. "I'm glad _I_ didn't know what _you_ didn't have on under here this whole time…my thoughts would most definitely have been incoherent, indecent thoughts."

"I ran out of clean boxers," he murmured with a low chuckle as he held me close, kissing my neck and cupping my breast. "I haven't felt like doing laundry the past few days," he softly added, before kissing up toward my ear and teasing it with his tongue as his thumb teased my nipple.

I reached down and grasped him, feeling the contradictory silky-soft skin covering the iron rod within. I was breathing much more raggedly at this point. As was Edward.

"Me neither," I gasped as he slid a hand down inside my panties. I felt one of his fingers gently rubbing, lightly, in a tight circular motion. "Maybe we can do it together tomorrow," I said stroking him until he moved out of my reach with a reluctant little moan. He slid down my body a bit, kissing along my collarbones and farther along the tops and peaks of my breasts.

"We're not really talking about laundry now, are we love?" he murmured into my cleavage as he slid further south, kissing down my stomach and snaking a soft, lazy tongue into my belly button, as he pulled my panties off.

_Laundry…? What? Who?_

"Holy fuck, Edward!" I said when I felt his mouth at the apex of my thighs. "Oh…holy shit…no…no laundry now…Oh!" His lips and tongue were incessant and I realized I was writhing from the sensation, unable to control my body or my mouth, speaking about laundry for some ridiculous reason as I bucked up into his mouth and was about to…

"Oh! Edward…! Oh…! Oh my…! Oh my God!"

I was breathless I lay there gasping and reeling from such a quick and earth-shattering release. After a moment I blinked my eyes, looking down where he still lay, between my thighs, kissing me gently, softly. He raised his head, looking at me with a soft expression and I saw the pink tip of his tongue…_that tongue_…slide along his lip.

"Well, that was easy," he said with a little sexy grin and then kissed the top of my thigh.

"Oh, my God." I was still panting. "I said I missed you, Edward. There's your proof." I flopped my head back onto the cushion and pulled his body upward.

I felt him shifting and I heard clothing rustling as he took off his jeans and moved to lie over me finally, relaxing into place. I felt his need in the way he held me to him; in the way he moved over me, settling once more between my legs as I adjusted my body to accommodate his.

**EPOV**

I grasped her tightly to me, feeling relieved and telling myself I wasn't going to ruin anymore time we could share together. I gazed down at her flushed face and she pressed her lips to mine once more. She was just so beautiful as she came and then came back down from her climax. I moved over her then, covering her with my body as I kissed her deeply, wanting the connection we had to block out everything else from the past few days.

She shifted beneath me, parting her legs, angling herself up to me as we kissed.

"Make love to me, Edward," she whispered against my mouth, her full lips soft against mine.

I was already painfully hard. It didn't take much convincing to make me want her and want to make love with her. I shifted my hips, finding her entrance with the head of my dick.

"Wait! No!" she suddenly yelled, her eyes as big as saucers, shoving me back, pulling her legs up and clamping them closed.

_What? 'Wait?' Why? What did I do wrong?_

"We can't!" she blurted out, "I almost forgot! I'm on antibiotics; my birth control pills aren't as effective with the antibiotics I'm taking. Edward, I could get pregnant; we can't do this without a condom!"

_Oh, fuck! _

"Are you sure?" I asked, like a complete whiny dick, leaning my head down to her stomach.

She was grasping my face suddenly, pulling me up to look at her, all apologetic though she certainly didn't need to be.

"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry. I forgot! I didn't buy any or think to say anything…I mean, I didn't see you and then I didn't know if we…I didn't think you'd want…If we'd…"

_I know…I'd been a dick. And now the Fates were laughing at me…and Dick._

"Shhh, love…" I kissed her lips softly. "No worries. We don't have to tonight. We can wait."

"Oh, but Edward…" Her face blushed a lovely rose shade as she spoke. "I want to; I want you now. I don't want to wait. Maybe we can get dressed and go to the store …?"

_My love is a horny girl! And there's nothing Dick loves better than his horny girl!_

I sat back up on my knees, stark naked, reaching for my jeans and finding my cell phone in the pocket.

"What are you doing?' she asked warily.

I rubbed my hand roughly over my face as I flipped my phone open.

"I have no choice," I admitted with defeat, "I'm texting my brother and Resident Advisor. He slipped one in my wallet with an encouraging note the night of our first date. He said it was for good luck. I tossed it since then because we didn't need it…but I'm betting there's more where that one came from."

"Oh, Edward!" she gasped. And then she covered her mouth with her hand and began giggling.

"Go ahead and laugh, Bella. You're going to owe me big time for this."

I quickly typed a message to Emmett as Bella sat up to look at what I was texting.

_Are you around? I_

_need my brother and _

_Resident Advisor. _

Bella and I just looked at each other as we waited. A moment later I got a response.

_Im at Roses. Sup?_

I looked at Bella for moral support as I typed my request.

_I need something from _

_your room. Can you _

_meet me there in five?_

I looked at Bella and she shrugged and nodded, like she thought I was doing well so far. My phone buzzed and we turned our eyes back to the screen.

_What do u need?_

I inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of my nose because I knew how this would play out. Bella touched my arm reassuringly. She was biting her lip as I exhaled in a huff and quickly typed.

_Condoms_

It was concise and to the point and horrifyingly embarrassing. Bella and I held our breath as I pressed 'send.' Emmett's response was instantaneous and pretty much what we should have expected.

_Love gloves? Bro! _

_So u & B made up? :)_

_Bow chick-a bow-wow!_

_b there in 2! Bring ur _

_phone, this will cost _

_u a ringtone! LOL_

I huffed in irritation, shaking my head at my own stupidity. I should have just gone to the store by myself. I could have gone and returned and nobody would have been the wiser. Or the wise-ass-er. I looked up at Bella's face. She was still biting her lip. I raised my hand and tugged at her lip with my thumb, releasing it from her teeth. Then I stood and pulled on my jeans. At least the embarrassing text conversation with my asshat-of-a-brother had reduced my erection to manageable proportions. I picked up my T-shirt and pulled it on as my little naked Bella stood up and neared me.

"I'm sorry he's going to give you shit, Edward. We could have waited. Or gone to the store together. But thank you for doing this." She cupped my face in her hands and pulled my mouth down to hers. "I love you," she murmured when we pulled apart.

_I can do this. You can't deny something like this. Or someone this naked._

"I can put up with his shit for you, love." I kissed her and left the room quickly, hustling downstairs to my suite.

When I knocked on Emmett's door he opened it with a big grin.

"Welcome to Emmett Cullen's Porn Shop and Adult Toy Emporium, we cater to all your sexual needs. How can I help you?"

"Shut it, Emmett. Don't say a fucking word."

"No, seriously, Bro, what's the deal? Is this your first time? You don't have any? Or did you run out?"

I rolled my eyes.

"No. Bella's on the pill but the antibiotics she has to take make less effective. We have to use a condom for now."

"Oh," he said. "Rose is on the pill too, but we always use a condom besides."

_Rose is probably hedging her bets so she doesn't get pregnant by a buffoon and Resident Advisor._

I just nodded as he opened the drawer of his nightstand, displaying the extensive selection within.

"Take your pick," he said, "fruit flavored, glo-in-the-dark, lubricated, or ribbed-for-her-pleasure."

_Okay, so he's a well-stocked, considerate buffoon and Resident Advisor._

I shrugged. "I don't know. What do you suggest?"

He reached into the drawer and pulled out a few of the ribbed-for-her-pleasure variety.

"How many? Two? Three?"

_Seriously? I'm not putting myself through this twice._

I stared at him for a moment and then reached past him, stuck my hand into the drawer and pulled out a handful, daring him to say a word with my death-glare.

"Awww, yeeaah! Little Bro! You make me proud!" He began to guffaw and that was my cue to leave.

"Thanks, Em. I'll restock for you tomorrow."

"Not a problem. Glad I could be of service. Now you go service your girl…multiple times. But first, hand over your phone, Porn Star!"

_Oh for fuck's sake!_

"Seriously, Edward, I'm glad things worked out today for you and B." Emmett said as he pocketed my phone.

"Thanks, me too." I nodded because wasn't that the truth! "I appreciate all your help."

"No problem. And I'll get your phone back to you tomorrow. I don't guess you'll be needing it tonight, seeing as you've already got plans."

He was grinning as I left his room, stuffing the handful of condoms in my pocket. I stopped by my room and knocked on the door before opening it. Jasper and Alice were cuddled on his bed, watching a movie on TV.

"Hey," I said to their surprised faces. "I came to get some clothes. Are you staying here, Alice?"

"Do you want me to?" she asked hopefully. "I brought clothes for tomorrow, just in case."

"Yeah, if that's okay. I'm going to stay with Bella, if that's okay with you."

She shrieked. And she fucking clapped. Jasper smirked and waggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes.

_Seriously, these people are enough to drive you to drink._

"So, we'll probably see you tomorrow," I said as I hurriedly grabbed a clean t-shirt, my last pair of clean socks…_I really needed to do laundry_…and a clean pair of jeans.

"Take your sweet time tomorrow," Jasper drawled, "We'll see you two love bugs when you crawl out of the love nest."

I slammed the door shut and high-tailed it back upstairs to my little, brown-eyed, brown-haired, breath of fresh air and sanity.

Bella was sitting in the swanky fort when I returned, biting her lip once again, with her knees pulled up to her chest. She had put on one of my old t-shirts, pulled down over her knees. I saw a little pair of shorts sticking out the bottom, barely covering her lovely ass. The remains of our picnic had been picked up and the swanky fort had been neatened. She must have put on the shirt to hit the bathroom because her face was scrubbed clean of the make-up and she was now her fresh-faced self.

"Shit," I said, "I didn't think to use the bathroom downstairs…I'm just going to…" I hooked my thumb over my shoulder, toward the door.

She nodded. "My toothbrush is the yellow one…if you want…"

When I returned, she was already up in her bed. The lights in the swanky fort were still on, leaving the room bathed in the soft glow.

"Do you want me to unplug the lights?" I asked as I locked the door.

"No, that's okay," she said. "We can leave them on for now."

I quickly shucked off my jeans and pulled off my t-shirt and climbed up the risers in the nude with a fistful of condoms, ribbed-for-her-pleasure.

"Was it awful?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"It was pretty much what you'd expect," I replied. "But I got us these." I dropped the handful of condoms on her stomach once I'd made it up to the bed.

"Holy shit, Edward! Nine of them?" Her mouth was hanging open in shock.

I chuckled. "I told you you'd owe me 'big time.'" I used finger quotes as I said it. "Plus I thought you said you'd missed me." I waggled my brows at her.

"I did, but I want to be able to walk tomorrow!"

I laughed harder. "We don't have to use all of them. Or if we do I could always carry you…If I'm still able to walk, that is." I grinned at her responding blush. "I can go buy us some of our own tomorrow; I just didn't want to put myself through the nightmare of asking Emmett for more condoms tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Poor baby," she giggled, "Come here…I'll make it better."

_Yes, please! Make it better…'big time!'_

We pretty much picked up from where we had left off, kissing and touching. I pulled her shirt and shorts off and threw them down to the floor below. She opened the first of the nine and rolled it onto me slowly as I gritted my teeth, trying to keep a lid on things and not detonate prematurely. She stroked her fist up and down my length a few times while my eyes rolled back into my head. Finally I pulled her hand away and lunged at her

I kissed her ardently as I slowly inserted one finger and then after a bit, two, into her slick, wet, warmth. I moved into her slowly when she was ready, one arm looped beneath her back, supporting my weight and cradling her to me as we connected completely. It was heavenly, despite the barrier of the condom. My other hand was at her backside, grasping the voluptuous flesh of her ass while holding her in place as I slowly began to thrust into her with long, deep strokes, savoring the way she felt and the love I shared with her. The condom probably helped me to last just a little bit longer, so I think that helped make it good for her.

This wasn't just sex. And it wasn't just love-making. It was more of a spiritual connection. It was an intimate apology and promise on my part and I felt solace and restoration in her kiss and welcoming, warm, wet flesh. It was a cathartic joining as we tasted each other and shared each other, healing the heartache of the past week.

Our mouths were locked on each other's, tasting and exploring; tongues thrusting languidly, mirroring the slow movements of our bodies. I needed her. I needed her and she was right there needing me in return. The emotion and the sensation were building equally, building and increasing in waves of intensity until we found our release together, clutching each other tightly, crying out and groaning between deep kisses that kept our bodies, hearts and souls joined as one, as we both came hard into and onto each other.

We held each other until we had calmed and quieted and then we cleaned up with tissues that Bella had placed atop the closet, next to her bed. And then, not too much longer after that, we were busy trying out ribbed-for-her-pleasure number two. It seemed just as pleasurable as ribbed-for-her-pleasure number one. I know I was pleasured. And judging by the sounds and writhing movements Bella made, she had been rather pleasured herself.

Quite a while later we were both finally lying on our sides perspiring and spent, happily exhausted and looking into each other's eyes in the dim light.

"You look so worn out, baby," she murmured as she raked her fingers through my sweaty hair, pushing it back off my forehead.

"Three orgasms will do that to a guy, love." I grinned at her tiredly as she blushed. I saw tiny beads of perspiration on her upper lip and wiped at them gently with my knuckle.

_Yes, three. Three down, six to go. I might not make it out of here alive…but what a glorious way to go!_

"No, I mean you haven't been sleeping," she pressed. It was a statement, not a question. I felt the light stroke of her thumb just beneath my eye. I knew I still had those shadows under my eyes and figured that was what was giving me away.

"No, I haven't," I admitted. "But I'm pretty certain I will sleep rather deeply tonight." I leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose, grinning happily.

"You haven't slept because you've felt guilty?" she asked.

"Yeah, mostly." I shrugged.

"Mostly?" she persisted.

_Share, Edward. Tell her. Let her in…it's only good to do that._

"Yeah, but I've also had weird dreams. Rather scary dreams. My past has been creeping into my present." I looped my arm around her and pulled her close. "I didn't tell you, but Sunday…the night you were attacked…that was October 5th and that was the same date Tanya had killed herself. I had a hard time dealing with that, thinking I'd almost lost you too, on the exact same fucking day."

Bella gasped and tipped her shocked little face up to look at me as I continued.

"Shh, it's okay now, love." I patted her reassuringly. "But I'd had dreams before about her death, about being there and finding her after she overdosed, even though that's not what happened. I wasn't the one who found her, but I used to dream that and it always felt so real."

Bella's hand was softly stroking the side of my face, my sideburn and ear.

"Oh, Edward…that's terrible. I'm so sorry."

I nodded and trailed my fingers down her back gently, feeling myself getting sleepy. "The past few nights I sometimes had dreams that I was walking into Tanya's room, finding her, seeing the empty pill bottle, but then the girl lying on the bed wasn't Tanya…it became you…and I'd lost you. It was really fucked up."

Bella made a little whimpering sound and her arm went around me, hugging me tightly.

"So my sleep patterns have been really screwed up," I continued to explain, "and half the time, I didn't want to even try to sleep; I was afraid that I'd go through that shit again."

"You know it's probably post-traumatic stress that's doing that to you," she said. "Maybe you should talk to someone. Maybe it would be good if we both talked to someone. We could do it together, if you'd like."

I yawned and nodded. "Yeah, I'd do that with you. But I'm hoping now that I've talked with you, maybe I've let some of the guilt go; maybe that was part of the problem. I know I haven't lost you. You're right here," I said, patting her ass and smiling sleepily.

She nodded and leaned forward, kissing my lips softly. I felt the slight tickle of her sutures and I grinned. She cuddled into me and slid her leg over my hip, hugging me tightly with an arm and a leg. I sighed with relief. I could feel my eyelids growing heavy and sleep overtaking me as I lay there wrapped up in Bella's warmth, concern and love.

**BPOV**

I was so glad Edward had been candid with me, telling me about his nightmares involving Tanya's actual death and my imagined death. His past and present loves collided in his mind on Sunday and he had been reliving thoughts of loss and guilt. I wondered if the whole reason he'd made the call to James in the first place was a subconscious attempt to protect me, to keep from losing me, on the same date that he lost Tanya.

He's had thoughts and nightmares about losing me…about my death. I can't imagine how devastating it would feel to lose him. He has become such an important part of my life and my world in such an incredibly short time. And I know he feels the same way about me.

I smiled as I observed him in repose and I tightened my hold on him. He made a little, contented sort-of-humming, sort-of-sighing sound and I smiled as I began to drift off to sleep He hasn't lost me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here and I'm staying put. We will have our ups and downs but I know that we will be fine.

The following day, Edward and I didn't resurface until lunchtime. Which is not to say that we slept until then. I actually woke up much earlier and climbed down to use the bathroom, wrapping my robe around me and returning as quickly as possible…only to find Edward groggily awake and up and buttoning his jeans for a quick trip to the bathroom as well.

I dug around in the picnic basket while I waited for his return, coming up with the remaining grapes, crackers and the chocolate truffles. I grabbed the Oreo package and two waters from the mini-fridge as well, put them in a bag and carried it all up to my bed with two of the checkered napkins. It wasn't fancy, but it was breakfast in bed.

Once Edward and I had finished breakfast in bed, we had each other in bed. Twice. Well, actually three times, but the third time was much later, after we'd fallen asleep again and woken up for the second time after our early morning shenanigans and shenani-gasms. We had pretty much discovered our new favorite hobby. And we were seemingly both quite good at this hobby of ours, although having my twin bed up on risers, over six feet off the ground, put the kibosh on Edward's sexual creativity. We were somewhat limited, but I must say it never got boring as Edward tried variations on a theme.

_God, he's good!_

"My sheets are completely wrecked," I told Edward as we lay there panting and sweating after our third go-around of the morning.

"I would think six rolls in the hay in a twelve hour period would do that," he sighed. "We're doing laundry today anyway, so we'll just add these disgusting sheets to the pile."

"Okay. Do you want to throw everything in the washers before we go to lunch, then we can rotate it into the dryers after lunch?"

"Sure, love, that's fine. I've got to go shower first though; I'm quite disgusting myself."

I made a face at him and he chuckled.

"I'm disgustingly well-loved, thanks to you, love. I think I've got to start taking some vitamins or something if you're going to expect this kind of out-put from me."

I giggled. "Yeah…vitamins and maybe some kind of stamina-building regimen."

"I would think sticking to this sort of a stamina-requiring-sexual-activity-regimen on a regular basis would build stamina in and of itself." He raised his eyebrows provocatively at me.

"I'm sure you're right," I sighed happily, stretching out my sore muscles and well-used, well-worshipped, well-loved body.

I headed off to the shower when Edward headed downstairs to do the same. I met him downstairs in his suite a while later with my overflowing laundry basket. We headed to the laundry room and started several loads of wash.

There had been no sign of Alice, Jasper, Rose or Emmett until we got to the dining hall for lunch shortly afterward. Edward's arm went around me protectively as we headed inside and saw them all sitting at the table on the opposite wall.

"I can't imagine that they are just going to let this moment slide without having something poignant to say," he murmured into my ear.

"And by 'poignant,' you must mean mortifyingly rude and inappropriate?" I asked.

"Naturally," Edward replied. "Just remember, love, we're in this together; we're a united front. You've got my back and I've got yours."

I laughed as we went through the food lines, making our selections and piling up our trays with more food than either of us had probably eaten in the past five days.

As we neared the table it was obvious that Rose and Emmett had gotten up and moved to the opposite side to sit next to Jasper and Alice. It was the Spanish Inquisition once again. They were all smiling happily and a bit…evilly.

"You both sure look hungry," Emmett and his dimples observed as he eyed our trays. Jasper began laughing, banging his hand down on the table a few times, as though Emmett had said something really hilarious. Lord only knows what had been said before we got there.

"Okay, just shut it! All of you!" Edward snapped before they could say another word. "This is how it's going to be…you each get one word. Only one! So choose carefully and then we're moving on to something else; some different topic."

They all burst out laughing, but didn't speak, just sitting there, glancing at each other silently, giggling at some probable inside joke and reflecting on the word they would choose. Edward and I sat down on our designated side of the table, facing them.

_One word each. How bad could that be? _

It turned out to be very bad. We never even saw it coming. How stupid we were.

Alice was giggling as she raised her hand timidly and Edward rolled his eyes at her.

"Yes? Alice? You may go first," he announced, tapping his finger on the table.

"Wild!" she chirped as her silvery peal of a laugh got the best of her. That didn't seem too bad, I thought to myself. Jasper was laughing again, banging his hand on the tabletop once more before he raised his hand and Edward pointed at him.

"Ssswwweeeaaatttyyyyy," he drawled before convulsing into laughter with the rest of them. I had the feeling I knew where this was headed.

Rose raised her hand, but didn't bother to wait for Edward to call on her before growling out, "Aanimaaallll!" Of course they laughed harder.

_Oh, no!_

Emmett jumped to his feet then and loudly shouted, "SEX!" as everyone in the dining hall stopped what they were doing and turned to look at our table, most occupants of which were rolling with laughter.

_Shit! 'Wild, sweaty, animal sex'…they remembered the prank we'd played at the pool house! And they must have discussed the possibility of wild, sweaty, animal sex between Edward and me. That's kind of sweet in a disgusting way._

I peeked over at Edward. He was bent over and his face was in his hands. He turned slightly, peeking over at me through his fingers, probably checking to see that I hadn't gone running for the hills. I was hugging myself and I'm sure he's never seen such a deep burgundy shade of blush on a girl's face before. I took a big breath, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, straightened up, cleared my throat, and rather quietly addressed the group.

"Why yes, we did. Thank you."

They were all immediately clutching at their stomachs and choking on their laughter. Edward was beaming at me as he straightened up and scooted his chair in, carefully placing his napkin in his lap as they all wiped tears from their eyes and tried to calm down. Edward picked up his knife and fork and leaned toward them as they all shut up to hear what he would say.

"Now what would you like to talk about?" he politely asked.

They began screeching with laughter once again. Alice had collapsed down onto the tabletop; Jasper was banging on the tabletop once more and almost slid off his chair and onto the floor. Rose sat there clapping her hands as she laughed herself sick and Emmett gleefully got up and came around the table, sweeping Edward into his arms with a hearty guffaw.

"Baby Bro! You got your little Bella Actually back and you found your sense of humor! Thank fuck for miracles! Here, now you can have your phone back."

He laid it on the table and Edward and I both looked at it warily, like it just might bite.

"Go ahead, Bella, call him. You know you want to." Emmett giggled at me. "It's just for Bella's calls," he said encouragingly to Edward.

I pulled out my phone grudgingly, and hit Edward's speed dial number. His phone burst into life to the tune of…'Sex on Fire'…by the Kings of Leon…once again. Just like on the first move-in day when Edward and I had met so spectacularly. Only now the reason for that particular ringtone was…me, not Edward's general hotness and ability to attract girls, including random naked Russian ones. I felt myself blushing, probably a rich shade of magenta. Edward reached over and took my hand, wrapping his long fingers around mine.

"I like it," he admitted calmly. "It's appropriate now. I'm keeping it."

"You're cool with it?" Emmett asked, his mouth gaping like a codfish.

"Totally. Thanks." Edward looked self-satisfied and…proud.

_What?_

Emmett sat back down, looking completely baffled. The others' faces were equally as shocked and then amused.

Edward looked at me and winked as he moved close to murmur softly in my ear. "We just burned through six condoms in twelve hours. Your sex _is_ on fire, love. Now the ringtone makes sense and is totally appropriate, don't you see?"

_Oh. My. Gah!_

I cringed and rolled my eyes but I nodded at him. If he'd been standing, I probably would have swatted his butt for embarrassing me, but he wasn't standing and there would be other opportunities for him to embarrass me. There'd be other swats.

Edward and I spent the afternoon finishing our numerous loads of laundry and retelling the gang some, but not all, of what had happened between us since I granted him access yesterday afternoon through the Bella Swan Portal on the rooftop.

Alice declared that Edward had been romantic and thorough in his apology; he had made her proud. Rose sighed and called his actions "swoonworthy." Jasper asked him about flower symbolism and wanted a good website to learn more about flowers. Emmett wanted to know how many of the nine condoms were remaining, …not that he wanted to know how many times we did it, he explained, just how many times we hadn't. Edward flipped him the finger and I just smiled sweetly at Emmett.

That evening, the six of us headed out in Emmett's Hummer for a night on the town. It had been a while since we had all gone out like this together and we were looking forward to it. We were having a triple date at the new Volturi's Pizza that had opened up recently in downtown Seattle. It was the same pizza restaurant and bar that was a favorite of the Cullens and Hales in Port Angeles; the same chain where we had gotten pizza the first night we were at the Cullen's, when Edward had pouted his way through the evening.

The timing of the Grand Opening couldn't have been better, since we certainly didn't plan on getting our pizza from Pizza Palace any longer; not after finding out that they hired volatile psychos.

Volturi's was packed when we got there and the bar was boasting a DJ, playing music to a very crowded dance floor, interspersed with lively karaoke sessions. We managed to snag a table for the six of us near the dance floor after a slight wait. Alice, Rose and I saved seats while the guys went to get pitchers of beer and order our two large pizzas and salad.

We drank and ate and danced and yelled over the music to each other. The place was loud and fun and getting wilder as the night progressed. We were getting wilder as the night progressed as well. At one point I looked over at the dance floor and saw that Jasper had started a conga line, with Alice and Rose right behind him. It quickly picked up participants and was now expanding beyond the dance floor and winding its way between the restaurant tables. Emmett, Edward and I were quickly absorbed into the confusion when a giggling Alice and Rose grabbed us as they danced past.

Later in the evening Rose and Emmett went up to make a karaoke selection. Rose looked perfect with her blond hair piled high atop her head, tight, little red satin camisole top shimmering in the low light. She and Emmett stood up near the DJ's booth and began belting out the words to the B-52s "Love Shack." Every single table in the place quickly emptied out onto the dance floor. I was surprised to hear they both actually sounded pretty good. The raucous celebration merely escalated at that point. The entire place was jumping. Of course Edward and I joined the melee, goofing and laughing and dancing like there was no tomorrow.

A few pitchers of beer later, things began to quiet down slightly. We were all still celebrating and I loved watching Edward completely relaxed and loose, silly and sexy and having a great time. He was only slightly less inebriated than Jasper and Emmett.

Rose had stopped her drinking earlier, switching to soda for the remainder of the evening. She was our designated driver for the return trip tonight. And that was good, because Emmett was having a blast and looking a little worse for wear after the first few hours.

At one point, a flushed-faced, bleary-eyed, grinning Emmett leaned across the table next to me toward Edward and yelled to him over the music.

"So, I've been wondering for two solid weeks now…when we were all home at Mom and Dad's, you texted me that Bella had done some crazy French shit to you in the shower at the poolhouse." Emmett glanced at me before he fixed Edward again with his determined semi-drunk stare. "What the fuck IS '_Le cuir chevelu et les cheveux_?' I'm sure I'm not pronouncing it right, but it's been fucking killing me! And Jasper hasn't got a clue either. We've looked online and can't find dick. You gotta give me something here, Bro! What the hell kind of fancy sex shit are you doing with Bella Actually?"

Edward caught my eye as he burst into laughter and then loudly explained to Emmett over the volume of the music, that we had just been yanking his chain; it just meant that Edward had washed my hair and scalp. Emmett didn't look convinced, but Edward assured him we got the phrase from a shampoo bottle in the grocery store. As Emmett downed his beer I could see that he was disappointed; the truth had let him down.

I giggled and looked across at Edward. He was gazing at me and I saw the killer-wicked lopsided grin on his lips and the flash of heat in his piercing eyes. I knew instantly that he was remembering our first sexy escapade that morning in the shower of the poolhouse, when everyone else had already left for the grocery store. That was the morning Edward and I were just beginning to open the sexual can of worms…or was it the can of _worm_…or maybe, more appropriately, the can of Perky Python?

_I love me some Perky Python…Gah!_

I felt myself blushing and getting overheated as I thought back to that morning, just two short weeks ago and it wasn't just about washing my hair and scalp. I had been…in Emmett's words…"_Jackin' the Beanstalk_" and it was still one of the sexiest memories I could think back on as I remembered Edward's reactions to being sexually overwhelmed with a girl for the first time in three years. It was one of the hottest things I think I'd ever experienced, for some reason.

I'm thinking about that scene but then I am suddenly brought back to the present and I look up to see Edward smirking at me because he knows exactly where my thoughts had gone and he knows what we were doing that morning in the poolhouse. He smiles a sexy, secretive, conspiratorial grin at me and I can see his eyes begin to smolder as he puts his arm around me as I sit in my chair and he leans into my body.

And in that moment, as the music fades into the background of my consciousness and I look at him, I am positive that this guy sitting with me, this adorkable boy, with his ethereal, model-like, good looks and his pale, lanky, muscular body…this epitome of masculine beauty…he's _meant_ for me. I cannot imagine loving anyone more than I love him. But it's not just the physical aspect that makes him wonderful; his mind and heart and soul are things of beauty as well.

Somehow, I've captured and fallen in love with a Greek God. But the smiling Adonis before me, with his sexy crooked grin, is not perfect; he has his flaws and he is sometimes a fragile Adonis who blames himself for things beyond his control when it comes to someone he loves…when it comes to _me_…the someone he loves. But we all have our flaws and imperfections; we are all fragile somehow.

I am content and secure in the knowledge that we have been through so much together in such a short time and it has only made us stronger. We are learning our way and I want to learn more with him.

And as he rises from his seat at the start of a slower song sometime after midnight and stands before me, stretching out his hand to me, I know this boy holds my heart in the palm of that hand and refuses to give it back…not that I want it back, because I've given it freely…but this sexy boy, this lovely man-child who is pulling me out of my chair and up to him…this beautiful young man, who is leading me onto the crowded dance floor…he's the man I want to spend forever with.

He pulls me toward him by the hips and wraps his arms around me as we begin a slow dance together and I know he will continue to wrap those arms around me and want to protect me and love me and make me _'mor 5 ek'_ pancakes for years to come because he's irrevocably and unconditionally in love with me, just like I am with him.

And as we slowly move together, fitting perfectly together, I just know…Edward Cullen is my everything, my future, and my forever.

He's going to be my always.

* * *

**A/N: THERE'S MORE!**

**To persuade you to comment on this chapter or the story as a whole, I'd like to sing the following to you-it goes to the tune of "If You're Happy And You Know It."**

Well, now this giant beast is nearly through

And I've even started story number two

So if you've never hit 'Review'

Just this once, please, kindly do…

'Cause I'd like to hear a thought or two from you!

**If you've enjoyed this story I hope you'll give my other story, "Fan Fiction, Sex Gods and Single Girls" a shot. **


	70. A Window to the Heart and Soul

**The Transfer**

A/N: You know about Edward and his windows. He's been in and out of so many: his dorm window, Bella's dorm window…aka "The Bella Swan Portal," now also Angela's and Jessica's dorm window, and his bedroom window in Port Angeles, where he asked Bella the very unusual question: "You've heard that saying, 'The eyes are the windows to the soul…' don't you think the windows are the eyes to the soul?'"

Well…here's a window to peek into…into someone's heart and soul.

Thank you, Stephenie Meyer, for creating an Edward for us to love and lust after. I'm just loving and lusting, not necessarily infringing.

This picks up right where we left off...almost closing time at Volturi's…and just in case you were wondering about Edward's journal…read on.

* * *

**C-70: A Window to the Heart and Soul**

**BPOV**

Saturday night had turned into the wee hours of Sunday morning. It was after one a.m. by the time we all piled into the Hummer and headed back to campus. Our first real triple date and group excursion to Volturi's had been highly successful and wildly entertaining.

Rose was at the wheel because Emmett was spectacularly drunk; by the time we left Volturi's he was three sheets to the wind and it looked like the ship was about to capsize. Edward and Jasper had practically carried Emmett to the car and then piled him into the passenger seat. He promptly began snoring like a hibernating bear for the ride home.

"Lovely, juuuust lovely," Rose commented wryly, turning to look at Emmett, who was slumped to the side a little, drooling on his rumpled, dark gray, button down shirt, which was now missing two buttons. Rose sighed as she fastened her seatbelt and turned the key in the ignition.

Jasper and Edward were only slightly better off than Emmett. They both kept giggling at random intervals. At least they were both still alert and had all their buttons.

Rose had quit drinking much earlier and neither Alice nor I were big beer drinkers, so Rose was fine and Alice and I were merely a little tipsy. The three of us were mostly watchful of our trashed boys.

Edward and I were sitting close together in the middle bench seat with Alice and Jasper in the back. Jasper's eyes were closed and his head was tipped back as he hummed quietly to himself. Alice was leaning forward with one arm looped around Edward and the other arm looped around me. She was hugging us and pulling us both in, close to her, resting her chin on our shoulders as she gushed about how much she loved us both and was so happy we had smoothed things out between us.

"This evening was an absolute blast! Ohmygosh…wasn't that fun? Aren't you glad we came? Didn't you two have a great time? Maybe we can go out again next weekend. Or what about during the week? Is there any place in particular you two feel like going?"

Edward rolled his head to the side to look at her face. His bleary eyes twinkled at her and he smiled a silly, drunk little smile as he reached his hand over and mussed up her hair before gently shoving her back toward Jasper.

"Too many questions, too little time to answer." His speech was slightly slurred. "Go suck face with Jasper," he said with a lazy giggle.

"Come to Poppa," the voice in the backseat drawled as I heard Alice let out a squeak followed by a giggle.

Edward turned his smirky, slightly flushed face toward mine. "You come suck face with me." He smiled lazily and pulled me towards him and his beer breath. I still loved him, celebratory beer breath and all.

"Fabulous," Rose muttered from the front seat as she guided the Hummer and its inebriated contents home.

Rose parked in the far end of the parking lot just down the hill from the dorm and we all climbed out. Except for Emmett…he had to be extracted from the passenger seat and then supported on the shoulders of Edward and Jasper, who began dragging his ass up the hill towards home. Rose, Alice and I followed behind, giggling and watching the comedy unfold. When we hit the walkway beyond the lot, Emmett suddenly came to life and began loudly singing his own version of "Love Shack."

"Hop in my Hummer,  
it's as big as a whale  
and it's about to set sail!  
I got me a car, it seats about…"

He paused and looked around, obviously counting heads and totaling us up.

"…it seats about SIX!

So c'mon gentlemen…

Grab your CHICKS!"

"Oh, no…" Rose moaned, "This is going to get ugly. If this is on YouTube tomorrow, like that other time, I'm just going to die. And then Emmett is going to be very lonely for the rest of the week."

Edward and Jasper were laughing so hard they nearly fell down and would have pulled Emmett down with them. But Emmett was unfazed and merely continued with his little song as the three of them staggered their way up the hill.

"My Love Shack is a little old place where  
we can get some action  
Love Shack Rosie! Love Shack Ro-sie!"

Emmett's voice dwindled away and all we heard were his guffaws and Edward's and Jasper's giggles as they looked over their shoulders at us. Rose rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at them.

"There go the 'Doofi,' ladies," she said with a sigh. "Each of them is behaving like a complete doofus and they're plural; that makes them the 'Doofi.'" Alice and I nodded in understanding and total agreement.

Emmett's head suddenly snapped back and he began singing lustily again. He was also beginning to do some staggering dance steps.

"Bang bang bang on my bed baby!  
Knock a little louder baby!  
Bang bang bang on the floor baby!  
I can't hear you!"

Jasper and Edward took their cue and began joining him, laughing and singing back-up vocals. They were in charge of singing the 'bangs-bangs,' Emmett sang the rest. With gusto. As he danced.

"Bang bang…on the bed baby!  
Bang bang…on the door!  
Bang bang…on the floor baby!  
Bang bang!"

Jasper's voice rang out loud and clear, practically shrieking the next line.

"YOU'RE…WHAT?"

To which Emmett bellowed his response. It wasn't the original line; _'Tiiiinnn roof…rusted!'_ No, no. But it was totally spot on.

"Iiiii'mmm so…TOASTED!"

Jasper bent double, holding his stomach and slapping his thigh and Edward collapsed down to the ground in a fit of very un-Edward-like …guffaws.

_Amazing! Who'd have thought it? Given the right circumstances and amount of alcohol Edward was capable of a guffaw._

Hoo boy. It was going to be a long night. It was obvious the three of them would not be happy campers tomorrow.

"So, ladies," Rose said brightly, "What do you say we pour the 'Doofi' into their beds and head to my room? I'll make us Cosmos to wash away the taste of beer from this evening. And maybe the nightcap will help us forget what we just heard and witnessed."

Jasper was trying to help Edward up with little success and Emmett was now twirling in circles, singing somewhat more quietly to himself.

"The whole shack shimmies when everybody's  
Movin' around and around and around and around!"

Alice and I both looked back at Rose and in unison, said, "Sounds great!"

The two of us decided it would be best if the Edward and Jasper both slept in their own room tonight and we slept upstairs in ours. We'd sleep better and I wouldn't have to worry about a hammered Edward falling out of my bed in the middle of the night and breaking his neck.

So Rose took Emmett into his…um…Love Shack, to tuck him in while Alice and I steered Jasper and Edward into their room and helped them out of their shoes and socks, jeans and dress shirts, and into their own beds. Alice took two bottles of water out of their mini-refrigerator and set a bottle and a few Advil on each of their nightstands. It was a certainty they'd need them by morning.

"You're my lovely, lovely, lovely love…love," Edward mumbled as I tucked him in.

"And you're my lovely, lovely, lovely drunk…baby," I replied, kissing him on the forehead. He smiled happily and rolled over with a deep sigh.

Alice and I tiptoed out and met Rose in the suite. We headed over to her dorm for our Cosmos and a little girl-time before returning and heading off to bed at two thirty in the morning.

Needless to say, none of us went to an early breakfast on Sunday morning. The guys would be lucky if they even made it to lunch. Alice and I went to the coffee shop for coffees and bagels for a very late breakfast and then headed back to the room.

Alice plopped herself in the swanky fort to work on a paper and I curled up on my bed to read the journal in which Edward had been writing.

It wasn't exactly what I had been expecting and I wound up tearing up as I read and turned the pages. Alice must have heard me sniffling because I was suddenly aware that she was standing up, backed away a little from the swanky fort, looking up at me.

"Bella? What's wrong? Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Yeah, I'm good." I replied, wiping my eyes with the cuff of my shirt.

Alice didn't look convinced. "But you're crying…that doesn't seem good," she said doubtfully.

I smiled and hefted the leather-bound journal up so she could see it.

"I'm just reading…Edward gave me his journal…he wanted to share it with me…and it just made me teary. So I'm okay." I reached to the top of the closet and grabbed a tissue, hoping she wouldn't ask for details because I wasn't ready to share what he wrote and I wasn't so sure he would want me to anyway. She didn't ask. She wasn't Emmett. There was only one of those, thank goodness.

"Oh." She smiled sweetly. "Well, okay. But you'll let me know if you need a hug or something, right, roomie? Edward can get very angsty." Her fine, dark eyebrows were raised expectantly, waiting for confirmation.

"Of course, roomie," I replied, smiling down at her. "I know you're always there when I need you."

Alice grinned and headed back into the swanky fort. I heard the sounds of her rearranging cushions as she sat beneath my bed. A moment later her voice lilted up from below.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"I'm so glad you're my roommate."

"Me too, Alice. And I'm so glad you're _my_ roommate."

"Thanks." She was quiet for a moment. "And Bella?"

"Yeah, Alice?"

"I love you. And I love Edward. And I just _really_ love _you and Edward_. I don't mean in a frightening, lesbian-ish, or perverted, incestuous way…I mean as a couple. I think you two are really good together. And it's only going to get better; I think you two are going to be…_epic_ together."

I smiled at her words. "I hope so," I admitted.

I opened the journal up once more and continued reading, lost in what he'd written in his oddly elegant, flowing script. It was page after page of Edward's thoughts. It was partly an explanation of his past, his fears, and his angst. It was also an apology and a plea that we would patch things up, put the bad behind us and move on. It was also part love letter, filled with reminiscences of our beginnings, our most recent situation and hopes for a future. It was a look into Edward's heart and soul.

**EPOV…a series of journal entries**

_2:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 7_

_My Beloved Bella,_

_Yes, you read that right, it's 2:30 in the morning. I slept clear through dinner and on into the evening, not waking until about one thirty. I stayed in bed for a bit but finally gave up the charade…I'm completely wide awake and up for the day. And so I find myself in the dorm living room, listening to our Hallelujah playlist on my iPod, with pen and journal in hand._

_There is so much I want to tell you; so much I need to say to you. I bought this journal yesterday afternoon after seeing you in the hospital. At first, I just had the intention of merely putting thoughts down on paper. But the more I considered it, the more I realized I had to address these thoughts to you; share them with you. _

_You know some of my history already, my love but I should probably tell you a little more. _

_When Tanya passed, a therapist told me it would be a good idea for me to write to her as if she were still here, telling her the things I needed to say to her; the things I didn't get a chance to say. It was a therapeutic way to express feelings and thoughts that I wouldn't otherwise have gotten the chance to deal with. There was so much that had been left unsaid, and could never be said, unless I took the journal route. _

_I think that form of therapy was helpful. So I'm trying it out again now with you. Just in case._

_I hope I will have the chance to say the things I need to say to you in person, though; to share these things with you through the spoken word and not merely the written. I don't want to think that I won't have that opportunity…I want to believe that we have all the time in the world and that I haven't screwed things up beyond repair. _

_I want all the time in the world with you, Bella…I really do._

_In a little over six weeks, you have become my world. You are everything to me, my love and I have so much to thank you for._

_As to my past: I never really told you everything but it's probably important that you know what has made me who I am. I think I was the average kid up until my senior year of high school. Just like most, I was your average sometimes-surly, sometimes-silly teen, self-centered at times, ready to laugh and enjoy life's experiences, both legal and otherwise, making my way slowly but surely toward young adulthood and grudging responsibility._

_That nearly carefree existence came crashing to an abrupt halt on October 5__th,__ three years ago this past Sunday, when my troubled, first real girlfriend took her own life because she just couldn't handle this one anymore. _

_Her whole family had been dealing with the death of her older sister, Kate, in an automobile accident several years earlier. Her mother had turned to alcohol and painkillers in an effort to deal with grieving the loss of her firstborn. Tanya's father became more and more abusive when he wasn't merely being distant, as the family deteriorated around him. The family was falling apart, the marriage was falling apart, Tanya was probably already suffering from undiagnosed mental illness and she fell apart as a result, choosing her own death as her escape._

_In the days and weeks that followed her death I tried to make some sense of it all. I tried to understand how things could be so bad that there was no other choice for her than to choose her own early end. When making sense of her decision didn't prove to be possible, I began to look at myself, wondering how I could have been so blind to the clues that were so obviously there in hindsight. _

_I was hard on myself. Others have told me I was way too hard on myself. I'm not so sure. I thought that if you really cared about someone you would know what they were experiencing, hear even the things they weren't telling you, and see what was to come. _

_But I'd missed it all. I hadn't known it was that bad. I hadn't been there for her when she needed me the very most. And I was left behind feeling guilty for my lack of observation and understanding and feeling partly responsible for her despair and ultimate suicide. I had recurring nightmares for the longest time and still do occasionally. _

_I've already told you some of this, Bella. You know some of my history and you know some of my feelings regarding it. I remember the first weekend in Port Angeles…you telling me that you knew me as a boyfriend and that if Tanya experienced some of what you and I have had together, maybe she had "a little light among the darkness." What you said that night floored me and moved me. And it eased some of the guilt I'd carried since her death. You have a remarkable way of making me feel so whole and happy._

_But the end result back in high school was that I was left unwilling to allow myself that kind of relationship again; I didn't want to take on the responsibility of another person again. I certainly didn't want to allow myself to love someone…because what if that someone disappeared too? Those thoughts left me depressed and unwilling to participate very much in anything going on around me._

_Somehow I made it through my senior year of high school, not really aware of the world in my periphery. I went through the routine of life without really living. Over time, to further shield myself, I cut myself off from friends and closed myself off to new acquaintances. So much of the existence of a high school student just seemed frivolous to me and I had become so changed that I ceased to really exist as I had before. It was as though my heart had stopped and turned to stone._

_I think only my family ever still saw glimpses of the me that I had been before I changed; the carefree and happy seventeen year old I'd been the previous school year. I kept the walls up when we moved to Port Angeles and the following fall when I started school here in Seattle. I was unwilling and afraid to feel again. _

_I'm sure if you had asked anyone here at school or in the dorm about me they would have summed me up as an obviously stuck-up asshole or a contentious prick. It didn't matter which to me, as long as they left me mostly alone. I really didn't really want to feel._

_I only really got to know Rose and Jasper because of Emmett's involvement with Rose his first year in the dorm. When Jasper and I had headed off to college that following year, we had already met several times in the summer in Port Angeles through Emmett and Rose and decided we'd rather room together with someone we kind of knew and got along with, rather than both get stuck with someone we didn't know and maybe wouldn't care for. _

_Just imagine…I could have wound up rooming with Newton. That's fucking scary. I'm sure I would have dropped out of school after the first week. _

_But I digress…_

_Of course Alice hung out with me a lot our first year here. I don't think she cared for her first roommate that much. Heidi Gruber was certainly no Bella Swan. And Alice and I have that twin thing; I think she was always a little worried about me and whether I'd be okay in this new environment. Besides, as Emmett would tell you, Alice is a pain-in-the-neck mini-mom; she mothered me. And so she got to know Jasper. Come to think of it, she probably had ulterior motives for hanging out with me but I was fine with that._

_Anyway, it didn't take long before she and Jasper became a couple and I was happy for them. Jasper is a good guy and I've always liked him for her. And so with Emmett involved in a relationship with Rose and Alice wrapped up in a relationship with Jasper, the Hales had become a part of Emmett's and Alice's lives and as such, became a part of mine. They seemed like an extension of my own family. We became an odd little group with me as the included fifth wheel. Maybe they saw me as their adopted child and the four of them shared custody of me. _

_Whatever. That worked out just fine for two years._

_Until you rolled into town, my dearest Bella, and until your belongings nearly rolled right over me._

_My world tilted on its axis that day and I had the most difficult time finding my footing. The Fates were surely cackling up a storm as they watched me flailing for my lost equilibrium. You succeeded in stirring up my dormant emotions and way-laying my all-important self control. _

_I had felt anger towards you that first morning for allowing your cart to get away from you. I know, I know…accidents happen, but try telling that to a hot-headed "Jerk-off!" (And I really must have come off as such a shit for someone as sweet as Bella Swan to think of me that way…served me right!) _

_I was incensed that you had taken my cart (like I had any real claim to it, since I had left it empty and unattended). And then I was only further irritated to find that we had mixed up our phones (although it was me who chose the phone I picked up and pocketed, not you). Of course the straw that broke the camel's back was when you bumped into my opened car door, which resulted in me being locked out of my car. (Again, not an actual malicious action on your part, merely my own stupidity at leaving my keys in my opened car, with the locks set, while I wandered away across the parking lot like an imbecile.)_

_And I was such a class act to you through all that, yelling and berating you and acting like a spoiled brat. I think the average person's reaction for someone in your position, would have been to cuss me out and flip me off and treat me, for the rest of the year, like the idiot I had shown myself to be._

_But you, Isabella Swan, are not the average person; not by a long shot. You are so very much more and so very special and I'm so thankful you've touched my life. You proved yourself to be so much the better person than me. You went out of your way to get my car unlocked, track me down and let me know, and you even refused to let me repay you for your efforts. Suddenly I felt like the ass I'd been and I was beholden to you besides. _

_(Funny how, in just a few short weeks, I'd "be holding" you as well.) _:)

_Later that night…that very first night…as I lay in bed, grumpy and irritable, confused and unsettled by the events of the day…my thoughts turned to you and I was so surprised by that. I remember thinking, that very first night, that you had such beautiful brown eyes and that they had so much depth to them. Such unexpected thoughts for an emotionless Jerk-off._

_It was subtle, but it was there in those first reflective thoughts: I'd been caught. Hook. Line. And sinker._

_And somehow Alice saw that and recognized it for what it was, even when I had no idea and would have been adamantly against considering it. She knew we belonged together. How Alice knows these things is really beyond me. The important thing was that she went to work immediately pulling you in my direction and shoving me in yours. God bless the pain-in-the-neck mini-mom._

_I have to admit that I was a reluctant participant. I remember Alice trying to convince me that you were nice and fun; trying to get me to admit I saw those things in you. And I relented, telling her that you were nice, you were fun, and then I blurted out that you were even cute! I remember wondering instantly where that thought had come from and being amazed not only that I'd had that thought, but I'd put voice to it, too._

_I don't know if I've ever watched anyone as closely as I did you in those first few days…well, in almost every day since, as well. You, Bella Swan, are something to behold. I couldn't figure you out and I wasn't even sure why I wanted to, or if I even should want to. I was asea and adrift and just couldn't seem to get my bearings. Again, thank goodness for Alice, otherwise I might have blown my chance at the wonderful relationship we developed._

_The wonderful relationship we've had. The one I might have now ruined._

_I hope I haven't blown my chance with you now. The past few days have been so dreary and desolate, and yet, they probably aren't so very different from the way my life was before you entered the picture. You shook up my drab world with your words and actions. You made it vibrant with your love. You've made me feel so alive and filled with joy._

_And I thanked you for that…for everything…with betrayal. _

_It's 4:30 in the morning now. It's so absolutely quiet and still in the dorm as I sit here in the main living room writing to you. I can imagine you lying in your bed upstairs, curled up on your side as you sleep. I can feel the phantom sensation of your body curled up next to mine, backed up against me as the little spoon to my big spoon, or maybe facing me, breathing warm shallow breaths against my neck and collarbone, making the occasional cute and funny face as you murmur in your dreams. _

_I miss you._

_I want to lie there with you and hold you in my arms._

_I know I don't deserve that._

_When I saw you this morning in the hospital I felt so depressed. I was glad to see you, of course, but taking in all your injuries…I just kept thinking about how I was to blame for them as much as James was. The bruises on your wrists and hips, your arm all bandaged up post-surgery and your poor little kissable lip, split and patched up with black sutures. I felt like crying at the aftermath. And even as I looked at the exterior damage, I couldn't help but wonder what James' attack had done to you within._

_I didn't know how I can ever make this up to you._

_And the truly awful thing was finding out you had gone to the car that evening so you could quickly get your paper done just so we could spend the rest of Sunday evening together. _

_Oh Bella, Bella, Bella, my beautiful girl…I wish we could go back in time…I want to be back in the pool house, discovering you and your lovely body with my body. I can't imagine anything more idyllic than what we enjoyed there, what we gave each other there and I'm so glad we had all those unhurried hours to love each other so thoroughly and make each other feel so good. _

_Memories of that night are my most prized possessions now, my love._

_I hope that wasn't it for us but I don't know if I can earn more of your love. I don't want to be the guy that lives his life looking back at one perfect twenty-four hour period and is never able to capture that again. I want more…so much more with you._

_Sorry, I took a little break. My hand keeps cramping up. _

_I was thinking back to that very first weekend here in the dorms._

_I'm not sure what drew the protectiveness out of me, maybe it was the lewd comment from Mike Newton on your second day in the dorm that set the gears in motion for me. Mike saying he was thinking about "plucking you" made me want to go to that dance, if only to watch him and make sure he left you alone. I wasn't ready to admit that I wanted you, having only just…run into you…or was it the other way around? __I just knew I didn't want anyone else to have you, least of all him. Yuck!_

_I've never wanted so much to protect someone the way I want to protect you. You've called me your guardian angel on occasion and yet I failed to protect you from James. That attack was all my fault. I'm only glad that I was able to protect you by stopping it in time._

_In the hospital your father thanked me for protecting you; for fighting off James. He shook my hand and put his arm around me. If he'd known what I'd actually done I'm sure he'd have leveled his gun at me instead. _

_The thing you don't know…the thing I can't bring myself to tell you in person, the thing that absolutely horrifies me…is that none of this would have happened if I hadn't acted rashly and done the most thoughtless thing ever. I feel such guilt, love._

_I called James, Bella. _

_I called him on my phone when we were at the gas station on Sunday afternoon and I taunted him; I egged him on and brought this attack on you with my words to him. It wasn't what I had intended to do but the results are what matter now, not the intentions._

_I'd put his number in my phone when I saw it on the card he'd left with the flowers for you. When I spoke to Emmett, while you were inside the restroom and convenience store, he told me Alice had seen James near our dorm again, snooping around. She'd warned him off and then told him we were on a romantic weekend getaway together, but you know that meant nothing to him._

_I had been so pumped about our newfound intimacy; feeling so euphoric after the night and morning we'd shared together in the pool house and just feeling that much more in love with you and suddenly the specter of James was ruining everything. I watched you outside the store, waving to me and blowing me a kiss and everything we had was suddenly so fragile and I wanted to protect it from him._

_So I called him. I told him to leave you alone; to quit stalking my girlfriend. He just laughed, calling me a pussy and asking what the fuck you were going to do with me; talking to me like I didn't know what to do with a girl; like I wouldn't know how to treat a girlfriend. He was implying that he could give you something you needed; something he thought I couldn't. It made my blood boil._

_I couldn't take his tone of voice or the things he was saying. I was enraged and I yelled at him, calling him delusional. And then I told him that we were happy together; that you were happy with me. And then I just couldn't stop myself…I was on a roll and I couldn't shut my mouth…you and I were just heading home after making love all those times…I told him every time you come it's my name I hear, not his. I told him you never mentioned him. _

_Fucking hell. _

_I know I really fucked up. _

_It was so crude for me to tell him that about you, love, but…I lost control of my emotions. I was feeling angry with him, possessive of you and what we'd shared and I felt proud that I could make you lose control and feel that good and you'd told me that had never happened for you before…and here he was ruining the beauty of it. _

_I just snapped._

_Then I told him we'd gone to the police and that they and the other people in our dorm were keeping an eye out for him. I told him they knew what he looked like and that he'd better leave you alone._

_I couldn't believe I'd let him get to me like that. And that conversation brought him right to our doorstep that very night, wearing a disguise because I'd warned him. He was ready to attack you and take whatever he could get from you because of how I'd taunted him._

_I'd known after I hung up the phone that afternoon, that making that call had been a stupid idea. But __I couldn't take it back. Obviously now, knowing what I do, I wished I never pulled that thoughtless stunt. _

_He could have killed you, my love and I'd brought that danger on you myself._

_So now you know my terrible secret. Well, you don't know, but when you read this, if you do, you'll know. Or maybe I will have found the courage to tell you myself before you read it here. I hope so. I hope I'll have the chance to apologize. I'm still just so shocked at my own stupidity. You don't deserve someone as thoughtless as me._

_Shit, this is so screwed up._

_All day today, yesterday, whatever…I guess it was yesterday now, so many people were asking what had happened and how you were doing. Not just Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose, but practically everyone in the dorm and many people in the dining hall. And almost everyone would say the same thing…how lucky you were that I was there. And all I could think was, 'how unlucky you were because of me.'_

_And they all asked not only how you were doing, but how was I doing? _

_I didn't have the guts to tell them that I was doing horribly because I had put you in danger in the first place. I couldn't bring myself to tell them I was a senseless idiot with control issues and I couldn't just ignore the taunting of a lunatic stalker. Nope. I had to one-up him and land you in the hospital._

_I couldn't deal with all of them so I left the dorm. _

_That's when I bought this journal and a pair of jeans and a t-shirt for you, to replace the ones James and I ruined. I hope you like them. I got you the same brand and size of jeans. The shirt was harder to replace, but I found one I liked and it was sort of the same color as the other one. You said the jeans had been your favorites and it bothered me that they were ruined; covered in your own blood. I don't know why I was so concerned about buying you new jeans, but at least it was a small distraction while I hunted for them. _

_I would have brought you the shirt and jeans when I got back but I figured your dad was still here and I couldn't face him again. So I'm sorry I never showed up or called. I chickened out and texted you that I was just going to sleep for a little while before dinner._

_That turned into an eight hour fit of exhaustion filled with weird dreams that seemed mostly to be flashbacks of the attack._

_I never even realized that you had texted me a reply until I woke up hours later. Maybe if I'd read it before I'd fallen asleep I would have had those "sweet dreams" you wished me. But I didn't get the text earlier. And I didn't know I would fall asleep for eight whole hours. So you probably wondered what the hell happened to me and now I have one more reason to feel like a shit._

_It's a little after six a.m. now. The weirdest thing just happened. I was sitting here in the living room, still camped out after all these hours of writing and I just watched silently from my corner as Victoria and Lauren came down the stairs to go do their morning yoga/greet the day activities and they were holding hands. They didn't notice that I was sitting back here. So I guess they are an item. I didn't think I'd ever find myself feeling envious of Victoria, but I suddenly feel jealous-not because of Lauren, of course. I just hope I still have you to hold hands with at some point._

_I've probably been at this for too many hours if I'm starting to concern myself with thoughts of Victoria and Lauren. _

_My hand has been cramping up for a while now after three and a half straight hours of furious writing, so I guess I'll call it quits for a bit on the journaling. I'm going to sit here and think about you until I can head back to my room without waking Jasper. I have so many perfect moments involving you to sift through in my mind. I think I'll focus on some of those for a while._

_I love you, Isabella Swan. _

_Yours always,_

_Edward_

_6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 7_

_My Beloved Bella,_

_It's me again, love… Who else would it be, writing in my journal, you ask? Good point, love. I've always thought you to be such a smart girl. How you wound up with me is a mystery…you obviously weren't thinking clearly._

_Well, love, I saw you this morning after I was dragged off to breakfast with Alice and Jasper. She told me you had thought you were going to attend classes today but then decided to wait and rest one more day. The medication you're on tires you out, she said. I think it's probably best that you get as much sleep as possible…you'll heal faster that way and while you're sleeping you'll be less aware of my fear of connecting with you._

_I was glad I could bring you breakfast in bed, though. I feel a little better about the state of things if I can at least be a little helpful somehow. Still, it made me sad to see you struggling to situate yourself with the use of only one hand. How the hell did you manage to climb up to your bed? I never even thought about that. You, of all people, shouldn't be climbing up and down from that bed one-handed. On pain meds, besides! _

_I can't decide how you really feel about the clothes I bought for you. You seemed a little bit upset and I'm not sure why. I just wanted to do something nice for you after what you'd been through. Really, what I did was nothing special...I just wanted to replace the ones I'd had to throw away; especially since those other jeans had been your favorites. _

_And you're NOT paying me back for them! That's just plain ridiculous!_

_Anyway, I hope you do like them and that they fit okay and you will wear them at some point._

_I'm sorry I had to run off to class so abruptly this morning but you needed to get some sleep anyway. I hoped you would just rest and recuperate._

_I thought about you while I was in class. Really you are all I've been thinking about the past few days; it's hard to focus on much else. That's really nothing new, you know? You've been the focal point of my thoughts since that first weekend we met. _

_Shit, you know I probably owe Mike Newton a debt of gratitude. If he hadn't irritated the hell out of me I might not have paid as much attention to your every move. I couldn't believe him at that dance. Jesus…what the hell WAS that? His moves can't possibly ever make a positive impression on anyone, can they? Is it just me? Never mind, of course it's not just me. But if he hadn't been there I would never have gone over to you and lured you back to our camp on the far side of the dance floor. I had to get you away from him. _

_I had fun talking to you that night. And rescuing you from Mike. You kind of sparkled, you know? And I liked making you smile. And laugh. For some reason that just felt really good inside._

_And when I touched you for the first time as we walked around that crowd…damned if I didn't feel little sparks in my fingertips! That was amazing in a wonderful and frightening sort of way. I'd never felt that sensation before and I still remember that little initial jolt so clearly._

_I was glad when the dance was over and the rest of the gang somehow managed to disappear. I'm sure that was engineered by Alice, but it gave us a little longer time to spend together and talk. I remember the walk back to the dorm being over so quickly…and I suddenly didn't want it to end._

_I almost kissed you that night. _

_It wasn't planned or even anything I'd thought about consciously. It took me completely by surprise. I just suddenly realized I was about to bend down to you…and that was when I needed to know who Jake was. I'd overheard you talking to him on the phone earlier in the day and assumed it was him that you were also texting at the dance._

_When you told me he was your boyfriend I felt two completely divergent emotions within me. I was simultaneously so relieved and yet so upset. You were already taken. Of course someone as lovely and wonderful as you would be taken. _

_I had a wretched night then, sitting up on the roof, playing my guitar, wrapped in my cocoon on my own "patio." I was horribly terrified that I suddenly felt something for someone I hardly knew. I'd done such a good job of not having any kind of feelings for other people and suddenly in the span of two days I was a total mess, wanting something I couldn't have and being glad I couldn't have that very thing._

_When I started seeing that there were problems between you and Jake, I didn't dare to hope things would work out for us. I simply pushed those thoughts away. I've never before experienced the complexity of the feelings I had regarding you: I was overwhelmingly frightened, optimistic and excited all at once._

_You made me so jittery, Little Miss Swan! I think my heart had goose bumps as things between us began unfolding. _

_God, I just miss you and miss kissing you and would give anything to make out with you right now. I can feel exactly how it feels to be connected to you at the lips. I can feel the sensation of your tongue like lush, wet velvet moving against mine and your soft warm lips. Seriously love, you've got some incredible kissing skills; you make my hair stand on end sometimes…_

…_and you just thought that was standard bed head. _;)

_I'm sorry I was such a jerk to you when I saw you at lunch today. I'm not sure why I acted that way. I think I'm still behind on my sleep and I know that the sleep I have gotten has been restless, filled with nightmares and weird dreams. But I didn't mean to snap at you if that was how it seemed. I just think there are more important things going on here than my sleep patterns and I hate to think of you worrying about me. It's just so wrong._

_I have a confession to make. Well, another one, I guess…I already told you about the James stunt I pulled. _

_I lied to you today, love. I've never lied to you before today. Maybe it's not such a bad lie. I told you I had to go to the library to work on a project with some classmates. There is no project; there is no student group. However I am, indeed, at the library. I just didn't know where else to go to hide and ponder and be alone with my thoughts, avoiding the scrutiny of Jasper and the others. I'd like to just crawl into my bed and pull the covers up over my head and not crawl back out for a few days, but I'm pretty sure young Mr. Hale would raise the alarm. At the very least he'd notify my damn Big Brother and Resident Advisor and he in turn would probably let my dear doctor-of-a-father know that I'm revisiting my basket case ways._

_So I've found a secluded little niche in the corner of the Philosophy section of the main library. Rather appropriate, wouldn't you agree? I can sit here philosophizing to myself about us and about how I arrived at this point along the space-time continuum…and the fact that I'm here and you're there and for some reason I'm afraid to try to bridge that gap. I'm afraid of what you'll think of me when I tell you…because I know I will tell you…I just can't imagine how, right now._

_I took a break. But I'm back now._

_Did you know that the muscles in your fingers and palm can get sore from over-use? I think I may have a pulled muscle from writing all last night. That's a new one._

_During my break I was thinking about how amazing it was to hold you in my arms the first few times it happened…before we were really…us. Of course it's still amazing…or at least it was still amazing when it happened last._

_The day you fell off your bed I was so surprised at how small and warm and soft you felt when I caught you and helped you down. And you smelled so good. I now know it's your shampoo and body wash…the combination is just so positively "Bella" in my mind. I think the flowers are freesia and I think the berries must be strawberry, but I can't smell either of those things without thinking of you. It was so hard to let go of you and pretend nothing had happened when so much had happened within me in those few seconds._

_The second time I held you I knew I was in trouble, both literally and figuratively. That was the night of the party at James' and Laurent's house. I knew that night I liked the feel of you too much. And I knew that night that I'd had no business putting my arms around you, even though I told myself I was doing it for James' benefit…to make him aware you were unavailable, even if it was just a ruse. How twisted was it that James only looked at that as a challenge…as a game he was going to try to beat? _

_The third time was when you and Jake spoke on the phone inside my car while I waited outside. I guess that was really the beginning of the end for your relationship with him. I knew you felt terrible and I couldn't bear to see you crying. That was the first time I really held you close and believe me when I say every square inch of my body that touched yours was on hyper-alert. I didn't want to let you go that night. I knew I wanted more of that feeling and as often as possible. _

_But you weren't ready yet. _

_It didn't matter…I was willing to wait. Now I hope you'll wait for me to figure out this crap I've managed to get us in._

_I'd better get going before I wind up locked into the library for the night. _

_Goodnight, my love._

_Yours always,_

_Edward_

_4:45 p.m. Wednesday, October 8__th_

_My dear Bella,_

_God, Alice is relentless! I finally agreed to go to breakfast this morning, even though I knew it would be another exercise in feeling uncomfortable among the only people I rally cared about. I just feel so out of place and out of touch. I want to put my arm around you or hold your hand but I don't deserve it and I know that. At least I felt good about being able to help you with your food tray. I know your arm is still sore and you have to favor it a little. Whatever I can do to help you makes me feel like less of a shit._

_It's so strange to sit near you and feel the warmth of your body and smell your scent and not feel comfortable to just reach out and grasp your hand or pull you in to me. And I don't know how to begin to tell you everything I have to say. I can feel how on edge you are too. It's like that little electric charge I feel around you is pumping out the wrong current. _

_You told me you missed me, love._

_Shit, I miss you so much I could tear my hair out. And the truly fucked thing is you were sitting right here next to me. And yet all I could do was to tell you that I'm just tired. And my love…you told me I should take something for that. The problem is, I need to take something that remedies being an ass. And you're wondering if it's you…if you did something wrong…God, no, love. You're the only right thing in the world._

_I know I said the wrong thing. I told you I had nothing to say. That must have felt like a slap in the face. You've always been there for me and yet I can't just do it. You got up and left and I should have followed you. I should have followed you and spilled my guts to you. But I didn't. I just let you go. And because of that I couldn't bear to see you at lunch and so I stayed away._

_You must think so terribly of me and I don't blame you._

_What the hell is wrong with me? I'm acting like such a jerk to you. Emmett told me as much later in the morning. He knows I'm ruining our relationship…it's obvious to everyone, I'm sure. I'm tired of them looking at me expectantly, waiting for something to happen._

_But the more I think of it, the more I am convinced that I nearly got you killed or at the very least, raped. Fuck that's a heavy mantle to bear. I'm horrified at what I brought upon you._

_I can't stop thinking those thoughts and God help me I think about how differently things could have played themselves out…for the worse. If something like that had happened to you, I'm sure it would have killed me._

_I walked back from class today in the rain and wasn't even aware that it was raining until I got back to my room completely drenched and realized I needed to change. I didn't want to hang out in my room because Jasper and Alice are bound to come by and gaze at me disapprovingly. I've had enough of that. I've been gazing inwardly with disapproval for the past few days…I certainly don't need any help._

_And so I found my way to my car. And here I sit, in the rain, with my iPod plugged in and listening to songs that make me think of you, writing to you when I should be talking to you. _

_As I listen to each of the songs on the Hallelujah playlist I am transported back to the pool house. I get flashes of images of us dancing together, undressing each other, holding each other and making love on the chaise and in the Jacuzzi and in my shower. And all the things we said to each other throughout all of that. Everything felt so very perfect and right._

_I miss your warmth…and your smile…and your laugh._

_I miss you._

_I miss us._

_Yours always,_

_Edward_

_11:00 p.m. Thursday, October 9__th_

_My love,_

_I don't even know where last night went. I think I fell asleep in my car for a bit. But that's understandable…I've been up since about 1:30 a.m. Last evening Jasper gave me some of his Tylenol PM and it was nice to just shut down and be unaware for over ten hours._

_I managed to avoid the dorm most of the day today. I've become a regular now in the Philosophy section of the library. I'm hanging with Kierkegaard and Nietzsche…right where I belong, probably._

_I haven't even been able to write to you today. I know I'm not out of things to say. I think it's just my psyche's way of telling me that I have a job to do and I'd better find someway to do it. I have to come clean with you and just lay it all out there for your inspection and evaluation…and my possible termination._

_Jasper told me this evening that you'd come by earlier. I could tell he was angry with me for playing hide and seek. He's a good friend, both to me and to you. He knows I'm being an ass and he's fed up. I don't blame him. He's upstairs with you and Alice right now and I know I should go up there and pull you aside and tell you everything and just let the dam break and the chips fall where they may. _

_But, oh my God…you fixed my green shirt. _

_I didn't even know you had brought it back here from home. I could hardly breathe when I realized what shirt it was lying here on my bed. That was the shirt I had on at my mom's birthday dinner. The same shirt that I couldn't pull off myself fast enough later that night when you stood before me completely naked for the first time; absolutely stunning in the moonlight in my room. That was the first night we had lain together naked. _

_Skin-on-naked-skin is such an amazing thing…such a powerful thing. You felt so warm and soft and smelled so good and oh, Lord, it was such a wonderful thing to finally feel you soft and lush and naked in my arms. I was mesmerized by you and your charms and completely under your spell. I absolutely ached for you that night, love._

_I think I nearly lost my mind that night when you took me in your mouth for the first time. I remember being afraid to watch what you were doing to me because I knew it would be too much to handle, between the physical sensations and the visual. But I finally did chance a look and the sensory overload of that intimate act did me in. I nearly exploded instantaneously. And when you refused to move away and instead just laced your fingers through mine and gripped my hand tightly with yours, I detonated like a bomb._

_I felt so completely unraveled afterward…so wrecked and sated and content and spent. It had been so overwhelming and so intensely, satisfyingly intimate. _

_And now I sit here, holding that selfsame shirt…that reminder of that memorable night that now seems so far away._

_I've examined the repairs you had made on my shirt; the missing buttons you reattached; the fine stitches that repaired the rip in the cuff. I smelled your scent on the shirt. Maybe you wore it, or maybe it just acquired your scent in your handling of it as you made the repairs. _

_I realize that I have to make repairs as well. I've succeeded in ripping us apart and I know I need to try to patch us back together. I have to tell you it made me cry to think that I was sitting here, clutching a shirt that smelled like you, when I should have been clutching a you that smelled like you in my arms instead. _

_This has to stop, come what may._

_I miss you. Goodnight._

_Yours always,_

_Edward_

_2: 30 p.m. Friday, October 10__th_

_My Love, _

_I know I've been acting the total ass to you. It's as though I'm stuck in a horrible dream and there's no escaping. And the truly upsetting thing is that I've done this to myself…to us. But maybe there's hope. I'm hopeful and others are too._

_I was the focus of an intervention today. Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Rose accosted me in my room as I slept this morning and pointed out what an ass I've been. Just in case I didn't already know. Alice told me you really think I'm mad at you. That's the farthest thing from the truth. I'm mad at myself. I could never be mad at you, love. I'm just not sure how to fix things because I'm so sure you'll think so little of me when I tell you what I've done. _

_Jasper tells me I have to talk to you. I fucking know that. What kind of a lame ass does he think I am? I know what has to be done; it's just the doing that is so difficult. But with Emmett standing at the ready to kick my ass…I guess I just need to plow ahead. This certainly isn't how I want things to continue. Even if you tell me you're through with me it's better than not knowing. And it's better than hurting you._

_But…oh God, I'll feel so desolate if you tell me we're through._

_I want you, love. I want you to still want me._

_I told them what I'd said to James the day of the attack; that I'd called him. I told them I thought you were dying when you collapsed in my arms, covered in your own blood. I know I wasn't thinking clearly, but still...it all seemed so real and so horrifying. It was like the nightmares I'd had about finding Tanya, only now it was real and it was in HD, IMAX, 3-D living color. _

_And I didn't tell you this before but it was the exact same date on the calendar. How screwed up is it to contemplate that I could have lost you on the same date I'd lost Tanya? I think that must have been the source of at least some of my nightmares and night terrors._

_Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Rose all told me it wasn't my fault; James was already on the edge of sanity and falling over the cliff rapidly. I guess they were right. I mean, he took all those photos from around campus and on the roof, he had made a shrine to you in his closet, and Alice had already told him people were on the lookout for him._

_Emmett is of the opinion that I just need to tell you all of this; that you'll understand and that you love me for whatever ridiculous reason and Alice agrees with him._

_And I hope they are right._

_And yet…when I went to see you this morning…you weren't ready to talk and you turned me away. _

_I wasn't expecting that but you certainly have every right. Every right in the world not to want to listen to what I have to say. After I've made you wait, wondering what's going on with me and between us…I certainly deserved some of that thrown back at me._

_And oh, were you ever feisty at me! I was glad to see it, I must say. It makes me realize how strong you are. You are not one to back down from adversity. You do stand up for yourself. I know that now. I think between us, you are the stronger one…it's not me. You've never been angry like that with me before and I don't want you to be angry like that with me again._

_You stunned me and I was incapable of words. You told me you were hurt and angry. And I had done that to you. And when I tried to apologize, you shut me down. I've never felt so low for my actions…or for my inaction._

_I will never do that to you again; you have my solemn word. It was a horrible feeling and it was all I could do to leave with that awfulness hanging in the air between us._

_When I returned to my room and admitted defeat to the others it was Rose who made it clear to me that this was just round one. And I realized she was right. You're worth the effort, the fight, whatever it takes. I have to get back into the ring and woo you and show you that I do care, that I've screwed up and I want to fix things between us. _

_Rose believes you'll be merciful. I hope Rose is right. I'd just been feeling so guilty about everything I didn't even realize how you would take my behavior. I'm so sorry I've hurt you and made you doubt yourself. You have done NOTHING wrong. Not a thing. It's all me and my own personal brand of idiocy._

_Rose and Alice left to go see you and I was left with Em and Jasper as I began to contemplate how to go about winning back the girl of my dreams. Or at the very least being allowed in your door to explain myself and ask for your forgiveness. I know I just have to tell you all this stuff I've been keeping in._

_Jasper and Emmett suggested flowers. Well, duh! That's rather obvious, I'd say._

_Once they left from the room I really had some time to ponder. And I realized, as I thought back to things that have been important to us and to important events between us, there are some ways to show you how much I really do love you._

_And so I spent the morning and early afternoon running from store to store to gather my resources. I hope the Oreos were a nice surprise. I didn't want to just leave the card by itself and besides, Oreos have been scientifically proven to be mood altering. __Lord knows the mood needs altering._

_I practiced your song, our song, with the guitar, making sure I'd get it right. Just don't expect me to sing it the right way…I'm singing about 'brown eyes' not green ones because regardless of what you may think, your brown eyes are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. _

_Jasper says I've got "a lovely voice." He's such an oddball sometimes._

_Alice just texted me that the three of you are back and headed to your room. I think Em is going to text Rose her cue to leave soon and Alice will take off shortly after that. _

_I think I've got everything organized and ready to go. It's too bad it's raining, but I'm still doing this the way I envisioned it. We've got some huge umbrellas, so I think that will work. Besides, you're supposed to serenade a girl from beneath her bedroom window-I'll just have to be above your bedroom window._

_It's unfortunate Emmett couldn't get the ladder from Housing and Operations. Now we've got to go upstairs and go through Angela's and Jessica's room and out their window. Jess must have mentioned it to Mike because I saw him earlier and he gave me a big thumbs up saying I was a goddamned phenom in the boyfriend department, pulling out all the stops, and he couldn't wait to see how things worked out for us._

_Terrific. Mike's a goddamned phenom in the annoying department. Now I've realized I'm doing this with an audience. Crap._

_Oh well; can't think about that now. It's time, love._

_I've got to close this entry here so I can put this journal in the picnic basket and pack that thing up._

_I hope you'll let me in, love…in more ways than one. And I guess if you're reading this, it must mean you did let me in and things are okay between us. I can only hope at this point. But at least I do feel more hopeful._

_So let me just close with this: I love you so much, Bella. You're everything to me._

_Yours always, _

_Edward_

**BPOV**

Early in the afternoon on Sunday my phone vibrated with an in-coming text. I had spent the past few hours reading and re-reading what Edward had written in his journal. I hadn't seen him yet today, figuring he was probably sleeping off his drunken exploits of the previous night or dealing with a hangover and lying low. I set the journal down, wiped a few tears off my cheeks and I flipped my phone open; it was my lovely boy himself.

_You'll be glad (?) to know I'm _

_still alive. What are you up to?_

I smiled as I texted my response to him.

_I've been crying about you. _:)

His reply vibrated in my hand shortly afterward.

_What did I do wrong? And why _

_are you _:) _if you're crying_?_ Did _

_I really sing "Love Shack" with _

_Jasper and Emmett last night? _

_I __can __see how that would make _

_you cry._

I giggled as I sent him my response.

_I'm reading your journal. You're a_

_beautiful young man and I'm loving _

_you very much as I read and re-read._

I burst out laughing when I read his answer.

_You'd better not be using the rest_

_of the condoms without me._

I imagined his reaction when he read my next text.

_Maybe you should come and check _

_on me_. _*gasp* *moan*_

I waited for a minute but didn't get a response. Until there was a knock at the door. I opened it and there stood my lovely boy, leaning on the doorframe, in old, soft jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt, plaid flannel shirt unbuttoned and rolled up at the sleeves. His hair was an impossible disaster, his slightly bloodshot blue-green eyes were shining devilishly, and that sexy-crooked grin was firmly planted in place. Looking at him was enough to make me combust.

He glanced in the room and saw Alice in the swanky fort. He looked back at me then and pulled my hand, drawing me close to him just outside the door, out of sight of Alice, and murmured in my ear.

"That was a rather suggestive text you sent me, love. My imagination ran rampant. I was going to text '_groan_' back to you, but decided in the time it took my shaky fingers to type out that text, I could just sprint up here and actually groan in your ear in person."

I laughed at my incredibly sexy dork, wrapping my arms around his neck and threading my fingers into his hair as he held me. I pulled away just enough to look up at him with a raised brow and then I flexed my fingers in his thick hair and watched as his eyes fluttered briefly.

"Okay…go ahead…I'm listening," I challenged him, "groan away."

He leaned in close, one hand at the back of my head, fingers lacing in my hair. His other hand ghosted slowly down my spine, coming to rest firmly on the curve of my behind. He then pressed me tightly against him so I could feel his arousal. His head tipped down to my ear and then…_oh, holy hell_...he ground himself against me as I felt his hot breath tickling my ear. And then I felt as much as heard him growl a low, rumbling groan…I felt the vibration within his chest and I felt a sudden weakness in my knees.

_Oh my… God, he's good…_

I was suddenly feeling breathless and I wanted to suggest to Alice that she leave the room for a good while. I wanted to peel Edward's clothes off him and have my way with him in the swanky fort. Or in my bed. But the swanky fort was closer and more easily accessible. Instead Edward pulled back and looked down at me, amusement tickling at the corners of his beautifully sculpted mouth. His eyes had darkened perceptibly but then he chuckled and kissed my forehead.

"Well, I'd say we're even now, love. And since Jasper's still battling his hangover in my room…and Alice…" he peeked back into the room, "…is working on something here in yours, I guess we'd best just go get some breakfast or lunch or whatever's appropriate at whatever time it currently is."

"It's almost 2:00," I told him. "You missed breakfast and lunch in the dining hall."

"So let's go out. I'm finally feeling hungry after my brush with death last night, trying to match my alcohol intake with Emmett's and Jasper's at Volturi's."

I snickered as I grabbed my purse. We said goodbye to Alice and off we went.

When we climbed into his car I put my hand on his arm and stopped him from turning the key in the ignition for a moment.

"Edward…thank you for letting me read your journal. I feel a lot less like we were apart those few days. It was like you were really talking to me. And I'm glad you shared so much…things from your own history, thoughts that were running through your mind recently, as well as your memories of our beginning. I loved finding out your side of things."

He looked a little shy for just a moment before he spoke. "You're so very welcome, love. Thank you for giving me another chance. I won't let you down."

I leaned across the console, cupping his cheek and pulling his face toward mine. His arms wrapped around me and we kissed and then just held each other for a few moments, so happy and relieved to be back on track.

It was just after 2:30 in the afternoon now and Edward and I were sitting in a booth at the Pancake House, fifteen minutes from campus. Edward wanted breakfast for lunch, even though it was half-way to dinner time. He explained that it made him feel a little less like he'd lost half a day due to an evening of celebratory binge drinking and the fallout of the poor decisions of the previous night.

Once we were seated I'd realized that I was indeed hungry and after looking over the menu I decided on the obvious: chocolate chip pancakes. I made my announcement with a grin and Edward burst out laughing.

"You know they won't measure up to my Edward Cullen Special Chocolate Chip Pancakes, love. Nobody makes them like I do," he'd said with a grin and a sparkle in his eyes.

"I can pretend," I retorted. "I'll just close my eyes and imagine a very lovely morning one week ago."

He was still smiling at me when the waitress came over to blush and ogle my boyfriend and take our order. Edward's eyes never left mine as he told her he'd like the breakfast combo with scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes and that his girlfriend would be having the chocolate chip pancakes. I added that we would both be having coffee and orange juice. The waitress scribbled it all down, took one last wistful look at Edward, who was still smiling at me, and then she left to turn in our order.

Edward excused himself to use the restroom and I sat waiting for a few minutes for him to return. The waitress brought our juices and coffees and I was stirring in our cream and my sugar just as Edward returned and slid into the booth seat opposite me. He was smirking at me…but really, that was nothing new.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied defensively.

"Why are you smirking at me?" I couldn't help grinning back at him.

_Such a sexy smirker._

"Can't a guy smirk at his own girlfriend?" His grin broadened as he reached across the table and took my hand in his own much larger, warm hand.

I rolled my eyes as I raised my coffee cup and blew on the hot beverage before taking a sip.

The waitress returned a short while later with our breakfasts. Her eyes kept shifting between Edward's face and mine and I wondered what her problem was…until she slid my plate in front of me. There were my chocolate chip pancakes. But they weren't just ordinary Pancake House chocolate chip pancakes. Nope. The chocolate chips had been neatly arranged so they spelled out the familiar and seductive message, 'mor 5 ek' in each of the three large pancakes!

I almost snorted my coffee through my nose when I saw them.

"_Restroom trip," my ass!_

I began laughing as I looked up at Edward's twinkling eyes.

"You asked them to do this?" I giggled pointing at my sexy pancakes.

"Asked them to do what?" he replied, cocking his head and trying to look completely innocent and baffled.

"You either confess, Edward Cullen, or I'm going to assume one of the kitchen staff is propositioning me."

He chuckled. "All I'll say is you'd better enjoy your twenty dollar pancakes, love."

I gaped at the extent of his pancake bribery.

"So, is that a 'yes'?" he asked, eyeing the cryptic message on my pancakes hopefully.

I rolled my eyes. "Like I would ever say 'no' to _'mor 5 ek'_ with you," I huffed teasingly.

He pursed his pouty Cupid's bow lips, made a little happy noise in the back of his throat and waggled his thick eyebrows at me.

I shook my head as I pushed my plate, utensils, coffee cup and glass of juice across the table next to his. I slid out of the booth and slid back into his side as he looped a welcoming arm around me and squeezed me tightly against his large, warm body.

When we were nearly finished with our breakfasts the waitress returned to see if we needed anything else.

"No, I think we have everything we need right here," Edward replied as he looked down at me and smiled. "This is quite perfect."

I knew he wasn't referring to pancakes.

* * *

**A/N: ****Two or three more "windows" still to come. **

**If you haven't read my other story, "Fan Fiction, Sex Gods and Single Girls," I hope you will maybe take a chance on reading that next. Or at some point!**


	71. Same Window, New View Inside

**The Transfer**

A/N: Well this is an epilogue of sorts. Or the start to an epilogue…a sort of pre-epilogue…a _"prepilogue?"_ These characters won't leave me alone, nor will they allow me to tell the story the way I'd thought I would. That's okay; I like what they've come up with here. And there will be two more epilogue chapters after this.

I loved Stephenie's characters and universe…I just like to see what they can do in mine.

This chapter is about the far-reaching repercussions of that night at Volturi's…

* * *

**Chapter 71: Same Window; New View Inside**

**BPOV**

Emmett became a YouTube sensation.

Edward and Jasper were also suddenly thrust into the limelight provided by the Internet.

We had all slept in that morning after the previous night's partying at Volturi's. And though Alice and I had awakened earlier than the rest of the group, we had been completely unaware of the phenomenon streaking through cyberspace as we trekked to the coffee shop and back with our coffees and bagels. We had camped out in our room the rest of that morning and early afternoon, Alice doing schoolwork while I read and cried and smiled over Edward's heartbreaking, heartwarming journal. When Edward had shown up at my door we'd left immediately for the Pancake House for the 'mor 5 ek' twenty dollar special.

But when we returned from that meal…all hell had broken loose. Rose was just inside Emmett's door, ranting at him with her arms flailing wildly as she yelled. Emmett was sitting subdued and forlorn on his bed, the picture of hungover contrition.

Edward and I looked sideways at each other, expressions of fear on our faces for Emmett's sake, as we quickly and stealthily made our way past Emmett's door and the embarrassment within that room. We headed into Edward's room, shutting the door quietly behind us.

"What the hell do you think _that _was all about?" Edward asked as we entered the room. But before I could voice any thoughts on the topic, Jasper's voice drawled over to us from his bed, where he and Alice sat huddled together looking at his laptop.

"If you're referring to Hurricane Rose coming unglued at Emmett and gesticulating at him like her arms are a windmill…_that's_ all about more than 67,000 YouTube hits so far today," he explained. "Rose isn't happy because she is mentioned specifically several times in Emmett's little version of 'Love Shack.'"

Edward and I looked at each other with identical expressions on our faces. We were gritting and baring our teeth, arching our brows, widening our eyes…you know the look. It was the kind of expression that said, '_Oh my…I am just sooooo glad I'm not THAT guy!'_

"Come over here and take a look-see," Jasper smirked. Alice was shaking her head but her eyes were twinkling and she was biting back a smile.

I took a seat cuddled up against Alice, and Edward sat on my other side, squashed up against me and looking over my shoulder at the laptop screen before us.

The quality of the footage was excellent. Someone with a very high quality camera had managed to capture the previous night's presentation. The footage started up with us all moving up the hill on the walkway, although we three girls were hardly visible because the spotlight was mostly on Emmett and he had been in the front of us with Edward and Jasper at either side.

Edward and Jasper were dragging Emmett uphill as Emmett sang. The camera angle seemed to indicate the footage had been shot by someone within our dorm, so it was likely the sounds of music had alerted the cameraman to grab his camera and take aim. But it wasn't just the singing that had been captured on film…it was the dancing. The light-as-a-feather dance steps Emmett had executed to go along with his rendition of 'Love Shack.' The big bear of a man was…well, he was a dancing bear…and he was just so light on his feet as he twirled and spun.

Edward began groaning beside me on Jasper's bed. I turned to look at him and saw him shaking his head disgustedly and pinching the bridge of his nose. I looked back at the screen and realized we had gotten to the part where Edward had collapsed to the ground and was now laughing himself sick while lying on the concrete, unable to get up even though Jasper was trying his best to help him out. It was so unlike any Edward I'd ever seen before.

Thankfully, Alice, Rose and I had been standing off to the side, just beyond the edge of the picture. But the Three Stooges were captured brilliantly in one of their finest moments.

"You know, Edward," Jasper commented, "you've sure changed a lot in the past two months. Look at how happy you are," he said pointing to the screen and re-winding to watch the part where Edward collapsed into a fit of giggles and guffaws on the ground. The he backed the footage up two more times for Edward's viewing pleasure.

"Fuck…" Edward exhaled. "I look like such a fucking tool."

"Nah," Jasper countered, "Drunken fool, maybe, but not a fucking tool. Emmett looks like a fucking tool."

"He looks like such a happy-go-lucky fucking tool," Alice observed brightly as we restarted the video clip to watch it all over again. I wondered how many of those over 67,000 hits were from Jasper and Alice alone this afternoon.

Just then a door down the hall slammed…probably Emmett's, signaling Rose's departure. She didn't stop by. But Emmett did. There was a quiet, hesitant, little knock a few moments after the door-slam.

When Edward yelled, "Come in!" Emmett sheepishly poked his head in the door.

"I'm in big trouble," he murmured pathetically. "You gotta help me with the flower thing, Edward. As odd as it may seem that your brother and Resident Advisor is coming to you for advice, I need your expertise, Bro."

Jasper, Alice and I couldn't help ourselves. We just began laughing. Edward merely mumbled a quiet "Oh, for fuck's sake" under his breath.

"No, really, you gotta help me, Ed," Emmett pleaded. "Rosie's really pissed at me."

Edward straightened up and looked at me.

"Purple hyacinths…and maybe some pink primroses?" I said, smiling at him encouragingly.

Edward smiled and then he chuckled a little.

I shrugged at him. "Hey, it worked for me," I said, lacing my fingers through his and feeling his big warm hand grip mine tightly.

Alice scooted off the bed and turned to me. "Let's leave these boys to discuss floral arrangements, Bella. Maybe you and I should go check on Rose. I'm guessing our bb needs a cuddle."

In the week that followed, Emmett showered Rose with outpourings of his love for her in a variety of ways…mostly bouquets. That same Sunday he bought a dozen purple hyacinths, the flowers Edward swore by, that said, _'I'm so incredibly sorry; I fucked up royally and I swear I'll never do it again_.'"

On Monday it was a bouquet of pink primroses with their message of, '_I have no life without you, so for God's sake, don't discard me_.'" On Tuesday he sent her a bouquet of balloons that said "I Love You" on each balloon. On Wednesday he asked me to help him bake some chocolate chip cookies in the dorm kitchen.

Emmett had never ventured into baking before, other than the failed Mediterranean Brownies for his mother's birthday the previous year. I went with him to the store to oversee him as he bought the right ingredients and then I helped him mix everything correctly and bake them for the appropriate amount of time. He wanted to try to figure out a way to put the finished cookies on stems and make a bouquet of them but that wasn't working, so he just gave her a shoebox filled with them.

Rose, however, would not relent. She took all the proffered gifts but remained steadfastly irritated with Emmett, barely speaking to him although she still joined us for highly uncomfortable meals in the dining hall. It was a very tense week whenever the rest of us were together with the two of them, either as a couple or as individuals.

On Thursday I had come back to the dorm early in the afternoon after a trip to the medical center to get my stitches taken out of my lip. It was so nice to get those prickly stitches removed and finally have my lip back. There was a little tingly sensation where the slight little scar was, but I had been assured that it would dissipate somewhat over time. I just had to make sure to keep the scar out of the sun and put a little salve on it twice a day to help it disappear.

Emmett had been in Edward's room when I returned. The two of them were perusing the flower symbolism website that Edward was so fond of. Emmett suddenly bolted upright and went tearing out of the room excitedly, leaving the dorm and heading for the parking lot.

"Don't ask," Edward simply said, shaking his head and closing his laptop with a sigh.

"Okaaay…though I must admit I'm curious." I glanced back in the direction Emmett had fled. When I turned back to look at Edward he was smiling at me.

"Come here, show me your lip." He took my hand as I neared him and pulled me down to straddle his lap. "It looks good," he said after examining it carefully. "How does it feel?"

"A tiny bit numb, but it feels like my lip again." I ran my tongue over it and Edward's eyes widened slightly. "I can feel the scar but not as much as I thought I would."

"Does it work okay?" Edward asked with his crooked little grin making an appearance.

"I don't really know. I haven't tried it out on anybody yet."

He chuckled as he leaned in and kissed me softly, reaching around behind me and clasping his hands just behind my backside. Then he kissed me with a little more feeling, running the tip of his tongue over my healed lip and finally pulling on it with his teeth and sucking it into his mouth slightly. And then he was clasping my head in his hands and kissing me quite thoroughly, exploring with that talented velvety tongue of his.

_Holy shit! I'm pleased with my repaired lip and it's quite obvious Edward is too!_

I threaded my fingers up into Edward's hair, pulling on his wild locks. I shifted myself on his lap, moving in more closely to his body and the obvious excitement in his jeans regarding the return of my lip, when there was a rather loud, "Ahem!" at the door. Edward and I were both jolted from our heated kiss and wanton embrace.

_Oops! Forgot the door was still open…_

"By the way," a flushed Edward said as he pulled away from my mouth, "Alice has been waiting for you to get back…something about going over to see Rose…I promised her I'd let her know the minute I saw you." Edward leaned to the side, looking over my shoulder to the "Ahem"-maker at the door. "Alice, Bella's back!"

I giggled and looked over my shoulder to see Alice standing in the doorway with her slender arms crossed over her chest, rolling her eyes.

'Thanks, Edward. It's a good thing I got here when I did, before the two of you were naked, going at it on the desk chair with the door wide open."

I looked back at Edward and saw a brief flicker of contemplation in his eyes.

"Come on, Bella. I didn't mean to give Edward any racy ideas," Alice said. "I promised Rose we'd stop by and hang out with her. She's still upset about this whole stupid thing with Emmett. I think she needs her girls."

I reluctantly peeled myself up off of Edward's lap and gave him a quick kiss on the nose goodbye before heading out the door with Alice.

We had probably been at Rose's for about an hour when Emmett got back from his errand and showed up at her door. We girls had been flipping through magazines, listening to music, eating some of the cookies Emmett had baked and talking about whether or not Rose should accept his apology. When we heard the knocking, Rose got up and opened the door and there stood Emmett, holding a potted plant.

"Hi, Ro, baby," he said sheepishly when he glanced up at her. "Um, these flowers are anthuriums. I thought the shape of the red flowers looked like hearts and well…you'll always have my heart, baby. And the things sticking up out of the middle of each flower…well, um…they just made me think of how much I miss being with you. I'm so sor…"

He didn't get any farther than that. Rose had taken one look at the perverted little anthuriums with their proud penises sticking up out of the center of each vibrant red heart-shaped blossom and she'd burst into a fit of giggles that turned into belly laughs. She laughed so hard there were tears streaming down her cheeks. She threw her arms around Emmett's neck and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, for God's sake, Emmett! You are such a love-monkey! How can I possibly stay mad at you and your sweetness and your dimples and your…freaky sex-anthuriums?"

Emmett was surprised by her reaction but the dimples were making a quick comeback. He shifted the potted plant to one arm and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You really like them, Rosie?" he asked softly. "Edward thought they were kind of overboard, but he's such an uptight prig sometimes, I thought you might like them."

Rose cupped his cheeks in her hands. "I don't _like_ them, Emmy, I _love_ them," she said softly. "They're just so…_you, _you big freak." She sighed happily and then she leaned forward and the two of them were suddenly locked in a passionate kiss.

Alice and I had been clenching our lips, trying desperately not to laugh. We realized this was our cue to leave so that Emmett and Rose could make up and get their…_anthurium_ on… and so we scuttled out the door, closing it behind us softly and giving them their privacy.

"That was absolutely ridiculous in a really cute kind of way," Alice observed as we headed down the hall. "They are so perfect for each other. And apparently those perverted flowers were just the thing to say 'I love you'."

I nodded in agreement. "That was really sweet and silly. Who knew flowers could be so erotic and pornographic?" I was suddenly thinking about my own reunion and make-up session with Edward the previous Friday evening…and Friday night…and then again early Saturday morning…and once again later in the morning. I was suddenly in the mood to spend some quality time with my own hot dorky boyfriend.

_Maybe it had to do with those perky anthuriums. And kissing a very smoldering Edward earlier. And the return of my eager lip._

That evening at dinner it was just Jasper and Alice, Edward and I. Rose and Emmett were otherwise engaged. They were probably still busy doing the kinds of things Edward and I had been busy doing late this afternoon. Probably similar to what Alice and Jasper had apparently been doing as well.

When Alice and I had gone back to the dorm, after the arrival of Emmett and his Potted-Plant-of-Desire, we'd gone directly to the boys' room. Alice more or less shoved Edward out the door and told us to go hang out upstairs for a few hours while she hung out with Jasper downstairs. She gave me a look that said she'd be busy for quite a while with Jasper and Edward and my lip and I could feel free to avail ourselves of the privacy of our room upstairs.

By the time Edward and I had walked up to my room I had told him all about Rose's reaction to Emmett and the anthuriums. I closed and locked the door and turned to face Edward.

"So, what do you want to do?" he had asked in polite confusion.

I think the sudden blush on my face told him all he needed to know. We were suddenly pulling each other's clothes off and running cool hands over heated bodies and chasing each other up to my bed as quickly as possible for some wild, sweaty, animal sex. I think Edward was actually growling as we climbed up the risers.

_What is it about…anthuriums? Hmmmm…_

Of course sex with Edward was always incredible, but we'd been slightly limited recently when it came to naked activities we could comfortably engage in. After the previous weekend, when Edward and I had finally laid his angst to rest, we had had our marathon make-up love-athon. Saturday night and early and late Sunday morning we'd gone through six of the nine condoms Edward had gotten from Emmett. But the following evening, Monday night, we had had kind of an entertaining and embarrassing experience.

I'd still had the sutures in my lip that Monday night, but no longer thought much about them. I was due to get them out later in the week anyway but after a week with the things I had gotten used to them, quite frankly. And they didn't bother Edward when we kissed; maybe they had initially, but he had gotten past that. Lips aren't nearly as sensitive, after all, as some other body parts. You can still kiss and enjoy the kiss without thinking about the presence of a few prickly sutures against your mouth.

The problem was…not all of Edward's body reacted the same as his mouth. There was a certain portion of his body that was quite a bit more sensitive to the prickly tickling of the few stitches in my lips. Despite the best of intentions on my part and the initial welcoming reception on his part, once I actually put my lips to that sensitive and rather erect portion of his body I could tell by his twitches and jerks that he was having a hard time remaining focused on the task at hand… or…er…mouth. He finally just started laughing and grabbed me and pulled me off of him and back up to his chest.

"What's wrong?" I asked, having no clue what it would feel like to have the spiky little threads of stitches poking against my most intimate body parts. I merely wondered why he had been stifling laughter when I was engaged in doing _that activity_ to him. I'm sure I must have sounded somewhere between hurt and huffy.

Edward's chuckle rumbled low in his chest as he held me tightly against his warm, naked body. He pulled back and looked at me, cupping my face in his hands as I lay on top of him. His eyes were crinkling at the corners with his smile and he appeared a bit flushed. The pink tinge to his face obviously wasn't from my oral sexual advances, since I hadn't gotten very far with them. Rather, it appeared he was slightly embarrassed.

"What?" I asked, still slightly miffed and confused.

"Oh, love," he began, stifling a lingering chuckle, "as much as I love you doing _that _to me…" he paused and leaned in planting a nice solid kiss on my lips, "…it's really difficult for me to maintain sexual arousal and serious focus when your stitches are tickling me."

I burst out laughing and yet I was mortified. "Oh, my God! Edward, I'm so sorry…I had no idea. I didn't even think about that! I wondered why you kept jerking and twitching. I thought you suddenly didn't like _that_ and I wondered what I was doing wrong."

"I love _that_," he said, his voice suddenly a sexy growl and his flush deepening slightly. "And I can assure you, there is absolutely, positively nothing wrong about the way you do _that_. You do _that_ really well. We just have to shelve you doing _that_ to me until you get your stitches out." With those words he rolled us over and showed me just how lovely it was to experience _that_ without stitches in one's lips.

_That_…was Monday night. It was now Thursday, National Anthurium Day. My stitches were a thing of the past and my lip was back and ready for action and I had a feeling Edward was too as we climbed up into my bed.

**EPOV**

_Holy… _

_Fuck…_

_Almighty…_

Bella must have thought she had to prove something to me. Or make up for lost time and her lack of smooth lip. I was probably lucky I hadn't had a stroke. I certainly didn't know if I'd ever be able to walk again. And I'd nearly lost Bella in the process.

I was just so glad she had her lip back again, although that lip had really done a number on my body and mind. Her tongue and mouth in general had also had a lot to do with my current state. I'd definitely seen stars…white-hot, shooting flashes of light and sensation. My limp body and well-loved groin were both still twitching and spasming even after lying here for a while afterward as we both caught our breath and came back down to Earth.

It had all started that afternoon. She'd come back from the medical center with her new and improved lip. We'd tried it out, kissing to see if it felt normal and worked properly. I guess I had really missed that little lip of hers because once we started kissing I'd completely forgotten my door was wide open. At least annoying Alice had showed up in the nick of time because I had seriously been thinking about pulling Bella's shirt off over her head just before I heard the loud and interruptive "Ahem" coming from my doorway.

At least it had been Alice.

I could just imagine Newton standing there taking notes if things had progressed.

Bella had been dragged away and I'd been left to sit there feeling uncomfortable and horny and contemplating becoming reacquainted with Bella's lip in a sexual way. Part of it, and I know I'm disgusting for saying this, was probably due to the fact that we'd been relegated to using condoms whenever we had sex because of her antibiotics. I missed feeling her. Just her, without any barrier. And the only way I'd currently get to feel her without any latex barrier was…orally. But that form of oral pleasure had been ridiculous when she'd attempted it on Monday evening. Those sutures of hers had made me want to shriek with laughter and that's not really what you want to be doing when your true love is pleasuring you with her mouth.

I'd felt bad about having to stop her that evening. I knew she was a little hurt and wondered what the hell was wrong with me because I'd never stopped her before. And then I don't know who was more embarrassed, me for having to explain, or her for not realizing the agony I'd been in, trying to ignore the sensation of those goddamned little prickly threads and not laugh myself sick. Needless to say, she hadn't attempted that again. Until after she'd gotten her stitches removed today.

By the time she and Alice returned from Rose's this afternoon I'd settled down and moved onto other things mentally. I really hadn't thought anything of Alice forcing me out of my room until Bella and I got upstairs and I'd asked Bella what she felt like doing. When she blushed it all came racing back into my mind. And into my dick.

We could barely strip out of our clothing fast enough. And then I was chasing her up to her bed. I gave her a little smack on her butt; not hard, of course but with that stellar ass just right in front of me, it had been hard to refrain from reaching out. She had yelped and giggled and that just revved me up even more.

I'm sure a lot of this had to do with those fucking ridiculous flowers Emmett insisted upon getting for Rose. Flowers with hard-ons! I'd tried to talk him out of it.

_Who buys that shit for their girlfriend?_ _My brother and Resident Advisor, apparently. And apparently it was his most thoughtful gift all week because those horny sex flowers won Rose over after a week of romantic attempts. _

_Whatever. To each his own._

_Actually…anthuriums were kind of erotic._

Maneuvering up on Bella's bed was always a little tricky and maybe the danger of that just heightened the pleasure, knowing that at any moment one of us might topple to the floor below. And that had very nearly happened.

She'd been in the middle of showing me just how well her newly repaired lip worked. It really did work quite well, especially in tandem with her mouth in general and her tongue specifically and her hand in a supporting role. I probably should have just relaxed and let that continue to its rapidly approaching completion but instead I'd gasped at her to turn around. I think for a moment she was confused as to what I was telling her to do, so I leaned up a little and told her to turn her body around. The scent of her arousal was driving me crazy and well…I wanted her to be just as involved as I was. And so she began to reposition herself so I could do to her what she was doing to me.

That was when her knee slipped over the side. If I hadn't had my arm up, helping to reposition her above me, I wouldn't have been able to stop her fall. But I did have my arm up and I did manage to catch her before she slid off, clutching her to my body and rolling instantly toward the wall on the opposite side of the bed, hauling her over me. Of course we both yelled out in fright initially. Then we were both swearing at the near disaster. Then we laughed in relief. And then…goddammit if she didn't just resume her...attentions. So I of course joined in until we were both simultaneously and deliriously overcome, stifling our moans and cries against one another as we experienced our orgasmic communion.

_Once again…Holy. Fuck. Almighty._

I don't know if it was just all that long-awaited oral attention or if it was a combination of that attention and the fright of near-disaster, but afterward I just felt like I didn't have a bone in my body and I certainly didn't have any muscle control. My entire body and mind had been reduced to the consistency of Jell-O. We lay there for a long while, gasping and sighing with an occasional chuckle and giggle at our gasps and sighs. But as my mind began functioning again I became resolute about one thing. Her bed couldn't stay this way. This was a health hazard.

**BPOV**

It was Friday. Emmett had spent the entire week plying Rose with flowers and other tokens of his love. Even though she had forgiven him yesterday, after he'd brought the potted anthuriums to her, he'd had one more gesture up his sleeve. Today he had given Rose a bouquet of roses in assorted colors. He told her, for as pretty as all those roses were, and all the emotional connotations they represented…_she_ was by far the most beautiful _Rose_ he'd ever seen, and she meant every possible rose-connotation to him.

Rose had melted.

The rest of us were all so proud of him. He had come up with that completely on his own. He had learned from the best and had made it his own particular form of groveling. He had also presented Rose with a gift card for the day spa we three girls really liked, saying he didn't pamper her enough, but if she would like to spend the day on Saturday being pampered at the day spa, he would take her out for a lovely evening that night. Just the two of them. He promised he would definitely limit his alcohol intake. And they would not be going anywhere that offered karaoke.

Rose was thrilled and swooning. Emmett was relieved. Edward and Jasper were awed because this was, after all, Emmett. Alice and I were impressed.

We were even more impressed when Jasper and Edward gave each of us matching little gift cards for the day spa so we could accompany Rose just in case there was any lingering embarrassment over the YouTube video on our part.

On Saturday the three boys told Rose, Alice and me we had to promise to be gone at the day spa for at least five hours.

It wasn't a problem. We changed into our bathing suits and hung out in the spa and hit the sauna and steam rooms. We wrapped ourselves in thick robes and ate a calorie conscious, yet delicious spa lunch. To top it all off we had fragrant oil massages followed by body wraps. At the end of our stay we showered and primped, using the scented hair and body products provided and felt like new and well-pampered women afterwards.

I was feeling a little curious though. It seemed like Alice's and my gift cards were a little overblown for what they were supposedly for…I mean, Alice and I were already okay with the YouTube video…we weren't really in it and though Edward and Jasper were, they hadn't done anything rude concerning either Alice or me. So when we started getting text messages on our phones, asking how soon we thought we'd be back, I began to suspect that there was something else going on. At least with Edward and Jasper.

When we returned to the dorm, Rose disappeared into Emmett's room, probably to help him relax as well as her spa trip had helped her to relax. Edward and Jasper met us in their suite sitting room. I wasn't at all surprised when Jasper grabbed Alice and whisked her into his room while Edward grabbed me and escorted me upstairs.

I had no idea what was going on with Alice, but when Edward and I got up upstairs he stood behind me as we got to my door. Just as I was about to open it he told me to wait and he covered my eyes with his hands so I couldn't see. Then he told me to go ahead and open the door.

"What is this? Why are you doing this?" I asked, feeling for the door handle once more since I was unable to see it now that his hands were covering my eyes.

"It's a surprise…hopefully a good one." I heard his low voice behind me. "If it's a bad one, Jasper and I are going to be awfully busy for the next few hours."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. But the door was already opening and Edward was moving me inside, into position, apparently. He was turning me to face the opposite end of the room.

"Are you ready?" His low, velvety voice was at my ear, his breaths tickling my skin.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Surprise," he said softly, as his hands fell away from my eyes and came to rest on my shoulders as he stood there behind me.

I opened my eyes and looked straight ahead, not sure what I was seeing at first. It was the swanky fort but it was different. Bigger. _Bigger?_ It was twice as deep as it had been. _What? _And Alice's closet was no longer on the side wall. It was now turned and backed up against the far wall, facing this end of the room. And then I looked up because the beds weren't right. They were no longer perpendicular to one another; they were side-by-side, pushed up against each other making one much larger bed that still lay right under the window to my patio. _What? _The now-much-bigger bed was still in the same location where my narrower bed had been…right beneath the Bella Swan Portal.

"What?" I finally asked aloud, confused by the new configuration and wondering why Alice and I would want our beds right next to each other. I turned and looked at Edward. He seemed to be holding his breath and he was biting his lip. He appeared nervous.

"Uh, come here…look. There's something else." He walked me over to Alice's closet. "Open it," he said and I couldn't help noticing that his voice seemed a little shaky; a little hesitant.

I pulled the door open and looked inside Alice's closet. No. Not Alice's closet. These weren't her clothes. _What? _Well, wait, some of these were her clothes…a few of them…but not all of them. Most of them were…_Oh my gosh! Oh. My. Gosh! Edward's clothes! _I spun around and faced him. His eyes were wide and wary. And fearful.

"Edward…you moved IN? I mean, Alice moved OUT? You and Jasper moved Alice OUT and moved you IN?" I was blurting rapid-fire questions and not giving him any time to answer any of them.

Edward paled and his eyes were suddenly even wider. He looked very unsure of himself. Both of his hands dug through his hair and came to rest clasped together on top of his head, as if he didn't know what else to do with them as he stood there looking down at me anxiously. He took a deep breath and suddenly began babbling, reminding me of Alice when she was excited, only Edward seemed far more terrified than excited.

"I told Jasper this was probably a really stupid idea. But I didn't say that until we were already two-thirds of the way through moving things. I realized we should have asked both you and Alice but he seemed to think you'd both go for the idea. He'd actually been contemplating it for a while already. And well…Alice is always spending the night downstairs anyway and I'm usually up here anymore and I although I really don't care about having to bring a change of clothes up here, or go downstairs to change…I hate putting her out, forcing her to do that all the time…" He paused, bringing his arms back down to his sides and cramming his hands in his pockets in dismay.

"But we can change things back," he hurried to add, "If you'd like… We don't have to keep it this way." He looked doubtfully into my eyes. "It's just mostly that I worry about you falling out of bed when we're…uh, you know…up there rolling around naked. And then you very nearly did fall on Thursday. Uh…I didn't tell any of that to Jasper of course; just so you know." He smiled briefly, uncomfortably. And then he waited for my reply, looking ill.

I had been completely taken by surprise. It took a moment for me to collect my thoughts and decide how I felt about this unilateral decision he and Jasper had made without consulting Alice or me. I looked up at Edward's face and saw just how distressed he was.

"So, you're worried about me falling out of bed during our sexual antics?" I asked. "You're trying to protect me; to keep me safe?"

I saw the soft little hesitant light in his eyes. "Yeah; you falling overboard at a crucial moment would be the worst thing ever…it very nearly was. And keeping you safe is the most important thing to me…besides loving you, of course." He shrugged like he just couldn't help himself. I knew he couldn't.

"You want to be my roommate," I stated. "Here…in the dorm."

He shrugged bashfully this time. "Yeah, I do. I mean we were up here together every night this week anyway and Alice was down there with Jasper. But I promise you, Bella, it's not about the sex. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I mean, the sex is wonderful…I love making love with you and I can't imagine it being better than it is. But it's just…so nice to go to sleep next to you at night and see you first thing in the morning. And if there's sex somewhere in between, well, that's lovely, but it's not a requirement. I sleep better knowing I'm beside you. I sleep more soundly knowing you're right there with me. I love you. I love being with you. And we're with each other most of the time as it is. Jasper and I just thought this would make things easier for the four of us.

"But seriously, we can change things back if you'd like. It's not a problem and I know we probably really overstepped the mark doing this without consulting you both first. I'm sorry we didn't ask."

I nodded and pursed my lips slightly before I spoke. I was curious about something. "So why are some of Alice's clothes still in the closet?"

He blushed faintly. "Well, if we needed to switch back for a night here or there, because say, I was being an idiot or some such thing, we left a few things behind in our rooms for me and Alice…just in case."

I walked over and sat down in the swanky fort. Edward came and sat down tentatively next to me. I surveyed the opposite end of the room now. Edward's guitar case was tucked neatly in the corner next to Alice's…well, his…desk. I glanced at his desktop, reminded by the lamp standing there that we did, indeed, own matching lamps, thanks to the cart fiasco and that first Saturday shopping trip with Alice. Edward's flat screen T.V and all of his electronics were on a low bookshelf against the opposite wall.

"Say something, please, Bella! Tell me I'm an idiot or that you hate it or that you're angry we just did this without asking…just say something! Please. I can't read your mind and I don't know what you're thinking." He was wringing his hands, pulling on his fingers, lacing them together and unlacing them nervously.

I turned and looked at his beautiful panic-stricken face. I smiled a little and then quickly moved to straddle his lap. His reaction was one of surprise; more so when I pushed him down and lay above him, hovering over him and grabbing handfuls of his hair as I smiled down at him.

"Edward Cullen, I'd better never find one single pair of dirty boxers lying around on the floor of this room!"

His crooked smile burst forth like the sun after a rainshower. "You, won't, I promise!"

"Nor dirty socks!" I couldn't control my smile, looking down at his bright, matching one.

"Scouts honor!" His eyes were glowing vibrant green-blue and he actually saluted me.

"And we make the bed every morning, no exceptions!" I said sternly.

He rolled his eyes. "Bella, you know what an organized neat freak I am. This part of the conversation is hardly necessary."

"I'm just telling you how it's going to be with me in charge!" I was giggling the words as I said them.

"So I can stay?" he asked softly, eyes wide with wonder.

I laughed. "You can stay." I bent down and kissed him on the lips as he reached up and cupped my cheeks in his big, warm hands.

"Alice is going to miss the swanky fort," I murmured against Edward's mouth.

He laughed. "No, we built her one…she can call hers 'the Lounge.'" He smirked up at me with that lopsided grin of his.

I giggled. "She'll like that. It's always pissed her off that we all call this the 'Swanky Fort.'" He smiled and nodded.

We were just happily holding each other, gazing at each other, when there was a little knock on the door.

"That's got to be Alice," Edward whispered with a smirk. "Pretend you're mad about this."

I smiled as I stood, biting my lip to put on my game face. As I walked to the door I winked back at Edward and then began loudly and angrily saying, "I can't believe you did this without asking! What were you thinking?" I flung open the door with a hand on my hip, trying to look as irritable as possible.

There stood Alice with Jasper right behind her. They had obviously heard my words. They both looked so crestfallen I wanted to hug them instantly.

"Bella, don't be angry with Edward!" Alice pleaded immediately. "It was partly Jasper's idea, too. They can fix it back and I'll help them. They thought it would be a good thing…I realize it's probably a little too soon."

Edward had stood up and was now standing next to me, watching my performance. I looked up at his face. He looked all contrite and ill once again. I couldn't hold it in and keep my face all serious. I just burst out laughing and Edward's laugh followed.

"Oh my God!" Alice shrieked. "You were kidding?" She whirled and confronted Edward. "She's okay with this?" Edward nodded with a big smile on his face and Alice spun around to face a surprised Jasper. "Jazz, she was kidding!" She twirled back around quickly and grabbed me by my shoulders. "Bella, you ass! You were joking? You're okay with this?" I nodded, laughing at her spinning about between us.

"I'm totally okay with this," I admitted with a grin.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!" Alice flung her arms around me and was now jumping up and down in place, as was I. I hoped I didn't split my newly repaired lip because Edward had really been enjoying that lip recently. "Bella, this is so awesome!" she continued shrieking as we hopped up and down, hugging each other.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jasper grab Edward into a bear hug, as he made a high-pitched squeal and began jumping up and down like Alice. "Eeeeeeek! Edwaaaard! This is so totally sweeeeeeeet!"

Edward shoved Jasper away, laughing. "Get your hands off me, you jerkwad! I'm glad you're so happy; just keep your hands to yourself, perv!"

We all stood there smiling broadly at each other then.

"Would you like to come into '_our'_ room?" I asked them, since we were all more or less still standing in the doorway.

Alice and Jasper came farther into the room and Edward closed the door behind them. Alice surveyed the surroundings. "It looks just like our room downstairs! Everything's the same. Did Edward tell you they built a Swanky Fort downstairs?" she asked, turning to face me with a big smile.

I nodded. "Yeah, this way you can have '_The Lounge'_ you've always wanted."

Alice beamed back at me and then resumed looking around. "You have matching desk lamps! I forgot about that. I'm jealous." She looked up at the beds…or, er…bed. "The dual bedding has got to go. I told Jasper the same thing. We're going to go shopping for new bedding and a pad that will fit across the two beds so it feels more like one bed. You guys want to join us?"

Edward winked at me and turned toward Alice. "Bella and I like our dual bedding. Besides, we don't like our bodies to touch. We're going to still make our beds separately. We're saving ourselves for marriage."

Alice smacked him in the stomach and Edward exhaled an "Unf!"

"Yeah, Edward, nobody believes that shit anymore; not since Emmett at the poolhouse that first morning. So are you joining us or not?"

I smiled and shrugged at Edward who was rubbing his stomach.

"Sure, we'll go," Edward replied. "Give us a few minutes and we'll meet you downstairs."

"Okay, we'll see you in a bit," Alice replied as she and Jasper turned to leave. "Oops, I almost forgot…" She turned back toward Edward. "You might want this."

She held out a key; her room key.

"Oh, right!" Edward smiled as he dug in his pocket and glanced over at me, lifting an eyebrow slightly. I nodded and smiled as I watched him slide his own key off his keychain, hand it to Alice, and then slide the new one on in its place.

"I guess that makes this official," Jasper drawled, smiling down at Alice as he herded her out the door.

"I want matching desk lamps, Jazz!" was her reply as she shut the door behind herself.

Edward moved toward me and wrapped his arms around me, looking intently into my eyes. "You're really sure about this, love? Absolutely, positively, no hesitation whatsoever?"

"I'm so sure about this, Edward; about _us_. This is going to be good."

He pulled me closer with a deep sigh. "This is going to be an adventure," he said softly, happily, kissing my temple.

"Oh, I think the adventure began sometime ago, Edward." I relaxed into his body, holding him tightly and resting my head on his chest, listening to his steady heart.

* * *

**A/N: If you don't know what ****an anthurium looks like...and it's important that you do... "You can Google it." -Edward Cullen**

**How did you like the **_**"prepilogue?" **_**The actual epilogue comes up in the next two, final chapters.**

**Don't forget to check out my other story, "Fan Fiction, Sex Gods and Single Girls," It's filled with a reforming Edward, humor, love and awkwardness.**

**Thanks for reading and sticking with this beast. -bannerday**


	72. Epilogue: Seasons Part 1: Fall Leaves

**The Transfer**

**A/N**: It's the beginning of my "Sequelogue." After 70 chapters I can't just do a regular single chapter epilogue, now, can I? No, no I can't. This is the result of that decision. This is part one, part two follows. And after that...? I think I'm done. :(

When we last left them Bella and Edward had become roommates. Here is how their story continues that October and November.

I'm still not Steph. This still isn't Twilight. And I'm still not trying to infringe.

Let's see how the rest of fall goes...

* * *

**Chapter 72: Epilogue: Seasons Part I: Fall Leaves**

**BPOV**

Life was good…really, really good.

I had begun my junior year at the University of Washington just a little over two months ago, looking forward to the new direction my life would be taking as I furthered my education at a major university in the Pacific Northwest. I'd thought the move from tiny Forks to bustling Seattle would be exciting and I'd looked forward to new experiences. I smiled when I thought back to those feelings of anxiety at being "the transfer" in a dorm filled with so many returnees; students from the previous two years, who all knew one another so well. I had worried about fitting in and making friends, certain I'd be the odd man out.

_I'd had no idea… _

I was now on my third roommate. Truly. I was quite literally sitting _on_ my third roommate. That happened often...and often that third roommate would be on me, though in a more prone manner while pinning and tickling me, cuddling and spooning me, or my personal favorite, making love with me.

_Edward Cullen…my roommate…my boyfriend…my love…my always._

"What are you smiling at?" Edward suddenly asked, interrupting my thoughts. His warm hands were grasping my hips as I sat on his lap, facing him, straddling him.

"You're supposed to keep your eyes closed so I don't mess this up," I replied, halting the movement of my hand. "Stop looking at me," I said sternly.

"I can't help it," he said as he closed his eyes again, allowing me to continue. His mouth curled into a wicked grin. "I like to watch...I thought you'd realized that about me by now."

I paused and sat back slightly, feeling myself blush as I rolled my eyes. He always knew just what to say to provoke my blush and, well, a little extra heat between us.

He opened one eye and peeked at me. "I knew you were blushing," he murmured proudly with a little smirk. "Are we done yet, love?"

"No, Edward! Just sit still and behave and keep your eyes closed or this will smudge." He closed his eyes and sighed and I went back to finishing applying the eyeshadow on his remaining lid. "Now just a little bit of liner…" I said as I drew the tiny brush across his lash line. I blew on each of his lids a little to make sure the liner was dry. "Okay, open." He opened his eyes and I checked to make sure things were neat and even.

"How do you feel about a little mascara?" I asked.

"No, Bella! This is enough! I already probably look like some cheap transvestite hooker!"

I giggled at his exasperation. "You don't, baby. But your eyes do look amazing. Alice is going to be so proud of me; I've done a really good job. Wait…one more thing." He rolled his beautifully made-up, purple-gray shadowed and eye-linered eyes as I dabbed the applicator into the charcoal eyeshadow once more. "Suck in your cheeks a little," I commanded. He sighed and did as he was told. I swiped the applicator into the hollows of his cheeks on both sides of his face, smudging the swipes with my thumb to make them appear as mere shadows which accentuated his cheekbones and jaw line. I sat back then and looked at him critically once more.

"Well?" he asked a little uncertainly, probably worried that I would press the mascara issue.

"Perfect. You look amazing," I breathed, happy with my work and the beautiful blank canvas I'd had to begin with, although he had been a somewhat cranky blank canvas initially when I'd brought up the whole make-up idea but it really did enhance the overall look we were going for.

I passed him the mirror so he could see my handiwork.

"Oh, wow…That _does_ look great. I _do_ look amazing!" he said looking back at me with an excited boyish grin.

I rolled my eyes at him, biting back an "I told you so," but I couldn't avoid grinning back at him. He was right, he did look hot…well, he always looked hot but with the make-up accentuating his eyes and cheekbones he was dark and dangerous sex personified.

"Edward Cullen, you always look amazing," I admitted to him as I kissed him lightly on his temporarily pasty white cheek.

"Then we're even, Isabella Swan," he said with a drop-dead sexy, lopsided grin. "You always look amazing to me, too." His smoldering eyes traveled my face and body. "Though tonight, I must say, you look absolutely ravishing…or maybe _ravished_ is more apt, considering the present circumstances." He glanced at my neck, lightly fingering two fake puncture wounds that appeared to ooze fake blood.

It was Friday night, October 31st and we were headed over to Rose's for the big Halloween bash her dorm put on annually. It was kind of a couples' party, although you didn't have to be part of a couple to go, but the couples that went usually tried to dress rather…well, "couple-y."

We had no idea what Rose and Emmett nor Alice and Jasper were wearing. I couldn't wait to see them; I couldn't wait for them to see us. We had all decided we'd keep our costume ideas a secret from each other; it kind of enhanced the whole "couple-concept."

The search for our costumes had been challenging. Edward had said he didn't want to rent something from a costume store. He'd said he was reluctant to wear a costume previously worn by every Tom, Dick and Harry in Seattle. "Who knows when the last time was those things were cleaned…if ever?" he'd pointed out. I'd never been disgusted by rental costumes until that moment. So instead we'd hunted around Seattle in thrift shops and second-hand stores for the last two weeks until we found something inexpensive and suitable and then we cleaned the hell out of them and whatever silent history they'd had.

I'd washed my second-hand nightgown set and Edward's thrift-shop, white, dress shirt in hot water before we wore them. In the case of Edward's tux we had gotten it dry-cleaned twice…once inside out…with Edward explaining to me in the dry cleaners that he didn't want to wonder if Tom's Hairy Dick had gone commando inside of the tux. I'd rolled my eyes and told him that sounded like something Emmett would say and then I added I'd be willing to thoroughly apply some antibacterial gel to his entire groin if he thought it would ease his mind. He closed his eyes, making a little groaning noise, and then he dragged me out of the dry cleaners as quickly as possible, rushed us back to his car and sped us back to campus so we could spend some quality time together in our dorm room.

_Our room…because he's my roommate. Gah! Double gah!_

But now we were finally both dressed in our highly sanitized costumes and ready to leave for the party. Edward looked incredibly gorgeous in his tuxedo, his impossible hair a mess of reckless abandon, his pale face flawlessly handsome. He patted my hip as his lip curled into his wickedly sexy smirk.

"If you're done ogling me and my transvestite makeover, we'd better get going. The others are probably already over there at Rose's dorm."

I giggled as I climbed off his lap and straightened my long, white, flowing, gossamer nightgown and matching peignoir_._ I felt like Old Hollywood. Edward and I certainly looked like something out of an old black and white horror film classic.

I took one last look in the mirror at myself to check the overall look. I'd done my make-up similarly to Edward's: pallid foundation on my face and neck, dark purple and gray eyeshadow on my lids and beneath my eyes, eyeliner and of course, mascara for me. My hair was piled high atop my head, a few loose tendrils here and there framing my face, but not covering up the two slightly bloody-looking fake puncture marks on my neck.

"Don't forget your dentures," I said to him as we were about to head out the door. He chuckled as he fastened the black cape we'd found in the costume section of a local store around his neck. Then he picked up the little prop up on his desk and inserted it into his mouth, lunging toward my neck with a little snarl, baring his teeth and the plastic vampire fangs at me with a smirk before locking and shutting our door.

_Our door. To our room. Two weeks later and it still amazed me like an unexpected gift._

We walked over to Rose's dorm. The music was blaring. The living room was filled with costumed partygoers dancing and talking. People looked over at us, staring and smiling approvingly as we came in the door. I spotted Mike and Jessica out dancing, dressed as a pirate and his wench. Mike grinned broadly, shooting us a thumb's up. Jessica caught my eye, pointed at Edward and then fanned herself exaggeratedly after giving Edward the once-over. I nodded conspiratorially to her before glancing back up at Edward as he scanned the room, oblivious to her. Jess was absolutely right. Edward looked hot. He looked like an actor on the red carpet…well, maybe more like a vampire on the red carpet. He seriously looked good enough to sink my own teeth into.

We heard Emmett before we saw him. His booming laugh suddenly filled the space between songs. We headed towards the sound of him at the far end of the big room. I saw that he was wearing a pith helmet on his head, bandana tied around his neck, khaki shirt rolled up at the sleeves, a toy gun slung over his shoulder, darker khaki shorts, thick socks and hiking boots. I wondered what Rose was wearing to compliment his outfit. And then I saw her appear on the other side of him.

_Oh. My. Golly. _

Rose was dressed like Cat Woman, only instead of a solid black bodysuit, she was wearing a skin-tight leopard print bodysuit and she looked amazin_g! _She was the cat's meow…literally. She was actually probably Emmett's _meow, hiss _and_ purr. _I realized then that Emmett was a Big Game Hunter and Rose was hisWild Animal. I foresaw him hunting her down for lots of wild, sweaty, animal sex in their very near future.

They were talking to Alice and Jasper. I giggled when I saw those two. Edward pulled back on my hand and I paused as he leaned in to my ear, to talk over the sound of the music. "What on Earth is Jasper wearing?" Edward's low voice begged to know. "Is that a suede diaper?"

I doubled over, laughing at Edward's comment, knowing in that moment the guys would no doubt be referring to Jasper's costume as his "suede diaper" for the rest of the evening if not for months to come.

Alice looked beautiful. She was some kind of a pixie or fairy. Her face had an elaborate design painted on it, complete with sparkling glitter in golds and greens. She had shimmery wings and was wearing green tights and a tiny little filmy dress. It had a green bodice with a skirt in varying shades of greens and golds. There were flowers and leaves tucked into her hair and she wore a little garland of the same flowers and leaves around her neck, dangling down her body like you would wear a decorative scarf.

We approached them and got a big welcome and a round of applause from the four of them as they checked out our costumes. Alice was clapping and beaming instantly.

"Oh my God, you guys look great!" she shrieked, admiring us as Seductive-Vampire-Edward and Seduced-Bloodless-Bella. "Who did the make-up?" she asked.

"Alice! I'm not totally inept when it comes to make-up; I just choose not to wear much. I _do_ know how to apply it when necessary. Speaking of make-up…yours looks terrific, Alice."

Alice smiled and thanked me before she turned back to Edward. "Really, Bella, you did such a great job on Edward's make-up."

Edward smiled and the little plastic fangs he had in his mouth suddenly twisted sideways and stuck out at the wrong angle. The group began laughing.

"I can get you the name of a great orthodontist to help you with your dental issues," Emmett loudly told Edward as we all dissolved into laughter.

"Hey, thanks, Ranger Rick," Edward replied, making Emmett pout.

"I'm not a Forest Ranger, dude! I'm a Big Game Hunter! I'm gonna bag me a Wild Leopard Girl tonight." He waggled his eyebrows at Rose. She curled her freshly-manicured nails into claws in response and I think she might have purred as well.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?" Edward asked, looking at Jasper. He was barefoot and shirtless, wearing a suede loincloth with a garland of leaves much like the one Alice had on. Emmett bent in half, apparently laughing at Jasper anew. There were leaves twined into Jasper's hair, similar to Alice's flowers and leaves. His face was painted similarly to Alice's, complete with glitter, though with more browns and golds, less greens. He had two small plastic horns jutting out from either side of his forehead; they must have been glued into place somehow. Jasper held up a little wooden instrument, a series of flutes connected together in one piece.

"Well, this here is a pan flute," he said, holding up a little wooden instrument, a series of flutes connected together in one piece. He grinned before blowing into the ends, "so I guess that makes me Pan, god of the mountain wilds, shepherds and flocks. And Alice here is my Wood Nymph." He wrapped an arm around a grinning and sparkling Alice and pulled her into his mostly-bare, loincloth-clad side.

Emmett made some comment about Jasper reacting to Alice's outfit with "wood" and Alice playing Pan's "flute." I couldn't quite hear exactly what he'd said, but the important thing was Leopard Girl had heard and she'd smacked him in the back of the head as Alice glared at her older brother and stuck her tongue out at him.

Edward was laughing and shaking his head. "Seriously? Pan and a Wood Nymph? Jasper, I know you were just looking for a reason to wear a loincloth. You're the only dude I know who's confident enough to wear a woman's skirt and a suede diaper out in public! Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Emmett guffawed at Edward's words and high-fived him immediately. We girls all laughed, with Alice choking out, "Hey, if you've got it, flaunt it, right Jazzy?" She turned her shining eyes to her nearly-naked, completely-crazy love interest.

Jasper just grinned happily, completely unaffected by the ridicule. I think whatever made Alice happy, made Jasper happy. I thought they both looked cute and somehow very right. I had a feeling they'd get more mileage out of their outfits than just this evening.

Just like Emmett and Rose. I already knew Rose had a little…collection…of clothes that she would don for Emmett's eyes only. I'm sure the leopard print body suit would get some mileage. I would have felt ridiculous doing the same for Edward, although tonight he seemed to be keeping close tabs on me in my sheer sexy nightgown set. He was also keeping close tabs and a darkened glare on any guy that looked too long in my direction as well.

"Since we're all picking on each other, I want to know what the fuck is wrong with you, Edward!" Emmett yelled over the music. "Is that guy-liner on your eyes, Bro? Was that your idea or the Little Woman's? And dressing up as a vampire…you know what that tells everyone, don't you?"

Edward waited, eyebrows raised, wondering where this was going, as was I, as was the rest of the group.

"You're telling everyone _you suck_, Bro!" Emmett's voice dissolved into a fit of raucous laughter.

Edward rolled his eyes at Emmett before dragging me away to dance near sparkling Pan and his glittery Wood Nymph. I think maybe Edward was flipping Emmett off over his shoulder though I really couldn't see it.

The fangs really did kind of take on a life of their own, even if they kept turning askew in Edward's mouth. A few girls had been so bold as to approach him with a lecherous, "Edward, bite me!"

He just laughed and shook his head, apologizing and telling them, "Sorry girls, I've only got fangs for Bella!" It made me smile each time he said it. And it made me squirm each time he leaned into my neck to bite, suck and lick me. He started doing it with the fangs initially but as the night wore on and we began drinking Rose's homemade Halloween Punch that Packed a Wallop, things heated up until the ridiculous plastic fangs were completely unnecessary and he went without, still attacking my neck and collarbone when I least expected it.

_Holy. Freaking. Gah!_

I really had a hard time taking my eyes off him in his tux. He exuded masculine glory, and that was putting it mildly. And he kept doing this dark and broody thing with his face that made him look so deliciously dangerous. I don't know if it was that sexy, predatory look in his guy-linered eyes, his flaring nostrils as he seemed to inhale my scent, his pursed lips forming that sexy pout, or the way he seemed to slightly suck in his cheeks, making his cheekbones and jaw line that much more spectacular.

I wanted to haul him into the nearest available room and have my wicked way with his devilishly good-looking self. But I would have to wait a bit. Oh well…delayed gratification had its definite perks.

And Edward seemed to find my costume a lot sexier than I would have thought; it didn't bare a lot of skin, but the fact that it was rather sheer and somewhat low-cut and so much more feminine than my usual jeans and t-shirt must have appealed to him on some level. Or maybe it was the delayed gratification of knowing what was beneath the sheer layers but having to mostly imagine it. Throughout the evening I often caught his eyes following my every move and for the most part, they were Edward's sex-eyes. He just got this certain look on his face and in his eyes…I knew exactly what he was contemplating. I was contemplating the same thing and wondering just how soon we could leave.

None of us stayed for too many hours at that party. We were all gone not long after midnight. Big Game Hunter probably couldn't wait to get his hands on his quarry, Leopard Girl. Pan must have indeed had "wood" for his…Nympho. And Edward and I…well, I was already dressed for bed in my nightgown set and my own personal vampire seemed ready to sink his teeth into me. I was more than willing to succumb to his growling advances the minute we got inside our room and locked the door.

That was a deliriously good evening. Repeatedly so. And in graduated stages of undress as we made our way from the wall just inside the door, to a desk chair, and then the swanky fort before finally ending up in bed, finally completely naked and thoroughly exhausted.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

**EPOV**

You hear people use the line, "I had the time of my life," regarding something fun and wonderful they've experienced. I realized that I was pretty much _living_ the time of my life.

_Every. Single. Day_.

Moving in with Bella had just really cemented the idea in my mind that we were supposed to be together. It just felt so right and comfortable and we really worked rather well together. I'd cautiously asked her a number of times if there was anything I was doing that was bothering her because I'd want to fix something like that before it got out of hand. After I'd asked the question the fourth time she told me my asking her that question repeatedly was the only real thing she could think of that was bothering her about me. So I quit that shit and my roommate did seem happier.

_Isabella Swan…my roommate…my girl…my love. Quite possibly my future wife._

That dorm room really felt like "home" to me and I knew it all had to do with my roommate. I'd been so worried after Jasper and I had spent that entire day moving Alice into his room and me into Bella's. We'd done it completely behind their backs, thinking that it was such a great idea but I'd grown more and more nervous and anxious as the day had passed until Bella finally came home to our little rearrangement. I'd probably felt about how a guy would feel asking a girl to marry him and waiting on pins and needles for her answer. But she'd been agreeable and so we were now happily living in sin like many of the other residents of our dorm. In fact, word had it our dorm was commonly referred to as Hook-Up House, Make-Out Manor and Sex-Central.

So much of my anxiety and guilt had melted away as October ended and we headed into November. I was beginning to feel in control of my life once again. I was beyond happy. Part of that contentment was from living with the girl of my dreams. I felt like I was keeping her safe and cared for and she kept me sane and grounded and we both refused to let me dwell on the past and on things I couldn't change. I got better about looking forward and shaping the future and not looking backward to things that had been out of my control. The future was wide open and it was best to focus on that.

We had taken Officer Peters' advice in the second half of October and had contacted his wife, Charlotte, a specialist at the Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Information Service at school. We'd gone into the SARIS office for a few counseling sessions, both as a couple and as individuals. It was good to talk to others who had some experience with ordeals like ours, whether it was firsthand, or as a counselor. We spent time talking and working through the whole stalker-attacker situation and the resulting guilt and insecurity. A few of the people we spoke with had experienced similar situations and that made us feel less alone in our experience. It also forced me to see that this whole thing really hadn't been my fault and that my prior experience with Tanya's suicide had only served to compound my feelings of guilt and fears of loss.

Through Charlotte I met an older student, Garrett, whose girlfriend, Kate, had also been stalked and attacked. She'd unfortunately even been raped. The guy who had attacked Kate had been a friend of Garrett's. Of course Garrett felt beyond guilty when Kate was attacked because he'd had the friend over, introduced him to her, they'd spent time together, and they'd never had any clue what the friend was thinking under the radar until he actually attacked and raped her one night when she'd been alone.

The session with Garrett helped me put our experience into better perspective. I think it was good for Garrett, too, to hear my side of our story and the fact that I had really blamed myself for James' attack on Bella, feeling like I had goaded him into it. I came away from that session with Garrett feeling less guilty for what had happened and also feeling even more convinced that I wanted to make a career of counseling and helping people to deal with issues like these.

Charlotte told me I had a lot to offer others, having been through two extremely difficult situations personally with Tanya's suicide and Bella's attack. She asked me if I would consider sharing my experiences with other guys who might come into the SARIS office because they were dealing with stressful events like I had with my two girlfriends. She told me I would probably feel that my own load was just a slight bit lighter each time I shared my experiences to help others through theirs. I said I would be glad to get involved that way.

Bella hugged me all the way back to the dorm after that exchange. She said she was so proud of me and just so glad that we'd decided to pursue some counseling together.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

October ended and November pulled into town and brought with it some interesting holiday results.

Bella had been communicating with her mom much more frequently since the attack, both through e-mails and phone calls. So maybe that was the upside in the attack—it seemed to have brought Bella and her mom closer together again. Her mom would call and they'd talk for a while. Quite often the phone would be pushed into my hands after a bit, with Bella rolling her eyes, as Renee got the idea into her head that she wanted to talk to me to get to know me a little. She'd ask my opinion of whatever their topic of discussion had been. I had to carefully ride the fence if the two of them were disagreeing. Of course I usually sided with Bella once the phone call ended because the truth of the matter was I was living with her and I much preferred hot sex to a cold shoulder.

The whole concept of Bella's mom getting to know me by phone became a moot point at the end of that first week of November. She called to let Bella know that her husband, Phil, had purchased tickets for the two of them to fly from Jacksonville to Seattle and come for a visit at Thanksgiving at the end of the month. That was less than three weeks away. Her mom would get to know me in person and I'd really get to know Renee Higginbotham-Swan-Dwyer firsthand.

Bella began apologizing to me ahead of time the minute she got off the phone after that conversation.

We had a week off school at the end of November. It was actually nine days off once you included the weekends on either end of that week. Bella and I spent the beginning of November being indecisive about how to best divide up and spend those nine days and whether we should take one car or two. At first it was a real dilemma; we wondered if I should just go home to Port Angeles for the week while she stayed in Forks at her dad's. We tossed that idea immediately. It was decided we would just take my car and we should try to spend time together at both places. But we were still unsure how to approach Thanksgiving itself.

My mom had always prepared a big feast for the family with leftovers and turkey sandwiches for days afterwards. But Bella had always cooked for her and her dad and they had always included Jake and his father. I certainly didn't want to be without her but then again, the thought of me maybe having to eat a Thanksgiving meal at two homes on the same day was daunting. That would be dreadful.

I knew I didn't have to worry about Jake; Bella had reported that he was still seeing Renie. And even if he wasn't, I knew Bella was mine; I had no worries. It was just hard trying to figure out how to be together yet with both of our families.

Billy Black solved the problem and put an end to our dilemma.

Bella heard about it first from her dad who called with the details. The Blacks had decided to host a feast to officially thank those who had helped out with the renovations at their home when Billy had still been in the hospital. He was home now and wanted to welcome their support system to his home for a pot-luck celebration and to give his thanks in person.

The truly bizarre thing? Not only would Bella's mom and step-father be there, but my family had also been invited. I know…so bizarre, like some crazy crack-fiction…but oddly, my mom had been the interior designer they'd found in Port Angeles and after I'd spoken to her on the phone, telling her of the connection of Bella and her dad to the Blacks, my mom had gone out of her way for their family as she refurbished and redesigned their two bathrooms. She had helped cut some costs and had gone the extra mile to get things done as nicely, as inexpensively and quickly as possible with the least amount of headache or inconvenience. My mom had developed a relationship with Billy Black, even visiting him in the hospital to get his final say-so on some aspects of the plan. He in turn had invited all of us to join in the celebration at his home.

Jake called Bella a few days later to tell her that my sister and brother were also welcome to invite their boyfriend and girlfriend if they were around and wanted to come for Thanksgiving. I thought for the second time that Jake's character was rather impressive. He had graciously accepted me as Bella's boyfriend; the guy who had replaced him, to be honest, and now he was also extending his kindness to my siblings and friends…the same ones who had been there that day to break up our fistfight when Bella broke up with him.

We'd passed the word about the Thanksgiving invite to Alice, Emmett, Rose and Jasper and they were all interested, probably mostly out of curiosity regarding Bella's pre-U-Dub, pre-dorm, pre-me life.

On Friday afternoon, the last day of classes, Bella and I hopped in the Volvo and followed Emmett and Rose in the Hummer and Alice and Jasper in the Clown-Car-Scion and we caravanned to Port Angeles. We hit a movie in town that night and then all spent the night at my parents' house, much to my mother's delight. I was pretty delighted as well…I had my Bella in my bed and this time around at my parents' house she was up for anything. As was I but that probably goes without saying.

On Saturday we spent the day at the Hales' house in Port Angeles and Bella got to meet Rose and Jasper's parents, Jeremiah and Lillian Hale. Jeremiah was originally from Texas and Lillian from Louisiana; they were Southern gentility transplanted to the Pacific Northwest. I'd met them before but this was Bella's first time. As I'd anticipated, she was shocked to see that Jeremiah Hale looked and acted just like you'd imagine Jasper would look and act when he got to be in his early fifties. Lillian, on the other hand, was a tiny brunette, quite the other end of the spectrum from Rose, and looking far younger than her actual age of forty eight. Rose obviously had a lot more of Jeremiah's DNA influencing her appearance than Lillian's.

We stayed there all day, hanging out, visiting with the Hales, and later playing ping pong in the garage. Jasper's dad barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone and his mom brought out the Southern specialties to go along with that: peanut coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans and Lillian's famous sweet iced tea. As the late afternoon wore on the sweet iced tea gave way to Jeremiah's Mint Juleps and ping pong turned into beer pong by the evening. Needless to say, the six of us all spent the night there, being rather trashed by midnight, sleeping on couches and in sleeping bags in the living room.

On Sunday we spent the afternoon and evening back at my parents' house, tending to our hangovers. At least there hadn't been any karaoke or YouTube sensations. By the evening we were well enough to eat Chinese Take-Out with my parents and then spend a few hours in the pool house, horsing around in the pool and relaxing in the Jacuzzi before tumbling into bed and sleeping like the dead…well, after a rather thorough round of love-making anyway. At least for us. I don't know about the others and obviously would prefer not to.

I drove Bella to Forks early on Monday morning. Her dad was home when we arrived and he welcomed us and the hot cinnamon rolls we'd picked up on the way. I felt much more relaxed around Charlie and he seemed fine with me pretty much attached to Bella's side. I guess he'd figured I was going to be a permanent fixture in Bella's life anyway. He already knew I would try to take care of her to the best of my ability.

Charlie said he was looking forward to meeting my parents on Thanksgiving at the Blacks.' He scratched at his head as he glanced around the living room, saying he thought maybe he'd ask my mom for some advice, seeing as how he was feeling rather envious every time he visited Billy and had that new interior shoved in his face. I warned him that he might not want to start that ball rolling and he chuckled, saying it was probably about time anyway and then Billy would stop making his life miserable.

I took Bella to the grocery store later that morning and she picked up ingredients she needed to bake four pies she was planning on bringing to the pot-luck; two pumpkin pies and two apple pies. She told me I was going to be helping her make them on Wednesday and I saluted her like a good boy, adding a "yes, ma'am," for good measure.

Charlie treated us to lunch at the Forks Diner before he had to leave for his shift. He greeted the waitress and a few apparent regulars by name, introducing me as Bella's boyfriend without flinching or gritting his teeth, so that made it crystal clear to me he'd come to grips with our relationship.

After lunch Charlie dropped us both off back at the house before work. I helped Bella do a few chores for her dad around the house to neaten up the place before her mom and Phil's arrival that evening. Somehow our "neatening up" ended up in her room, in her bed, with our clothes strewn about the floor. The outcome…so to speak…was us making kind of a mess of her bed and the sheets and deciding to do a quick load of laundry while we shared a shower…and a little shower-time fun. It wasn't like we'd get the opportunity for that living in the dorm, so we felt we had to take advantage when possible.

I wondered if being naked with Bella would ever get old.

_Fuck. What a ridiculous thought!_

We managed to get cleaned up and out of the bathroom. Bella threw the load of wash in the dryer and we dressed and remade the bed just in time to go meet Renee and Phil at a little Mexican restaurant in town. They had flown into Seattle that afternoon, had rented a car and driven to Forks, and checked into their Bed and Breakfast in time to regroup and meet us. I figured they'd be exhausted.

But no. Phil maybe but certainly not Renee.

"Bella, baby!" a familiar-sounding voice called when we appeared in the doorway of the small restaurant. I'd seen photos of Bella's mom, of course, but I was still surprised to see similarities in their faces and hear the similar-sounding voice; that much clearer in person than over the phone. As her mom hurried toward us I saw the few differences in their appearances: her mom had blue eyes and her hair was lighter in color and shorter, but they were the same height and something about their faces was very similar; you could tell they were mother and daughter.

"Hi, Mom," Bella barely got out before Renee swooped in, speaking quietly into her ear and hugging her hard, planting a big kiss on her cheek as she did so.

"And of course, you'd be Edward," Renee said, reaching out an arm and folding me into the sudden group hug. "I'm so glad you were able to come tonight."

I smiled at Renee's exuberance, so unlike Bella's usually calm demeanor. I realized Bella had probably taken after her father in that regard.

"Hi, Renee," I said, putting one arm around Bella and the other around her mom to lightly to pat her on the back. "It's nice to get to meet you in person."

She herded us back over to the table, where a smiling Phil stood, waiting for us. He gave Bella a hug as they greeted each other and then he looked at me, extending his hand. But before Bella could even open her mouth, Renee was already performing introductions.

"Phil, this is Bella's young man…Edward," she said to him, indicating me with a nod and a big smile. "Edward, this is my husband, Phil." We shook hands and Bella and I took our seats opposite Renee and Phil.

"They're bringing chips and salsa and we just ordered a round of Margaritas, unless you'd rather have a beer?" Renee said and asked in the same breath. I felt a little the way I did around my sister, Alice, when she was on a roll. You found yourself wondering if you would actually be needed to contribute to the conversation or if she had plans to do it all by herself.

I smiled. "A Margarita sounds great." Bella agreed with me and our drinks suddenly appeared in the next moment, followed by a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa.

"You look great, baby," Renee said, leaning forward and clasping Bella's hand in both of hers when the waitress disappeared to give us a chance to look over the menu. "You look happy," she said to her, before turning and looking at me knowingly. "That must be your doing," she said to me. I smiled as my eyes shot to Bella's face to see her looking slightly embarrassed and maybe a little overwhelmed.

"I'd like to think I have something to do with that," I allowed with a shrug and a smile.

Renee grinned, Phil snorted and Bella sighed and then giggled.

"You really don't beat around the bush, do you, Mom?" Bella asked.

"Heaven's no, there's no time for that! I get a few hours tonight with you and Edward, hopefully a shopping trip with you tomorrow in Port Angeles, maybe a few hours on Wednesday morning at your dad's and then I have to share you with everyone in God's creation on Thanksgiving at Billy Black's. Friday Phil and I head back to Seattle and Saturday morning we fly home. So there will be no beating around the bush. Are we clear?" Her eyes regarded us with amusement.

"Absolutely," Bella grinned. I nodded in agreement.

"You're smart to go with the flow," Phil grinned, resting an arm on the back of Renee's chair. "It's always easier that way."

I felt Bella's hand on my thigh under the table, as she gave my leg a squeeze as she admitted that yes, she's happy and that I do have something to do with that. It was my turn to blush, thinking about Bella's happiness earlier this afternoon when we were making a disaster of her bed. I buried my face in the menu, deciding that was safer than participating in the conversation at the moment.

We ordered our dinners, ate our chips and salsa and sipped at our Margaritas as we began talking about everything under the sun: school, Seattle, the stalking and attack, our subsequent counseling through SARIS, my probable career, my family, the Blacks, helping with the remodeling at their house, the pies Bella and I are making on Wednesday for Thanksgiving, Jacksonville, minor league baseball, major league baseball, the Mariners, football, the Seahawks and Lord knows what else.

Somehow in the midst of all that we managed to order our food, get our order and polish everything off, including two additional rounds of Margaritas throughout all of that. It was more than two hours later when Phil began to yawn. It had been an extremely long day for them, although Renee still seemed rather energetic. Plans were firmed up for Phil and Renee to pick Bella up the next morning to drive to Port Angeles and do some shopping. We were about to part ways with them when Bella gave Phil a hug goodnight while I was pulled into another warm hug from Renee.

"You're good for her," she whispered in my ear. "You're good _to_ her and I'm just so glad you were there when she needed you most." She pulled away, holding me by my shoulders and looking at me meaningfully. Her eyes were a little glassy with the emotion of her thoughts.

I nodded in reply, giving her arm a little squeeze. "Me too," I told her quietly.

"It was so nice to get to finally meet you, Edward," Renee finally said more loudly when she released me. "I guess we'll see you on Thanksgiving if not sooner."

"I'll be there bearing pies," I told her and grasped Phil's outstretched hand to shake it, nodding a goodbye to him.

In the parking lot Bella and I climbed into the Volvo while Phil helped Renee into their rental. We waved goodbye and I took Bella back to her house, sitting in the dark out front with her for a few minutes as we kissed goodnight and discussed the evening.

"You look a lot like your mom but you have your dad's coloring and you have a lot more of your dad's personality than your mom's."

"You think so?" Bella asked.

"Oh, most definitely. Your mom reminds me a lot of Alice, though. She has that same kind of crazy energy. And a few times she asked you three questions before she let you begin answering any of them."

Bella laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe that's why Alice and I get along so well…I've been pre-conditioned."

I pulled her into one more hug, finding her receptive lips with mine and kissed her thoroughly, wishing I wasn't heading back home tonight. But I supposed we were going to be spending tomorrow apart anyway. I leaned across her and opened her door telling her I would miss her and that I love her.

"I love you, Edward. I'll see you on Wednesday," she replied as she climbed out with a little wave and I watched her to make sure she got inside okay. I pulled a U-turn and headed into the night toward Port Angeles.

**BPOV**

My mother is absolutely incorrigible. And I realize that I've really missed her. I'm so glad they are here for a visit. And I'm so glad Edward got the chance to meet her and that she had the chance to meet him. And whisper the words, "_Holy. Hot. And handsome!_" into my ear as she greeted me after seeing Edward and me appear in the doorway of the Mexican restaurant.

We really had a nice visit and Edward seemed at ease with both my mom and Phil. And my mom seemed completely under Edward's spell.

_Just another woman of many. _

There had been a quick restroom trip before we left from the restaurant. As soon as the ladies' room door swung shut behind us, she whirled to face me excitedly.

"Bella, he's gorgeous! And so sweet and attentive!"

I'd rolled my eyes but she continued her thoughts.

"I'm serious. You move…he moves…you're so attuned to each other. He's such a gentleman and so well-spoken. And oh, but he has a great sense of humor! I really like him." She paused to look at me with a sparkle in her eye.

"Well, you can't have him," I teased.

She laughed. "No, I don't suppose I can. For one thing, it wouldn't go over well with Phil. And then there's the fact that I'd be alienating you. But I think the most difficult problem to overcome would be the fact that he is obviously so utterly devoted to you, baby. That boy is head-over-heels in love with you."

I smiled and felt myself blushing. "It's kind of mutual, you know?"

"I thought so," she said, searching my eyes as she smiled softly. "Just don't rush into anything, okay?"

I shook my head. "I know, Mom."

"I don't mean sex, you know, I mean settling down. Give things time to grow and really take root."

I found myself blushing more deeply regarding the sex comment, but then I realized what she was actually telling me.

"Don't worry…that's a long ways off for me, Mom."

That had been Monday night. Tuesday was spent in Port Angeles, shopping and dining. We parted ways with Phil as he parked himself at the local coffee shop with a newspaper and a large cup of coffee while my mother dragged me around town, trying to do some serious damage to her credit limit.

We met back up with Phil in the afternoon and had a late lunch and then wandered around town with him a little longer, stopping in a bookstore and an antiques and collectibles store.

By the time we were done in Port Angeles I was the proud owner of a new pair of shoes and a new pair of boots, a navy waterproof jacket, two pairs of jeans—one black and one blue, two t-shirts and a blouse. I really hadn't needed any of those things, but there was no convincing my mother of that. Edward's words ran through my head and I realized that my mother really did have an Alice feel to her. Or maybe I should have noticed that Alice had always felt kind of mom-like.

On Wednesday morning Renee and Phil came over for breakfast and visited with me and my dad before Charlie had to leave for work at ten. They took me out to lunch at a little deli at noon and dropped me back at home by one. Renee's plan for the rest of the day was to show Phil around the area and leave me to my Thanksgiving preparations since Edward was coming over. They were returning at seven for dinner with Edward, me and my dad.

My little kitchen helper appeared on my front steps a little before two o'clock and I welcomed him in with a big hug and kiss. I set him to the task of peeling and slicing apples into a bowl at the kitchen table while I began mixing the dough for four pie crusts. Several hours later, with the smell of hot baked apple pies and pumpkin pie spice wafting through the oven-warmed house, we were caught, sitting on the couch, mid-make-out session, by my father arriving home from work at six. Edward immediately pushed me aside and crossed his legs, placing his hands in his lap to hide the prominent evidence he was sporting, although the blush on my face was surely obvious and couldn't be concealed. We hadn't even heard the cruiser pull up. At least our clothing was still intact.

My dad rolled his eyes and shook his head, not making eye contact with either one of us as he spoke.

"All I can say is those pies had better be as good as they smell to make me forget what I stumbled in upon."

I looked wide-eyed in embarrassment at Edward. He mouthed a silent "fuck" at me in dismay as my dad exited the room to go into the kitchen to check out the pies and probably allow us a moment to collect ourselves. He probably had to collect himself a little as well.

I turned on the TV to throw Edward a lifeline as I got up and went into the kitchen.

"Sorry..." I began but my dad interrupted me, raising his hands to stop me.

"No, I know, you're not a kid anymore, Bells. Obviously he's not either. Just…well, you know…I forget…and I'm not used to having you home. You're an adult. I can accept that.

"So, the pies smell really good," he said, changing the subject. "Can't wait to have some tomorrow. Hope your mom wasn't planning on making any food to bring."

I laughed. My mom's horrible cooking was legendary.

"No, I told her Edward and I were making four pies that would be the potluck contribution from all of us. She seemed relieved she was off the hook."

He nodded. "Thank God for that. Don't want anyone having an upset stomach on Thanksgiving.

"So, what are you planning for dinner?" he asked, looking at the clock on the wall.

"I thought I'd make chicken and rice with carrots and green beans. I've got about an hour until they get here."

"Sounds good. It's nice to have the chef back home." He smiled appreciatively. "You think it's safe for me to go sit in the living room now without Edward keeling over from embarrassment?"

I giggled. "I think he's probably okay but I'll go see if he wants to keep me company while I start on dinner."

"I'm going to go clean up a little," my dad said before heading upstairs without a glance into the living room.

Edward rolled his eyes at me as I entered the room. I watched his face as he took a big breath and let it out noisily through puffed cheeks as he shook his head. "Major boyfriend faux pas," he said.

I laughed, sitting down next to him and taking his hand. "No, he's okay with us. He was just teasing. And he was probably just as embarrassed as we were. Do you want to stay here and watch TV with him or do you want to keep me company while I cook dinner?"

"I can't believe you have to ask," he said, standing up and pulling me up.

Edward helped me with dinner preparations and kept me company while I cooked.

Phil and Renee showed up a little before seven with a bottle of wine and the five of us managed to eat and chat comfortably. After dinner we all sat in the living room and visited until ten o'clock when Renee and Phil left. My dad headed upstairs to bed around ten-thirty.

Edward and I stayed put, watching a movie, snuggled together on the couch until midnight. He was staying over so I got him a pillow and blankets so he could sleep on the couch. He pulled me down to lie on top of him and just held me there against his warm body. I felt his fingers raking gently through my hair and felt a kiss on my temple. I lifted my head and looked at his beautiful face. He smiled softly at me as his fingertips ghosted down along my back.

"I miss our room," he murmured, leaning his head up and kissing me softly on the lips.

"Me too," I agreed, laying my head back down on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart for a while until I finally forced myself to make my way upstairs for a chaste night of slumber in my single bed in my father's house.

_Damn._

Late on Thursday morning the Cullens rolled into Forks in Emmett's Hummer. A whole carload of them, including Esme and Carlisle, and the pseudo-Cullens, who were actually Hales. Rose and Jasper were indeed joining us, having persuaded Lillian and Jeremiah to hold off on making their Thanksgiving dinner until Saturday, when they wanted to invite the Cullen kids over. The Hales were fine with that, not having any other relatives or guests depending upon them to stick to tradition.

Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper came in the house bringing overnight bags to drop off for later since they and Edward would be staying the night at my house. It was my dad's turn to host the gang for a night. Esme and Carlisle would be returning to Port Angeles later that same evening in Edward's Volvo. On Friday, after saying goodbye to my dad and to Renee and Phil, we would all be returning to Port Angeles in Emmett's Hummer for Friday night through Sunday afternoon before returning to school and reality.

I introduced Charlie to Carlisle and Esme Cullen and reintroduced him to Alice, Emmett, Rose and Jasper although he'd already met them the one time at my dorm. Renee and Phil showed up just then so we went on to round two of introductions.

I had to smile when I saw my dad speaking to Esme about possible renovations in our home. Obviously Billy had put the bug in his ear to update the house somewhat.

The conversation soon turned to the food items we'd all brought since everyone was contemplating the feast ahead. Edward told his family that he and I had made four pies, apple and pumpkin. Jasper and Alice had made several dozen cornbread muffins together; Rose and Emmett had baked some rosemary rolls, which Emmett was calling "Rosalie Rolls;" and Esme had brought a big crock-pot of hot sweet potato, peach and cranberry compote that Edward said was to die for. Renee admitted to being a terrible cook and said she and Phil had bought several bottles each of sparkling cider and wine instead.

Edward and I gathered up the pies and we all piled into the Volvo, Hummer and Phil's rental and headed off to La Push and the Blacks' home.

There were cars and pick-up trucks parked all along the street in front of the Blacks' home, with several cars parked in the driveway. We managed to find space to park on a nearby side street and all piled out, heading for the house and lugging our contributions to the pot-luck.

You could smell the delicious aroma from the road. There were several smokers cooking turkeys and hams out in the front yard. Small children were running around the big front yard laughing and chasing each other. When I looked up Jake had appeared, coming out the front door of the house with a big, tooth-flashing grin on his face. Renie came out right behind him, waving and heading toward us. Edward, Emmett, Alice, Rose, Jasper and I approached as Jake strode toward us. Carlisle and Esme had stayed back by the road, waiting for Renee, Phil and Charlie to join them. They were all just beginning to head in our direction, up the driveway and toward the house.

"Welcome, palefaces!" Jake loudly said in greeting to me and my friends, throwing his head back and laughing as Renie caught up to him.

"Jacob Black, that is soooo inappropriate!" She chastised.

We all began laughing at Jake's words and tiny Renie's horrified expression and reaction.

Jake was still laughing as he spoke. "I have been waiting to say that all day! It just makes the Thanksgiving celebration more authentic when you mix the white man contingent in with the Native American homeboys. We're glad you could all make it.

"Hey, Bella, Edward," he greeted us with a smile, reaching out to take a pie from my hand as Renie did the same for Edward. Jake wrapped an arm around me in a quick hug and then extended that same arm to shake Edward's hand.

"Hi, guys!" Renie said with a big warm smile. "Don't mind him. He's losing his mind looking at all this good food and not being allowed to eat anything yet."

"Yeah, Renie's been awfully mean, keeping an eye on my every move so I don't cheat." He glanced down at the pie in his hand. "These had better be Bella's homemade pies and not store bought," he said.

"They are," Edward announced, "though if they taste off it's probably my fault; I helped."

Jake glanced over my head at Edward's family and friends. "You better do the introductions, Bella; I don't remember everyone's names."

I felt a little pang of remorse. Jacob had met these friends of mine the day I broke up with him. It hadn't been the best of circumstances by any stretch of the imagination. But I gathered myself and formally introduced Jake and Renie to Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Alice. By this time Edward's parents were also there. Jake and Renie already knew Esme from her visits to the house as she'd worked on renovations to the two bathrooms. Esme introduced Carlisle to them. I watched as my dad drew closer and introduced Phil to Jake and both Phil and Renee to Renie.

Edward leaned toward my ear and quietly said," Before the day is over I think we should get a photo of your mom, my mom and Renie sitting together."

I looked at him in confusion. "Why?"

"How often will you get a "Renee, Esme and Renesmee" together at one time? It's like Halley's Comet…worth documenting."

I rolled my eyes at him as we all headed for the house.

Billy Black was the first person I spotted when we entered the house. He looked great. Yes, he was in a wheelchair but he looked strong and well and positively thrilled at the mayhem surrounding him. He'd been talking to two men who were seated nearby but his face lit up when he saw me.

"There she is!" he called out. He waved me over and gave me a big hug. "It's good to see you, Bells. Happy Thanksgiving. Glad you could let us feed you Thanksgiving dinner for a change but I sure hope you brought us some pie."

I smiled at him and nodded. "Hi, Billy. Happy Thanksgiving. Of course I brought you some pie; pumpkin and apple." I glanced around the room and out into the backyard before speaking to him again. "This is a really nice way to celebrate. Thank you for inviting all of us. That was really thoughtful." I stepped to the side and pointed out everyone that had trailed in behind me, telling him names and connections as he greeted all of them.

We took the food into the kitchen, piling things on the already crammed kitchen counters. I paused to look around myself then, admiring the paint job I'd helped Rachel and Rebecca to do in the kitchen. The refrigerator was new. I pointed out some of the remodeling to Rose and Alice, explaining my part in it and Edward's. They were impressed that so much had been accomplished in that one day when everyone had pitched in together. When I looked over at Edward I realized he was explaining the same to Jasper and Emmett as they looked around and nodded at things he was indicating.

I watched as Esme took Carlisle, Renee and Phil on a tour, telling them what changes had been made to the house; she was probably going to show them the bathrooms she had been in charge of remodeling. My dad was standing with Harry and Sue Clearwater next to Billy, nodding in response to something Billy was saying. Renie was chatting to Rose and Alice. Jake was waving Edward, Emmett and Jasper to follow him out the side door to the backyard where I saw Leah talking to Seth, Quil and Embry.

The dining room and living room were filled with rented tables and chairs which spilled out onto the patio out back as well. The patio had been enclosed as a separate room, I realized. There was now a roof overhead and there were low walls with big glass windows above on three sides that looked out into the backyard. I saw several faces I recognized in the crowd on the patio and strolled out to visit a bit.

I talked to Sam and Emily who were sitting out on the patio with Rachel who was holding Paul's hand. Apparently that relationship was flourishing. Paul looked a lot less cranky than I'd ever seen him before. Rachel brought me up to date on her father's progress with Paul throwing in a line or two when she forgot to mention something.

Rebecca walked in the living room with a big, very muscular, dark-skinned guy with long dark, wavy hair. I realized he was probably her Samoan-surfer-husband. I was surprised to see that she was still here in Forks. Her husband had obviously flown in to stay for a visit. She tugged the guy by the hand, bringing him over to me at the entrance to the patio. She introduced him to me. Tuiasososomethingorother. He told me to call him Tito and I was relieved. He had a big, wide, friendly smile and listened with interest when Rebecca explained my connection to her family.

When Rebecca paused and asked me if Edward was here I motioned for them to follow me outside where Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Jake had gotten involved in a game of horseshoes with a few of Jake's other friends. Emmett and Jake were laughing about something. Once again it struck me that they seemed like kindred spirits in many ways. Each of the guys had a beer in his hands and that was when I spotted the numerous coolers up against the side of the house. Tito helped himself to a beer and wandered over to the game in progress. I saw Edward look over and he winked at me and gave me his sexy smirker grin.

As I glanced back into the house I saw my mom sitting on a couch talking with Esme and Sue Clearwater. Carlisle appeared to be deep in conversation with Billy Black and it appeared by Billy's gestures that he was talking about the injury to his spinal cord. My dad and Phil were laughing about something Harry Clearwater was saying.

That was when Billy's voice began calling out, announcing that the food was ready and everyone should "Come and get it.". Several men and women had brought in several platters piled high with steaming smoked turkey and ham. The aroma was tantalizing.

The kitchen counter was bursting with every possible variety of salad and vegetable side dish, including colorful peas, green beans, carrots, broccoli, and squash. There were two huge crock-pots of stuffing followed by bowls of mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, tiny mixed red and yellow potatoes, sweet potato pie topped with marshmallows, as well as Esme's crock-pot of sweet potato, peach and cranberry compote. Several casseroles were next, macaroni and cheese and others containing a variety of vegetables, rice and other ingredients.

On the next counter there were baskets of freshly baked breads and rolls, the cornbread muffins Alice and Jasper had made as well as Emmett and Rose's rosemary "Rosalie Rolls." It was hard to ignore the adjacent dessert area: chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies shaped like turkeys, peanut butter cookies and oatmeal spice cookies, a very dark chocolate cake, a possible pumpkin cheesecake and a regular cheesecake along with the apple and pumpkin pies Edward and I had made next to other pecan pies and still more pumpkin pies.

It was a feast for the eyes. No one would go hungry here today. Everyone would go home with leftovers. Of that I was certain.

Plates were piled high and seats were taken. On the tabletops there were bottles of wine and sparkling cider and pitchers of water. Glasses were filled and conversation slowed as everyone began to dig into their meal. Once everyone had fixed a plate and found a seat Billy tapped his glass with a spoon to get everyone's attention so he could speak.

"I don't want to interrupt your meals and I certainly don't want them to go cold on you, so keep on eating but remember to chew quietly and keep your moans of appreciation to yourselves." There were a few titters of laughter before he continued.

"I just wanted to say a few things." He paused for a moment before continuing, seeming to organize his thoughts a little. I felt Edward's warm fingers close over my own under the table. "My son, Jake, and I are lucky to be celebrating Thanksgiving this year at all. Things could have turned out very differently in that automobile accident back in September." He paused for a moment, looking at Jake. Quite a few people had stopped eating and were nodding at the Blacks' very close call. Billy cleared his throat and continued.

"And now some folks may look at me and focus on my wheelchair. What they don't notice is the fact that I'm alive. That gets taken for granted and instead people see the perceived negative side. But I'm not saddened by that accident. I've rejoiced every single day since then. There are so many things to be grateful for in this life; so many gifts we've all been given; even small ones in our daily lives; so many reasons to be joyful and hopeful. It's important in our very busy world to take the time to appreciate what we have and to value each and every day. And to value each other. There are so many things to be thankful for. I'm thankful to those of you who came to our assistance and helped my family and me through a difficult time. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you; you are my extended family."

Harry Clearwater proposed a toast to Billy then, thanking him for opening his home to all of us and for letting us all join in the feast. Everyone raised their glass in Billy's honor.

When the noise died down an obviously touched Billy waved his hands dismissively. "Oh, you all are just trying to get on my good side so I break down and do this again next year."

That was followed by laughter and shouts of agreement and everyone gradually resumed their meal.

"You okay?" I heard Edward ask me quietly.

I looked at him, realizing that Billy's words had indeed had an effect on me. "Yeah," I answered Edward, "I'm okay; I was just remembering that night when my dad called and my trip to Forks the next morning, not knowing what I'd find when I got here."

Edward nodded and clasped my hand a little more tightly. "They seem pretty good now, considering…" Edward said. "This was a really nice thing for them to do, putting this on for everyone. I think it's good for them and for all of their friends and family. They're good people, Bella."

I nodded. It _was_ good. It was actually a rather great idea and the Blacks _were_ good people. I was glad Edward saw that and I think I loved him a little more for telling me that.

The meal continued with everyone eating until they were practically bursting after having seconds and thirds.

Later in the evening, while most of the adults sat around finishing up coffee and dessert, Jake announced that there would be a bonfire down at the beach shortly for anyone "adventurous enough, warm-blooded enough and young enough to join in." The adults laughed, picking up on his cue that they were not invited.

Edward gave his car keys to his dad so Carlisle and Esme could head home in Edward's Volvo when they were ready to leave. We told them goodnight. Renee and Phil were going to drop Charlie off at the house for his late shift before they headed back to their Bed and Breakfast. I told my dad I'd see him in the morning after his late shift and I told my mom and Phil I'd see them tomorrow before they left for Seattle.

Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose would be spending the night at my house here in Forks…but first…we were all going to a bonfire down at First Beach.

It was lovely, really; despite the cold. There were plenty of blankets and sleeping bags and warm jackets to keep everyone warm on logs and little beach chairs in front of the big blazing fire. Most people were coupled up and sat snuggled together under blankets and sleeping bags, talking and singing bits of songs as a few took turns playing a guitar that had been brought along. We cajoled Edward into joining in and he played two Van Morrison songs as everyone sang along: Moondance and then Brown Eyed Girl. There were actually quite a few brown-eyed girls there that evening. The songs had been good choices and Edward played well.

Jake and a few of the other guys had brought "firewater." We all laughed at that term as the tequila and whiskey made the rounds, being poured into little plastic cups. The alcohol was enough to warm up our insides; someone had been thinking ahead.

As I sat there, leaning back into Edward's enveloping warmth beneath a big, cozy comforter, I thought about what an absolutely perfect day it had been for me; the most amazing day, really. My past and my present colliding and meshing so neatly. I felt relieved that I didn't have to compartmentalize the different aspects of my life; they had all been here together: my dad, my mom and my step-dad, my childhood playmates and my college friends, my first love and his family, my true love and his family. We were all here together; my past and my present and my future combined.

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**A/N: Let me know what you thought. I hope you're still with me and enjoying. Are you out there?**

**"Fan Fiction, Sex Gods and Single Girls" is out there, just waiting for you... **

**One last chapter coming up.**


	73. Epilogue: Seasons Part 2: Winter Lands

**The Transfer**

**A/N**: Sorry for the horrendous delay. I've started writing a new story and it's burning a hole in my head and has me completely sidetracked.

_Fan Fiction, Sex Gods and Single Girls_ is a wild and crazy ride with a very different premise. Check it out.

On to the next season and the final epilogue in this sequelogue:

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**Chapter 73: Epilogue: Seasons Part II: Winter Lands**

**BPOV**

Once the Thanksgiving holiday ended, we were on the downhill slope to the end of the quarter at the University of Washington. It was a steep and slippery downhill slide. I had finals to gear up for and I was still making up for the debacle that had been the middle of the quarter when I'd missed classes due to illness and then injury. My professors had all been very understanding, allowing me extra time to catch up. The problem was…even though I had been given time to catch up we were also still moving forward at the same time so I had had my work cut out for me.

With December came the rains. The lovely week off we'd enjoyed at the end of November was suddenly a distant memory of the past and we were dealing with a very sodden present. This was the Pacific Northwest…or maybe more aptly…the Pacific North_wet._ Bundling up in weatherproof boots and protective raingear and toting an umbrella everywhere you went became second nature.

There was one real plus in all this, however. When Edward and I would return to the dorm, dripping wet, chilled to the bone, and stressed from impending finals, in a manner of minutes we could be stripped down, heated up and completely oblivious to anything but each other.

The first time it had happened it had taken me by surprise and it had turned into quite the memorable event.

I'd come back from class, absolutely drenched and freezing. In my backpack was a handout I'd received in class, outlining everything that could be important for the final. It was ridiculous. I didn't even remember learning about some of the topics on that list.

When I walked in the door and found Edward sitting in the Swanky Fort, playing his guitar and humming along to the music, I felt somewhat relieved instantly. I felt even more improved the minute he saw my face and laid his guitar to the side, getting up and coming to me because he saw that something was wrong.

"Love, you're soaking wet. Take this stuff off before you get sick." He first unzipped and peeled off my jacket, hanging it on my desk chair. Then he knelt to help me off with my boots as I began complaining about my final and the injustice of being required to know things we hadn't even covered. He looked up at me as he worked on the laces.

"Bella, maybe some of those things were covered while you were sick or out because of your injuries and you just don't remember them clearly."

"So now you're taking the professor's side?"

He chuckled as he reached up and unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans which were soaked from mid-thigh to the hem. He began pulling the soggy pants down my legs as he spoke soothingly.

"Relax, love. I'll help you with the study guide. We'll go over things and I can help you. I've got one less final than you." He tossed the pants on the floor next to my desk.

Now that just pissed me off. Plus I was freezing and beginning to shiver.

"Are you gloating about your brilliant academic masterstroke, Edward? Choosing a class that had no midterm or final, only a couple quizzes and two measly papers…both of which were ridiculously short, I might add."

He chuckled again as he continued to kneel, pulling off my damp socks and tossing them on top of the pile that was my jeans. He ran his hands up and down my legs quickly, warming them up with the friction. When he stood back up gracefully he grabbed the hem of my sweatshirt and lifted it over my head, draping it across the back of his desk chair and reaching over to lock the door as he spoke.

"That Human Communications class was probably the most boring class I've ever taken. I had to sit through those lectures with that professor droning on and on. Shit, Bella, that guy made time stand still. I paid my dues just attending that class."

He was grinning his lopsided killer grin at me as he pulled my t-shirt over my head. That's when I suddenly realized that neither my sweatshirt nor my t-shirt had been wet. My rain jacket had covered that layer thoroughly.

"Wait. What are you doing?" I finally thought to ask.

"Shhh," he said, lifting his index finger to his lips. "I'm on a roll now, don't interrupt me." His eyes twinkled and there was a devilish little grin on those sculpted lips of his.

I watched him as he pulled his own sweatshirt over his head. He was bare-chested beneath it. Standing as close to him as I was, I suddenly caught the Edward Cullen signature scent as I gazed at the Edward Cullen To-Die-For shoulders, pecs, abs and happy trail.

I shivered again as I watched him unbutton his jeans, slowly slipping the buttons through the little buttonholes.

"You're on a roll now, huh?" I asked dumbly as I watched him slide his jeans down his legs slowly.

"Umm-hmm" he growled low in his throat.

I could feel myself growing a little lightheaded as I watched The Best Damn Strip Show Ever. I didn't feel quite as chilled, suddenly. I was beginning to sense some heat in the room. It was most probably emanating off my overly-hot boyfriend.

"What is it you're doing, actually?" I asked a little breathlessly as he pulled off his socks.

"This is the Edward Cullen Patented Girlfriend Distraction and Warm-Up Technique." He grinned at me with that wicked smile of his as his hands continued removing clothing items. "It's guaranteed to soothe your distressed mind and warm your chilled, yet inviting body, my love."

My ovaries began cheering when my panties and bra found their way to the ground at my feet and Edward's hand began softly stroking my breast. I was beginning to think this technique of his had some definite merit.

He was completely naked at this point and he was…inspired…and inspiring. I reached out and grasped him, gathering inspiration while I listened to the hiss of his slow inhalation as I touched him. His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me into his big, gentle warmth, rubbing the length of my arms as he had done with my legs. After a moment he reached down and stilled my hand as it moved along his erection.

"Actually, love," he murmured softly into my ear, "I was thinking that _I'd _be doing the distracting, not_ you_."

I must have looked up at him with a pout on my lips because he smiled tenderly at me before succumbing and changing his mind. Or maybe it was the well-placed squeeze I'd just given him.

"Then again, mutual distraction is a nice thing," he sighed with pleasure as his eyelids fluttered closed. He began moving my hand along his erection once again, at the same time leaning down to kiss and lick and softly bite the shell of my ear. He made a soft humming groan as he continued moving my hand along his hard shaft for a moment until he finally stepped back, pulling away from my grasp. He looked at me with those stormy-seas sex-eyes of his

One of his eyebrows twitched.

I think one of my ovaries twitched in response.

"This technique really works best in the comfort of a warm bed, love."

"What technique?" I asked, looking at him with wide, vacant eyes.

He frowned slightly. "The one to warm you up and make you forget about your class."

"Oh." I nodded.

"What class?" I asked, keeping my face mindless and deadpan.

He laughed as he led me over to the risers and watched me as I climbed up.

"I see the technique is already beginning to work its magic."

I giggled at him as he climbed up and crawled over to me, hovering over me and looking down with a radiant smile as I slid my fingers into his hair, flexing and tugging on the trapped strands.

"Well then, come on, Houdini, work your magic; make the chill disappear from my body. Use your magic wand and warm me up." I wiggled underneath him and looked up laughing at his surprised expression.

Edward's eyes were wide, his eyebrows were arched and the corner of his mouth was curling up in that grin of his. He snickered and then lunged for my neck with a growl.

There was only one thing better than a big, warm, cuddly, sexy, happy boy. And that was a big, warm, cuddly, sexy, happy boy with a magic wand. And Edward…holy shit…he could do some serious tricks with that oversized magic wand of his.

Within an hour's time I was completely distracted from my earlier irritation; my distressed mind was calmed. I was also cozy and warm, pulled back in bed against the large spoon behind me whose warm breaths were tickling my ear. Edward was peering over my shoulder at the study guide I held out for us both to look over.

He had climbed back down from the bed some moments ago and rooted around in my backpack until he found the appropriate folder and the study guide I had lamented. I felt more relaxed now as I went through the list with three different colored felt-tip markers, sorting the topics into three categories and highlighting them accordingly: purple for "Know It," pink for "Heard of It," and green for "What the Fuck?"

The last category had been Edward's idea and he kept chuckling every time I announced a topic as a "What the Fuck?" topic. I think he got a kick out of me swearing. Apparently I don't do that enough.

So that made me roll over on my back and look up into his beautiful face and sweetly say every swear word, pornographic term or off-color remark I could think of while he alternately laughed, blushed or became slightly aroused.

Somehow that led to Edward's use of the markers on my body. It started innocently enough with a pink heart, drawn right over my heart, with a beautiful purple script "Bella & Edward" written within it in Edward's flawless cursive script. I did the same over his heart in my much sloppier, haphazard handwriting.

After that we played three games of tic-tac-toe on my stomach and two games of hangman on his. Our rainy-day coloring activities completely deteriorated when Edward basically pinned me down as we both laughed our heads off and he drew faces on my breasts. By the time he was done, we were both breathless and he was red-faced, with the veins in his forehead prominent from his exertion as he leaned over me. And I had two boobs named Te and Ta. I knew this for a fact because he had written their names between them with arrows pointing at the corresponding faces.

I pouted at him until he pulled his boxer-briefs back off and let me draw on his penis.

As I sat next to Edward, looking at my pen color choices and leaning over him, I knew what I had to do.

With green and purple pens in hand, Edward's penis became…The Incredible Hulk.

And the more erect Edward became as I went about my artwork, the more appropriate that choice proved to be. And it was so much easier to illustrate an erect penis than a flaccid one, I was discovering.

The emergence of The Hulk led us straight back to our previous sexual activities and by the time dinner rolled around I would forever be able to say I'd had sex with The Incredible Hulk. Edward and I were breathless, starving, laughed out, and in need of a good scrubbing. Instead we cleaned up a little, dressed, and went directly to dinner, giggling repeatedly over what we both knew lay beneath our clothes. It was obvious we were annoying the heck out of Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper with our giggles. Especially when we refused to explain ourselves, but that was just too good to share. Besides we would never live that down.

That evening, feeling a little more relaxed about my dreaded final, I scoured my notes for any and all references to anything that was in the "What the Fuck?" category on my study guide. I found a few things in my notes that I hadn't remembered, but there they were nonetheless, and I realized I had less of a struggle ahead of me than I had previously thought.

And a little later that evening, after returning from my shower and a failed attempt to scrub the highlighter completely off my skin, Edward handed me a sheaf of papers before leaving for his own shower downstairs. I glanced through the stack. He had printed up results he'd found that concerned the other topics that had still remained in the "What the Fuck?" category. He had Googled them for me and it made me teary…Edward just loved me so completely and took care of me at every turn.

We discovered in the days that followed that pink highlighter fades much faster than green or purple highlighter. The Incredible Hulk wanted to stay awhile, much to Edward's dismay. The poor guy was forced to avoid men's urinals at all costs for a few days, despite numerous attempts to scrub the hell out of his junk. I offered him nail polish remover, telling him that it worked somewhat, but he was adamant about keeping his unit away from anything like acetone, paint thinner or bleach. I mentioned hydrochloric acid in passing and he grabbed his package like he'd been burned.

Finals came and went and I found that all the stress and tension I had put myself through had been unfounded. I felt like I'd done well in spite of my fears to the contrary beforehand. Edward reminded me that I wasn't a dummy but rather his smart girl and of course I did well because that kind of stuff mattered to me.

So, with quizzes, tests, projects, papers, blue book finals and the first quarter of our junior year behind us, we were about to head home for the duration of winter break.

Which meant I would be in Forks while Edward was in Port Angeles. Granted, it would only be for two and a half weeks. And we would both spend some time at each other's homes for part of that time. But…I missed our dorm room before I even put that first duffel bag in my car. I missed my adorkable boy before I even started packing.

**EPOV**

I could see Bella getting upset as she packed that Friday afternoon after finals week ended. She didn't say anything but I could see it in her body language. I could hear it in her exhalations. Well, I felt the same way she did. This would be the first time in my life that I wasn't looking forward to a break from school. And it all had to do with the slight, brown-haired, brown-eyed girl, dejectedly sitting cross-legged on the floor of our dorm room, sighing as she packed her bags.

She was missing me and I was missing her and we hadn't even left yet. I sat down on the floor, scooting up behind her and pulling her into me a bit. I felt her relax in my arms as I kissed her temple.

"Bella, I'm coming to your house on Sunday. I'll spend the night. And then we'll be at my house for Christmas Eve on Wednesday. I don't mind driving back and forth; what else am I going to do with my time?" She looked over her shoulder at me and I grinned at her hopefully. "Where else am I going to go?"

She smiled back at me.

"Staying at my house isn't any fun, though. You're relegated to sleeping fully-clothed on the couch."

I smirked at her. "I could always sneak upstairs to your room in the middle of the night."

"And you could see how it feels to have buckshot in your behind as you escape out the second story window and down the tree outside." She giggled at my grimace.

"Yeah, I guess that's a bad idea. But over Thanksgiving when I was there we managed some time alone when your dad was gone at work."

"I know. We'll just have to work around things," she agreed. "I just kind of like this set up we have here." She looked around the room and up at our bed before she looked back at me with big sad doe eyes. "And it makes me think about how awful the summer break will be. That will be three long months."

I nodded, sighing and threading my fingers through hers and holding her hand tightly. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, love. Meanwhile, I'm fairly certain we'll get through the next two and a half weeks okay. And then we have at least five more months of school, seduction and sex before we have to think about summer…unless you decide to dump me before then."

She turned sideways, looping her arms around my neck and looked up at me with a big smile.

"No, I'm keeping you. The seduction and sex are too good."

I laughed at my cute girl. I was always glad when I could put a smile on her face and get rid of her frown.

"Good, I'll keep honing my skills then." I kissed her thoroughly to let her know I was truly committed to those skills. And shit…she's got some tremendous skills of her own. I am a very lucky guy.

We beat the traffic out of Seattle late in the afternoon on that Friday and made it to Port Angeles by six thirty. My mom had dinner nearly ready and Emmett and Alice were already there. Rose and Jasper had left from school the day before to go their parents' home. They were going to Oregon to visit an aunt and uncle before Christmas and they wouldn't be back until Christmas Eve.

My mother wouldn't let Bella leave that evening without feeding her dinner. It worked out well anyway since her dad was working a later shift and wouldn't be home until midnight. Bella called her dad and let him she'd be home by eleven and I got a few more hours of my girl that Friday evening before she drove home to Forks. I hated that she was driving that old truck of hers so late at night but I made sure she called me when she got there safely. If she'd had any kind of problems I could always hop in the Volvo and get to her relatively quickly.

As planned, I showed up at her house on Sunday. Emmett and Alice were bored without Rose and Jasper, so they came along to Bella's for the day as well. We drove two cars though, since there wouldn't be enough room for all three of us to sleep on the couch and Em and Alice would be heading back home that night. Just because Emmett and Alice had to do without Rose and Jasper for a few days didn't mean I should go without some private time with my girl, so I was staying.

And what did we do for entertainment at Bella's? She put on some old Christmas CD's of her dad's and had us helping her bake Christmas cookies while we listened to carols and got in the mood for the holidays. She said she was sending some cookies to the Blacks, bringing the majority of them to our house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and leaving the rest here for her dad.

The four of us sat in that tiny kitchen mixing batches of dough…well, and eating some of it when we couldn't control ourselves. It was actually pretty entertaining. We made batches of chocolate chip cookies, some powdered sugar coated little pecan ball cookies, some green sugar cookies in the shape of Christmas trees, decorated with little multi-colored sprinkles, and some gingerbread men, which Bella dubbed "Gingerbreadwards."

We were sitting around the kitchen table helping out and then things began deteriorating as we got towards the end and were working on those Gingerbreadwards. Emmett and I were acting like idiots, making Picasso-style Gingerbreadwards, with the facial features in rather random placement. Bella and Alice took over most of the decorating after that. Bella broke out the chocolate sprinkles and gave theGingerbreadwards hair that was supposed to look like my screwed up hair, but it was really the wrong color; it was way too dark.

When Emmett remarked that the hair looked like James' hair after he dyed it, Alice sprang into action with a vengeance and began snapping the heads off of the ones we had already baked and sprinkled. We all started laughing; Alice was cackling evilly by the time she had finished them off and showed those cookies who was boss. At that point, once they were headless, they were "Gingerdeadmen."

I think Bella wound up with at least a dozen and a half that had heads and looked normal. Emmett and I were happy, we were going to get to keep all the Gingerdeadmen to ourselves, and Alice sat there evilly gnawing on the broken Gingerheads. Bella said she was glad we had all helped, even though our helping probably made the entire activity last nearly twice as long as if Bella had worked on her own. We were proud of ourselves.

When Charlie got home from work he was surprised to see so many Cullens at his house. He had been expecting me but he'd got more than he'd bargained for. But he seemed okay with getting to know Alice and Emmett a little more. I wondered if he didn't maybe even like them more than me, but then again, Alice and Emmett weren't in a relationship with his daughter. He didn't have to be quite as concerned and cautious with them. I was the one who had the loaded gun, although I kept that thing holstered with the safety on while the Chief was around.

Charlie ordered pizza and offered sodas and beers that night. We all sat in the Chief's living room, watching a Seahawks game first, followed by a favorite cop show of his. Charlie and Emmett got into a big debate over who would make it to the Superbowl. I steered clear of that debate. I figured I'd look like a suck-up if I agreed with Charlie and I'd look like an ass if I disagreed with him. I just made a few general comments to show I was paying attention.

Alice and Bella disappeared upstairs for a while until nearly the end of the game. I wondered what they'd been up to until they came back downstairs once the game was over. I saw that Bella's hair was in two French braids and I knew Alice had been playing hairdresser. I smiled at my girl as she came and sat next to me on the couch and then I pulled on her pigtails just to bug her. She was awfully cute and she looked so young; I imagined her looking like that in junior high school. I wanted to kiss her, and maybe that's a pervy thing to say after thinking that she looked like a thirteen year old, but I would have wanted to kiss her if I was in junior high too, I decided.

Later that night, when Emmett and Alice headed back to Port Angeles and Charlie climbed the stairs to bed, Bella and I sat on the couch, watching a DVD. Really, all we did was cuddle up to each other and kiss and talk quietly and there was no actual nudity, but it was just such a nice quiet way to pass a few hours after all the commotion of Emmett and Alice on sugar highs and trying to make sure I didn't say the wrong thing about the Seahawks or football in general.

I stayed at Bella's the Sunday night before Christmas and left for Port Angeles late in the afternoon on Monday. I didn't see Bella again until late in the day on Wednesday, Christmas Eve. She'd driven to our house for Christmas Eve since Charlie would be on duty early the next day. He had taken the early Christmas Day shift to give the other men on his force the morning off to be with their families. Bella's dad really was a good guy, gruff, of course, and scary sometimes, but he had a kind heart beneath that taciturn exterior.

Bella would be spending Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with my family and then our plan was to go back to Forks together later on Christmas Day to have dinner with her dad when he got off work. We were suddenly thrust into that whole thing where there are two places you are supposed to be for a holiday and you have to work out how to be in both places together. We certainly didn't want to spend the holiday apart. But Charlie had been very understanding. I'm not sure if that isn't maybe another reason why he'd taken the shift that he had in the first place; it made things easier on Bella and me. I think Charlie just really wanted his daughter to be happy, first and foremost, and I could certainly relate to that.

We had a huge dinner early on Christmas Eve with my family. The Hales had just returned from their trip to Oregon, so they all came over as well; not just Rose and Jasper, but their parents too. My mom was on fire in the kitchen. She'd been making and baking food for days. It seemed she was expecting an army to show up and instead it was just the ten of us gathered around the dining room table stuffing ourselves like we might not get to eat for the remainder of the winter.

I think it took about five hours to eat all the courses she prepared. We'd pause between courses, washing dishes, sharing stories about Christmases when we were kids. I even played some Christmas Carols on the piano until Emmett started singing weird versions of some of the songs. We played some Christmas Trivia game Alice had printed up off of something she'd found on line. My mom really knew her Christmas Trivia and had us all beaten to hell.

After dessert Jasper and Rose's parents headed back home and the rest of us sat in the living room, full and barely able to move. According to Jasper, he and Rose were spending the night to have "a Very Cullen Christmas" the next morning before heading over to their parents' house with Emmett and Alice. Bella and I would head for Forks then and leave my parents to recuperate from all the festivities.

In the evening, after the Hales had left, my parents, Emmett, Rose, Alice, Jasper, Bella and I waddled out to the Hummer and went for a drive looking at homes decorated with Christmas lights. That was my mom's and Alice's idea, but Rose and Bella jumped on board quickly. All of us guys would have preferred to stay home and lie around digesting, watching TV, but we would have looked like idiots, my dad included, if we said no, so what could we do? Dad said it was a good way to earn points with the ladies and Mom winked at him. Emmett and I were grossed out. We'd caught that wink. We could guess how those points would be cashed in. You just don't want to think those thoughts about your parents.

Late in the evening we all headed to our separate rooms with our significant others and I was once again befuddled at having parents who didn't seem to care about the premarital sex that was obviously going on under their roof. But I think they knew it was safe, premarital sex and I got the feeling they sensed it would one day turn into "marital sex" for each of us couples. I could totally see my mom building an addition onto the house so she had plenty of room for us kids and her eventual grandkids to come stay for the holidays.

I could certainly see Emmett marrying Rose and Alice marrying Jasper and I felt hopeful about Bella and me, though we hadn't been together nearly as long as the others. Em and Rose had been together for over three years and Alice and Jasper were two years strong. I just couldn't imagine anyone else taking the place of Rose or Jasper for my siblings and I couldn't imagine myself wanting anyone besides Bella.

Christmas morning felt like a step back into childhood. We were all in our twenties and yet we were reduced to behaving like ten year olds as we sat there in our pajamas, excitedly unwrapping gifts, laughing and ooh-ing and aah-ing at the results.

My parents gave us kids a three-day ski trip to The Summit at Snoqualmie, for the December 31st, New Year's Eve, and New Years' Day. The reservations came complete with lift tickets for six and a condominium rental that slept eight. Obviously the intent was that we would bring Rose, Jasper and Bella. We could snowboard or ski all day and have a New Year's Eve celebration that would be safe and sane in the condo, no matter how much we drank to celebrate. Bella had never been snowboarding or skiing so that would be a real adventure. We all gave her a hard time about just how skillful she might not be. Alice volunteered to sit in the ski lodge and drink Kahlua and coffees with her until they got all drunk and caffeinated if things didn't go well.

For my parents' Christmas gift, we had all chipped in to pay for a two night stay at a Bed and Breakfast on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. The reservations were for the end of January; we figured that would give them enough time to plan accordingly with their jobs. Emmett, as the eldest, had taken it upon himself to take care of the reservations and had acted like he'd struck gold when he found the Lovejoy Inn and declared that Bed and Breakfast the winner, based on the name alone. We found out it was actually one of the top-rated B and B's in the area, so we agreed and let him have his off-color fun.

Some of the other gifts we'd exchanged for Christmas were couple-oriented gag-gifts. A few of them were rather hilarious.

Bella and I had bought a collection of Doctor Seuss books for Alice and Jasper. Which they immediately began reading. Bella and I were dying. My parents wondered why we would get them Dr. Seuss books and we had to politely explain how Jasper and Alice liked reading poetry to each other. Alice blushed furiously, looking mortified. Jasper looked proud yet baffled at Alice's reaction. We didn't bother elaborating on what they wore for their poetry readings. Or what they didn't wear. My parents didn't need the particulars.

Emmett and Rose gave me and Bella matching T-shirts. Bella's shirt proclaimed "I'm with the dork" across the front. It had a little pocket on the chest and an arrow across the stomach, pointing to where I would presumably be standing. My shirt was made to appear that I had put it on backwards…the little pocket was actually on the shoulder blade in back as were the words "I'm the dork." Very funny. And then there was discussion about how Bella calls me a dork and tells Alice and Rose I'm adorkable. My mother seemed to think that was really cute and she hugged Bella like she was proud of her.

"Just go with it, son," my dad encouraged, grinning at me as everyone laughed at my expense.

Alice and Jasper gave Emmett and Rose a box of toys they had labeled "Rainy Day Activities." Some of them were actual toys: a yo-yo, coloring books and crayons, a little balsa-wood airplane kit, watercolor paints, a paddle-ball, a jigsaw puzzle and a Rubik's cube. But mixed in with them were some other more risqué toys…a blindfold, some hot pink furry handcuffs, and a length of rope, all coiled up. I saw Rose flush a bit but my idiot brother immediately dove for the paddle-ball, yelling how awesome those things were and how he hadn't played with one in years. Rose looked relieved, to say the least.

It just got funnier when my mom leaned over, looking into the box, pointing and asked, "Are these handcuffs?" and my dad jokingly replied, "I'm surprised you have to ask, Esme, they're almost exactly like yours." At that point my mother yelped, "Carlisle!" tossed a throw pillow at my father, jumped up, and announced it was time for her to go make pancakes. She took her beet red face out to the kitchen and started banging around in the pots and pans. And my father? He actually guffawed. So now I know where Emmett gets it.

Bella and I had promised each other that we wouldn't spend much money on a pile of gifts for each other; that we'd try to do something creative instead.

When I unwrapped Bella's gift to me I saw that it was a jar, about half-filled with little slips of brightly colored paper, folded in half.

"What's this?" I asked, completely baffled as I opened up the jar, looking in and reaching for a slip of paper.

"They're all the reasons I love you," she'd said shyly, blushing all the while.

There was a collective, "Awwww…" from everyone as I smiled at her before glancing down at the little slip of paper I'd selected.

And then Emmett blurted, "You should have used a smaller jar, Bella."

She turned to him and shut him right down.

"I'm going to need more room for more reasons, Emmett. We've only known each other for four months. Besides, this is Edward we're talking about, not you." She ended that shut down by sticking her tongue out at him.

Rose fell backwards against the couch, laughing loudly at the expression on Emmett's face and Jasper high-fived Bella for not putting up with Emmett's shit. I slung my free arm around her and hugged her closer to me.

"What does it say?" Alice asked, peering in the direction of the little slip of blue paper I held in my hand. "What does Bella love about you?"

I looked down at the paper and cleared my throat.

"It says, '_You're not Emmett_.'" And then I tucked the little slip back inside the jar and put the lid on it.

They all got a good laugh and I had saved Bella and myself from embarrassment, because the little slip actually said, '_You're an equal opportunity kind of lover._' I winked at her as I cradled my jar of love notes on my lap.

"Thank you, love. It's lovely." Bella smiled as I leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

My gift to Bella was a song I'd been working on occasionally in my spare time at school. It was a composition for the piano. I had managed to convince Angela Weber, who was a music major, to help finagle me some time in the piano practice rooms over at the music department so I could work on it without Bella knowing and play it so I could hear it aloud instead of just in my head. I'd had much of it in my head before I even sat down at the piano and started writing it out. Angela thought it was a very romantic thing for me to do. I'd played parts of it for her as well and she'd approved, surprised that I was so musical.

Bella had been a little confused when she unwrapped her gift and opened up the folder that protected the handwritten sheet music.

"A song?" she'd asked, looking up at me with that little "v" between her brows as she frowned. And then realization had dawned on her as she looked back down at the title, '_Loving Bella_.' "You wrote me a song?"

I nodded, grinning at her.

"It's not done yet. It's a work in progress."

"Edward, that's amazing! I love it!"

"You haven't even heard it yet, Bella," I cautioned her with a smirk.

Rose piped up. "Bella, go get another slip of paper, you've got to add 'You wrote me a song' to Edward's jar."

Bella smiled up at me.

"She's right, you know. Will you play it for me?"

I did. I played what I had completed.

"How will it end?" she'd quietly asked me, as we sat cuddled together on the piano bench in our pajamas.

"I think you know. I know how I want it to end…it has no ending." I smiled at her.

She blushed as I leaned down and kissed her and took her left hand in mine, squeezing it meaningfully as she leaned into me. She knew what I meant. it all had to do with the night before.

At midnight the previous evening, on Christmas Eve, Bella and I had exchanged two other gifts in the quiet of my room. We had intended to not spend much money, and for the Christmas morning gifts, we hadn't spent any. But despite our best intentions we had both gone out and bought each other something more special anyway. So much for good intentions. I guess sometimes you just can't help yourself.

I was the one who started the whole midnight gift-giving thing. I couldn't wait until the morning with my real gift and I didn't want the rest of the family to be a part of it. Sure Bella could show them what I'd gotten her the next morning, but I just didn't want her unwrapping her gift while we all huddled around on the living room floor with everyone looking on like vultures. There was also something I wanted to tell her when she unwrapped that gift and I didn't want prying ears involved.

She'd asked if she could give me my gift first. I'd been agreeable. My gift to her was actually a gift to both of us, and I'd rather give that to her second.

Bella had bought me an antique-looking wristwatch. It was silver with a black leather band and it was quite dressy-looking, yet simple and classic. It was a gentleman's watch.

"Oh, wow, this is a beautiful watch, love. I don't own a nice watch."

"You do now." She smirked as she pointed that out to me. "Look on the back," Bella murmured.

I turned the watch over and realized there was an inscription. I looked carefully, reading the words: "_If you tend to your love, there's no end to your love._"

"That's beautiful, Bella. What's the quote from?"

She frowned. "It's from…me."

"Those are your words?" I asked in surprise. She nodded, looking slightly embarrassed but I just grinned broadly at her.

"This is so cool," I said as I examined the watch. I contemplated the gift and her words for a moment. I knew exactly what she was telling me.

"So, what you're saying is…If I keep the watch wound and take care of it, it won't stop. And if I take care of our relationship, I won't have to buy you flowers because I've screwed up, and you'll be willing to keep me for a long time to come?"

She giggled. "I think that pretty much sums things up. Do you really like it?"

"I love it. And I love you. Thank you, love."

I reached for the gift I had for Bella, picking it up and handing it to her.

"Your turn." I waggled my eyebrows at her.

"What is it?" she'd asked when I'd handed her the shirt-boxed-sized, gift-wrapped package as she sat cross-legged on my bed.

I rolled my eyes at her but grinned as I scooted up to sit right opposite her so that our knees were touching.

"Well, it's a gift. I'm not saying what's in it. That would ruin the surprise. You could sit here and wonder about it for a while, or…Bella…you could just open it and see for yourself. Take your pick." I smirked at her.

She reached around me and swatted my ass for making fun of her.

"You're such a dork, Edward! It's a legitimate question!" And then she began unwrapping it.

When she took the paper off and saw the box from the department store I watched as her brow creased. I had to bite my lip as she lifted the lid and her frown deepened. There was nothing in the box except for a lot of scrunched up tissue paper and another much smaller box in the center.

A jewelry box.

A ring box.

Her fingers started shaking and I quickly grabbed her hands in mine. She was making me feel nervous now and I didn't want her flipping out before I got a chance to explain.

"It's not what you're thinking, love…don't panic. I mean, it's kind of what you're thinking but not completely. Shit. I'm making this worse. Just open it before I say something stupid and ruin everything."

Her wide brown eyes were just looking at me. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. I realized I was holding my breath because she was holding her breath.

"Bella, open it."

She looked back down at the box in her hands and opened it with fumbling fingers, lifting the lid and looking inside.

"Oh, my gosh, Edward…"

I saw her swallow but she didn't finish her sentence. She looked up at me and her eyes looked a little glassy.

"…it's so beautiful," she murmured as she glanced back down at it in the box, touching the ring with a fingertip.

"Take it out, Bella," I urged, since she just sat there, stunned and barely breathing, looking at it.

"Holy crap, Edward, you spent way more on this than we agreed," she whispered as she took the ring out of the little box and looked at it more carefully.

The ring was made of 18 karat gold, with two dark blue oval lapis lazuli stones, nestled on either side of a flat gold "X." There were two small diamonds on the upper and lower portions of the "X" and I'd had a little bit of engraving done on the interior of the band.

"I want to tell you about this ring, Bella. You know about me and my flower symbolism." I paused and saw the little smile at the corners of her mouth; the slight nod of her head. "Well, I'm branching out her into gemstones and jewelry design."

Her smile broadened and she giggled as she looked at me with love. She knew me. She had to know I'd go for the symbolism. I gently took the ring from her to point a few things out.

"First of all, these blue stones, flecked with gold, are lapis lazuli. The Egyptians believed lapis lazuli had protective powers. I think that might be a helpful thing for you." She rolled her eyes at me. "And the ancient Greeks believed lapis lazuli foretold love that would be forever faithful."

She smiled and her eyes looked glassy once again.

"I also liked that the stones were ovals, separated by an "X" because that made me think of a kiss and two hugs. I liked that idea because when we kiss, we're joined together in really only one kiss, which we share, but there are two hugs which we give each other."

"I like that," she murmured, looking lovingly into my eyes and disregarding the ring for the moment.

"Look inside the band, I had it engraved." I showed her where her name had been engraved beneath the setting and my name faced it on the opposite side. Between our names, on both sides, was the word "and." This way you could read the inside inscription and it would say 'Edward and Bella and Edward and Bella,' endlessly.

"And when you put it on, you'll see that the inscription of my name is in the palm of your hand," I grinned at her, "right where you have me anyway."

She snickered at my insight.

"Oh, Edward… You've put so much thought into this." She moved up onto her knees and leaned forward, giving me a hug.

I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly for a moment, but I wasn't through. I pulled back a little, holding her body close to mine with one arm as I reached for her hand and the finger that would wear the ring.

"And the most important thing about this ring has to do with the two diamonds." I swallowed and I think Bella stopped breathing as she sat there with one hand threaded up into my hair. I took a deep breath and told her the real reason I'd bought this ring.

"This is a promise ring, Bella. We've known each other for less than four months, but I promise you, you are _it_ for me. I know we're both still in college, it's just our junior year, we're young and there's a lot we still have to get through before our lives are settled into careers, but I know where I'm headed and I hope you're headed there with me. There are two tiny little diamonds on this ring, because someday, I promise, I want to give you a diamond ring that will mean that you're going to be mine always; I want to love you forever, Bella."

Halfway through my little speech I saw that Bella's eyes had unshed tears and as I continued the tears started trickling down her cheeks past her quivering lips. When I got the last few words out she clamped her hand over her mouth and was shaking with mostly-silent sobs. I was worried that maybe I had just made this my worst Christmas ever by jumping the gun, but then I realized she was clinging to me with her other hand and pulling herself up and over into my lap and so I just decided to make sure things were okay.

"I sure hope these are good tears, love. But I've got to be honest; I'm getting a little worried about the sobs."

She began laughing and crying simultaneously, wrapping her other arm around me and hugging me tightly. Her voice cracked as she replied.

"They're good tears, baby; the sobs too." She sniffed and wiped her hands across her face. "God, Edward, you really know how to overwhelm a girl." She smiled a shaky smile at me and I cupped her face in my hand.

"So, do you want to wear this? A promise ring…my promise to you?" I asked, still holding the ring in the fingers of one hand as I pushed her hair back from her wet, tear-stained, smiling face. She just looked so beautiful to me, tears and red nose and all as she nodded.

"I do."

Her eyes shot to mine and her mouth dropped open in shock as the words left her lips; she was looking to see if I'd noticed. Of course I had. I'd just finish telling the girl I was planning on marrying her someday and the words 'I do' were already rolling around in my head. I grinned at her words and shrugged.

"Doesn't hurt to practice, love."

She giggled as I took her hand in mine and slid the promise ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. And then, with a great sigh of relief, and a profound and overwhelming feeling of love, I kissed the hell out of Isabella Marie Swan-Someday-Cullen.

She was going to be mine someday…for always…we'd just made that promise.

**The (Happily Forever After) End!**

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading and for sticking with me for such a long ride. I hope you enjoyed and if so, I hope to hear from you. Heck, you can even let me know if you didn't enjoy the ride. LOL**

I'm still planning to continue _**One Stupid Thing.**_

Meanwhile, for a good laugh, check out _**Fan Fiction, Sex Gods and Single Girls**_.

**Summary:** New teacher and aspiring writer, Bella Swan, moves to Seattle. She finds fan-fiction-creation-inspiration in the enigmatic and surly playboy who lives in the upscale condo across from hers. As her newest on-line story begins to develop, so does a correspondence with a mysterious reader/reviewer of that story. Is it a co-worker? It's a case of art imitating life and life imitating art. A fan-fic story within a fan-fic story with all the canon usuals, lemons, laughs and love.


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